Sonic the Hedgehog has been a gaming icon for decades, ever since his debut in 1991. Originally set to release in November of 2019, this movie received mass backlash from the internet over Sonic’s design after the first trailer was released. Paramount took these criticisms into account and delayed the movie to February 2020, promising a redesign that would do the blue blur justice. But would that be enough to make what looked like a horrendous film into something fans would enjoy? Fortunately yes. While it may not be anything groundbreaking, Sonic the Hedgehog is an extremely fun watch for people of all ages filled with great performances, action, humor, and even a few warmhearted moments that promises moviegoers a good time.

The movie follows our titular character (voiced by Ben Schwartz) who has fled from his home planet and come to Earth. Here he spends his days having fun and observing the people in the small town of Green Hills (this is just one of many nods the film makes to the games) when he is discovered by the federal government and Dr. Ivo Robotnik (played by Jim Carrey) is sent to hunt the hedgehog down and take the source of his power. Sonic comes across Officer Tom Wachowski (played by James Marsden), a friendship begins to bloom, and they must work together to get Sonic to safety and avoid the clutches of the evil Doctor. If you think this plot sounds about as simple and cookie-cutter as they come, you would be right. This movie has few surprises in terms of where the story goes, it can reach a pretty big drag in the middle, and it often just comes to a complete standstill in order to let the characters interact off of each other and their environment.

But let’s be honest, if you go into watch Sonic the Hedgehog expecting a phenomenal Oscar-winning story, you’re expecting the wrong things and are going to be disappointed. The core of this movie and what makes it memorable are the characters, the performances the actors give, and how their interactions with each other and their environment fill the movie with comedy and even some touching moments. Jim Carrey is famous for giving his 110% when playing over the top characters and his role as Dr. Robotnik just adds to that list, playing a man who is so smart that he’s become a bit crazy and views everyone else as beneath him. Ben Schwartz breathes a genuine likability into Sonic and has pretty good chemistry with James Marsden’s Tom Wachowski, even though the two are never physically together. When the original trailer for this movie was released, it looked like it was trying too hard to make it feel realistic, and when the main character is a blue hedgehog who runs at the speed of light, that inevitably won’t work. Thankfully the movie fixed that, and although it is live-action, it never takes itself too seriously. The way Sonic interacts with the world reminded me of movies like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam as he still feels and acts like an animated cartoon character. The film is also full of pop culture references, but they have a clever way of making them all make sense in-universe, so they never feel forced. The performances given in this movie create a nice blend of physical and verbal comedy, which will make audiences laugh all throughout their viewing.

Does Sonic the Hedgehog have flaws? Yes, absolutely. If you want to, you can go into the movie and pick it apart all day long. But truth be told, it was never meant to be a cinematic masterpiece. Sonic the Hedgehog sets out to accomplish what its games were created to be, a fun way to spend your time that’s full of charm and likable characters. The entire movie felt so genuine and pleasant that I had a smile on my face from beginning to end, and it will make anyone who was ever a fan of the blue hedgehog feel like a kid again.

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