“I’m wet, I’m cold, I have a fish on my head and clearly I can’t do this on my own,” says Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz) to Sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) as they team up to get Sonic to a safe planet in a different solar system in the adventure comedy, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Based on the popular SEGA video game, the film focuses on the bright blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. Sonic ends up on Earth all alone and lives unseen amongst the people of the small town of Green Hills. Always wishing to be best friends with Sheriff Tom Wachowski, Sonic is finally forced into revealing himself to the understandably shocked sheriff when the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is suddenly hot on the weird hedgehog’s trail.
Apparently Dr. Robotnik wants to capture the smart-aleck hedgehog to study him and find a way to utilize his powers. Together, Sonic and Tom head out on an unplanned road trip that turns into the adventure of a lifetime with Dr. Robotnik in hot pursuit.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a loud, humorless, and irritating live-action adventure that will not hold the attention of young children and has nothing to offer teenagers and adults. Voiced by Ben Schwartz, Sonic is an obnoxious, cocky, and annoying character whose behavior is like a bratty child who refuses to listen to anyone and constantly creates havoc and chaos. The way the character is written and portrayed makes it impossible to like or root for him, not to mention he’s a terrible role model for young children. (Not that parents should expect a weird blue fuzzy ball of energy to set an example for their kids.)
Carrey delivers a cartoonish, over-the-top performance as Dr. Robotnik, the tech-loving villain who’s obsessed with capturing Sonic and believes all people are imbeciles except for himself. Carrey’s silly and now old antics do little to breathe any kind of fun or humor into the film. In fact, his obsession with shooting/blowing up Sonic is inappropriate for the younger members of the audience.
Sonic the Hedgehog is yet another in a long list of films inspired by video games that should never have made their way to the big screen.
GRADE: D
MPAA Rating: PG for action, some violence, rude humor, and brief mild language
Running Time: 100 minutes
Directed By: Jeff Fowler
Release Date: February 14, 2020
Studio: Paramount Pictures
