Movie Review: 'Sonic the Hedgehog' is Not As Bad As You Think

I must admit, I went into the Sonic the Hedgehog movie with a chip on my shoulder. As someone who cheered when Parasite was named Best Picture at the Academy Awards, you can imagine that Sonic the Hedgehog was not exactly up my alley. You could also, perhaps, get that impression from the simple fact that I am a film critic and we are talking about a movie based on a very silly, almost incomprehensible, video-game.

That attitude of mine was also compounded by more than a years worth of awful buzz for Sonic the Hedgehog. The film had to be shelved after reactions to the first trailer for the movie were so bad that the filmmakers were compelled to pull the movie from its planned release date and pour millions of extra dollars into trying to reverse the bad word of mouth. Mouth, in this case, being a literal issue. Fans were upset about Sonic having eyes and teeth that looked too human.

So, it came as quite a surprise to me when I found myself chuckling at the antics of Sonic, the alien hedgehog ,a mere few minutes into the movie. Sonic, who is an alien hiding on Earth after other aliens attempted to steal his remarkable super-powers, is voiced by Ben Schwartz, a brilliant performer whose Jean-Ralphio on NBC’s Parks & Recreation is one of the most perfect comic creations television has ever produced. Schwartz invests in Sonic a childlike irreverence that is genuinely charming.

Sonic is hiding in a forest in Montana where a small town Sheriff, Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), is unwittingly Sonic’s favorite comedy performer. Sonic takes endless pleasure in watching Tom entertain himself while he waits for something to actually happen in his little town. When he’s not watching Tom literally talk to his daily donuts, Sonic is outside Tom’s window, watching movies with Tom and his wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter).

Naturally, being a creepy stalker and not a welcomed member of the family, Sonic is prone to loneliness. One night, when he’s overcome by a fantasy of acceptance by the community around him, Sonic gets revved up and his super speed powers, Sonic’s gimmick is that he is the fastest being in all existence, he manages to blow out the electricity to the entire Northwestern United States.

The power outage grabs the attention of the Federal government who make the odd decision to send in crazy Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to investigate. Robotnik is a creep who values his drone creations more than any of the human beings he regularly encounters. Robotnik is prone to rudeness, aggression, and insane levels of violence in his quest for whatever his goal may be that day. In this case, Robotnik discovers the existence of Sonic and wants Sonic’s powers at any cost.

With Robotnik on his tale, Sonic turns to Tom for help and the movie becomes, briefly, a road and buddy movie where the cliches are turned on their head by the fact that they involve a tiny, blue, alien speed demon. We still have a number of obligatory scenes but they are heightened by Sonic’s comic presence, Ben Schwartz’s wonderful voice performance and a script that smartly invests Sonic with a childlike quality that keeps him from being overbearing.

Sonic the Hedgehog is also buoyed by the best comic performance Jim Carrey has delivered since the 90’s. This is Ace Ventura levels of goofiness from Jim Carrey and you don’t have to be an Ace Ventura fan to enjoy the broad, physical, silliness that Carrey brings to his Dr. Robotnik. Carrey’s manic energy is infectious, he is a cartoon villain brought to vibrant life. I completely adored Carrey’s performance as the final touch in winning me over to genuinely enjoying Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler is not reinventing the wheel here. Sonic relies on tropes, plot holes, and low standards to get by. But, that said, the movie is sincere and silly and features committed, comic performances. Jim Carrey is incredible with a performance that harkens back to the Jim Carrey so many of us fell in love with years ago.

That Sonic the Hedgehog did not completely fall on its face and is legitimately becoming a hit after all that the movie went through in its production period is some kind of comeback story. Smart people genuinely cared about making Sonic the Hedgehog into a real movie and while it's not some film triumph, its existence as enjoyable and watchable is a minor miracle.