I love to celebrate a good win from our blue boi.
Sure, he hasn’t really been at war with Mario for a decade or more now, but we don’t forget; Not us here in New Zealand. I suspect there’s a large portion of our little country which grew up on Sega. And you know who else grew up on Sega?
Sonic the f*cking Hedgehog.
After a botched start off the line with their first trailer, which saw Teethy-Sonic become the stuff of nightmares, animated boi Sonic has returned (with a closed animation studio in tow…)! Will Sonic The Hedgehog join the likes of Detective Pikachu as a successful video games film? Or is Sonic running out of speed-
Sonic (Ben Schwartz) tries to navigate the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound best friend – a human named Tom Wachowski. (James Marsden) They must soon join forces to prevent the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) from capturing Sonic and using his powers for world domination.
Sonic is f*cking hype.
It’s also not for you; This statement is aimed at the parents who may not understand what the f*ck they’re watching. Also, this film is for you; This statement is for Sonic-fans who are no doubt pumped about Sonic finally having a movie.
And it is a GOOD movie.
There were a few things I wanted to see ticked off with reference to our blue blur, and they were! But the film also answered ones I had yet to think of! His favourite food? Done. Are power rings significant in some way? Absolutely. How does Robotnik keep up with him? Well we can answer that! His classic shoes? Oh, you just wait. Classic phrases? It’s all there.
And it is all wrapped in a bun of gorgeous, campy fun and laughs.
Ben Schwartz captures this new Sonic incredibly well, in a story brought to us by Pat Casey and Josh Miller which captures the sheer nonsense of Sonic-lore impressively. Jim Carrey goes to town being a goof with a moustache, and it’s basically Ace Ventura if he was cosplaying Dr. Robotnik (and you’ll love it).
The effects are well-done after the furore created, and this Sonic fits so much more better in the film. It’s just unfortunate a studio was put through the crunch and ultimately shut down due to studios not listening to their audience. One can only hope they listen more, and don’t put any more studios through this unsettling trend within capitalist structures.
With 2 post-credits scenes delivering a concept which may come to fruition because Sonic is having a stellar opening, Sonic The Hedgehog is a lot of fun in a way that only the Sonic could be;
