Review: Against all odds, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is actually…good?

Following the online pileup a few months back when the world first caught the sight of Sonic the Hedgehog with human-like teeth, the filmmakers tweaked the character design (a dangerous precedent, but that’s another story) and the final result is…pretty darn cute? With the potential horror of a hedgehog/human hybrid out of the way, this big-screen adaptation of the beloved 90s Sega game is actually a cute and frenzied family movie that works surprisingly well.

Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is forced to flee his home planet when some nefarious characters are chasing him down for his lightning-fast speed power. Through the use of magic rings (just go with it) Sonic lands on Earth, in the small town of Green Hills. In order to avoid detection, he spends all his time alone, hiding out in a literal man-cave or spending time watching his favourite humans go about their day-to-day lives, including the town’s sheriff Tom (James Marsden). After accidentally shutting down the entire town’s power due to a power spike, Sonic draws the attention of the comically-evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his assortment of drones, which leads Tom and Sonic to hit the road together in a cross-country road trip to help bring Sonic back home.

The plot is nothing to write home about, but it smartly allows for the always affable James Marsden and the very cute Sonic to be stuck in confined spaces for long stretches of time together, giving them the chance to wind each other up and eventually become close friends, sort of like a G-rated 48 Hours. They even wind up in a small-town bar fight, always the sign of a solid buddy movie.

In a wise move, the film never focuses too strongly on the Sonic lore; many people who grew up on the games likely don’t remember much more than running fast and collecting golden rings and battling Dr. Robotnik, which is about the extent of world-building we get here. Jim Carrey seems to be having a blast playing up the eccentricities of Dr. Robotnik, a super-genius who likes to unwind with an extended dance sequence when he has some alone time. It’s the sort of over-the-top performance that kids will likely eat up while edging very close to being unbearable for anyone over 12-years-old.

Despite Carrey’s star power, the real draw here is the contentious and ultimately heartwarming relationship between Tom and Sonic, words I can’t believe I have written, yet here we are. In a world of Dolittle‘s, Sonic the Hedgehog is the kind of movie you can take children to and not feel like you’ve completely invalidated two hours of your life. There are numerous Olive Garden jokes for some reason, Sonic farts (!), and the film is ultimately a sweet story about a lonely little hedgehog making friends. Enjoy it now before we get the inevitable gritty Sonic reboot (complete with human teeth!) we all know is coming at some point.