“Give the people what they want”. After the negative response to the first Sonic trailer, it seemed as if Paramount Pictures had learned from their mistake and the new design for the blue hedgehog, we all know and love was unveiled. Gone were the beady eyes and almost-too-real face and the audience was instead treated to a much more familiar face that was much more appealing.
But although the design of the character was satisfactory for most, how did the film itself fare? Would we be forced to watch another terrible flick that was on a video-game or would we finally watch something that would both interest and entertain us? Despite my initial doubts, I can make it quite clear that this film left me with a smile on my face and the urge to play the original Sonic video-game like old times.
The film introduces us to the character’s background and origins. Although die-hard fans know this story like the back of their hand, it is still valid to re-tell the story to viewers who were not aware of the lore of Sonic. What follows then is an older Sonic teaming up with a local sheriff, who finds himself reluctantly helping this blue furball regain his mystical rings that can transport him to any place he can imagine. Sure, this plot may be cliché and in reality, nothing spectacular really occurs during the film. There’s nothing that will make this film revolutionary but truth be told, this wasn’t such a bad thing. Films based on video-games already have a bad enough reputation and maybe the producers wanted to avoid taking such a big risk in how the film pans out. Maybe the sequel will breathe some new life and show us something that will truly surprise us.
Jim Carrey’s performance as the villainous Dr. Robotnik was surprisingly fresh. We hadn’t seen this lovable actor on our screens for some time now (in fact, this is Carrey’s first role in a film in 4 years) but his comedic demeanour combined with a truly villainous mind was a sight to behold as he truly stole the show. The CGI for Sonic was also impressive, and it really drove home the point why we needed a re-design for him.
All in all, this film will satisfy both avid film fans and fans of the franchise that has been around for nearly 30 years now. It may not be perfect and surely there’s room for improvement, but for a film that had such a rocky start, it will surely please you and leave you wanting more.
