Sonic the Hedgehog | Going Supersonic

02.24.2020 – There are iconic videogame characters and there’s Sonic the Hedgehog. It was unexpected seeing this one would be something special since I never was a fan of the character. But it was one of those games I played on the 16-Bit Sega Mega Drive from my high school classmate. Sonic achieved icon statues since Sega produced game consoles up until 2000 with their Dreamcast, which I owned but never had the game that was released in this platform. The cartoon series was heaps of fun getting to know more about the character his friends and Dr Robotnik. If Nintendo has Mario and Pikachu while Sony used to have Crash Bandicoot then Sega had Sonic. When the very first trailer was revealed on YouTube I never had expectations and basing from reactions from social media platforms it wasn’t the most impressive translation from games and animation to live–action. But the redesign was enough to give everyone hope in seeing that this video game-inspired movie would take off the sting of blockbuster failures that plagued previous video games adapted to films.

Sonic the Hedgehog did not disappoint from start to finish having Jim Carrey as the mad scientist Dr Robotnik with his energy and portrayal of the character brings back the nostalgia that he brought early in his career.

Jim certainly renewed my interest in following his latest endeavour as a long-time fan going back to the days of Ace Ventura and The Mask was scintillating that nobody told him to stop himself since now he is a grandparent impressing his grandkid.

James Mardsen must be good at portraying opposite animated characters that he earns that distinction as a literal ‘character actor’ dating back to 2011’s Hop. Making me forget he portrayed Cyclops in the X-Men film franchise. But Ben Schwartz as Sonic was memorable that Jim Carrey stole the scene in this film that makes it fun to watch.

The narrative may not be uncommon it captured what Sonic was and how he deals with his arch nemesis in Dr Robotnik. The human cast makes up the personality of the film itself not straying from its source material how Sonic deals with socializing with humans towards the climax of the film. There’s a potential franchise in this one if you haven’t watched it you’ll need to sit through the two mid-credit scenes from the tail of its surprise that certainly gives enough hope for fans to see.

Overall Sonic the Hedgehog was loads of fun and a rare hit from a videogame adapted to the big screen. With its solid cast led by Jim Carrey this film had enough run to propel it for two more live action films and hopefully the writers make it more compelling than just downright template in putting a good story just to entertain the kids. But to make sure the long-time fans would surely appreciate.

"Sonic the Hedgehog" is now playing in cinemas since 19 February 2020 in the Philippines distributed by Universal Internation Pictures in this country. Its also showing in Australia & New Zealand since 13 February 2020 distributed by Paramount Pictures in Australia & New Zealand.

RATED: A-

NOTE: This film is still being screened publicly at Greenbelt 1 Cinema in the City of Makati, Philippines. This is reviewed with a personal opinion without spoilers not for you to agree or disagree about the views written by the author but to gain insight on his perspective about the film.