I watched the Sonic Movie
So I went into meltdown mode last year when that crazy hedgehog abomination went viral. Like many long time Sonic fans, I was upset. I memed and joked with everyone else. I ranted to my husband. It was a mess. I never would have thought these complaints would have made it to Jeff Fowler’s ears, and in an unexpected twist, he decided to push back production and re-do the hedgehog. So we went from this:
To this:
It’s just phenomenal. I had every intention to go see it on Valentine’s Day, but life happened, yadda yadda, and here I am now, in quarantine, and catching up on all the films of late 2019 and early 2020 that I sadly missed. I didn’t know what to think going into this: I knew it wouldn’t be Oscar worthy, but I didn’t expect it to be so fun. I’m so happy for the animators, editors, and the whole crew that the Sonic the Hedgehog Movie is the highest grossing film of 2020, and is the highest grossing video game movie ever. Jim Carrey is excellent as Eggman, and Ben Schwartz is a cool Sonic, if not a little too mature-sounding, and Tika Sumpter is Tika Sumpter. I could look at that woman all day.
The movie begins with an infant Sonic running from a tribe of what looks like Echidnas in a world different from ours. He has been cared for by an Owl, who uses a magic ring to teleport Sonic to planet earth. After about a decade, Sonic has been living a lonely life in a traditional American country village, spying on the residents and taking a keen interest in kind and reliable officer Tom Wachowski and his wife, Maddie. Fed up with being alone, Sonic loses him temper and breaks the sound barrier, thus creating an electrical surge that renders his side of the country in darkness. Noting that this must be the work of some supernatural force, the military calls in Dr Robotnik to investigate. Thus begins a crazy cross-country pursuit between the two, with Tom and Maddie doing whatever they can to help him.
It’s a fine story, riddled with cliches, but not in an annoying way, and the cast never takes themselves too seriously, nor do they lack effort. My favourite lines come from Sonic, obviously, and his sarcastic irreverence is spot on. The final chase and battle between Sonic and Robotnik at the climax was stunning to watch, and I loved seeing Sonic learn how to do a spin dash. In the end, Sonic manages to transport Robotnik to a mushroom planet. He’s alone and more Eggman-like, his moustache massive and bushy, and all his hair burned away. He exclaims that a normal person would be stuck, but he plans to return to earth in a very short while. I’m happy to hear this, because Jim Carrey is infamously known for rejecting sequels, so it’ll be great to see him again.
I would say that Sonic’s origin story is a little unusual, and I’m not sure how I feel about that random owl or the tribe of echidnas, but it’s clearly setting up a wider lore for future films. Another thing I didn’t like was the inclusion of another loud, abrasive, plus-sized Black woman—Maddie’s sister—who served no real purpose other than to be the loud, abrasive, plus-sized Black woman, a contrast to her slim, calm sister. That trope is getting a little tired, and I hate seeing it in children’s films because of what it helps to normalise for younger generations. In a time like this, when #BlackLivesMatter is a major global news story, I hope that directors and writers make the effort to stray away from those lazy stereotypes of Black women, and put more work into producing more developed characters for children to grow up with.
But there is something else that made me squeal when it was revealed during the post-credits scene…
FUCKING TAILS. He appears to have arrived on earth in search of Sonic. I don’t know how everyone kept this a secret from me, but I am so glad I wasn’t spoiled. I can’t wait to see the sequel! And his voice actor is amazing. Here’s hoping my favourite echidna turns up to join the fun.
FYI: if you rent this film on YouTube like I did, you’ll be treated to the cutest, most innocent comment section ever made up of little kids expressing their love for their favourite hedgehog. It truly warmed my heart.
No rating. I just liked this film.