* THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!
You can relax… SONIC the Hedgehog is a GOOD movie, but that’s not the only reason you should go see it…
Can you believe it’s been almost a year since that ugly SONIC trailer debacle? And almost a full year since Nintendo’s Detective Pikachu was released to favorable reviews, promising good things for a new age of video game-based films…
While Sega/Sammy had planned to throw their hat in the RING (Sonic pun) with the SONIC film back in November, they ended up going “back to the drawing board” after a massive critical response from fans. After all, SEGA knows a thing or two about rushed launches (looking at you, Saturn), so perhaps a history of timing issues has helped slow their roll a bit… Now the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the wait (and additional money spent) were enough to save our beloved blue hedgehog…
Since the majority of complaints found fault with SONIC’s visual appearance, it’s easy to say that the changes made (as shown in the re-released trailers) were enough to satisfy most critics. However, while I was happy to see SEGA acknowledge its fans with a significant makeover, what interests and excites me even more are the implications of such an effort, costing them both time and money.
See.., it’s so important for any launch to get it right the first time, and rather than just have the SONIC film be a quick and easy cash grab (not out of the question for many companies looking for a lifeline), instead, this film serves as a solid foundation for them to build upon.
As hinted in the film’s opening credit sequence, SEGA/Sammy are sitting on a mountain of timeless classic video game franchises; their new production logo a patchwork mosaic of nostalgia. With so many great and memorable SEGA games on display, it’s a glorious sight to behold…
Much like Marvel has their comics universe to play with, and Nintendo sits on a gold mine of potential properties for transition to film, SEGA/Sammy also seem poised to bring more than a mere film to the big screen… Just looking at those franchises was enough to make my eyes water with hopes of a possible future “SEGA multiverse”. A fan can only hope…
So, HOW’S THE FILM?, you ask…
Without spoiling anything, I can say that this movie was full of laughs and was quite self deprecating at times. There’s a fair bit of breaking the fourth wall. The film knows its entire premise is preposterous, yet it RUNS (Sonic pun) with it and has fun, regardless. There were a few forced gags, mind you, but most of the funny moments were truly funny, with both Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey doing what they do best, and the audience really seemed to enjoy it.
Of course, some liberties have been taken in regard to story canon and continuity (which was already a mess to begin with), but I never felt that it really hurt the story or it’s characters… Pat Casey & Josh Miller, creators of Fox’s Golan the Insatiable, have done a serviceable job setting the stage for future Sonic films and showing Robotnik’s transition into Eggman. SEGA was also certain to fill the movie with tiny Easter eggs referencing their games and consoles (and even their arch rival’s games) as a nice fanservice.
Overall, I would say that SONIC the Hedgehog is an objectively “GOOD” movie, but I don’t feel like that’s the most important reason for you to go see it…
See.., whether you happen to be excited for the film or doubtful of it’s success, I think it’s important to show SEGA the same courtesy that they showed us… They went over budget and past production deadline make fans happy. Sure, they want to make money, and they don’t want the film to flop, but they LISTENED to the fans. You think Nintendo would do that? Think again… SEGA DOES what NINTENDON’T, after all…
DON’T WAIT for streaming or Blu-Ray to get in on the action and excitement of this new direction for SEGA! Take your kids. Take your friends. GO SEE THIS FILM. Enjoy it for what it is (and not for what it lacks), and perhaps, we’ll see even more from the house that SONIC built.
Thanks to Eddie Lopez & Allied Global Marketing (San Diego) for the opportunity to pre-screen this film for review.
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