Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
It seemed like the internet had peaked when the Cats trailer released finally giving the general public their first look at the horrendous "Digital Fur Technology" that would haunt their dreams for months to come. Yet some would say the reaction given to the Cats trailer was simply the end of an avalanche truly started by the Sonic the Hedgehog trailer which released a few months before. With the push for realistic animation studios for some reason decided that the best way to bring video games and other previously animated characters to life was to try and change their designs to be more realistic. In some cases like 2016's Pete's Dragon to 2019's Pokémon Detective Pikachu, it has also come under criticism for lacking emotional depth in films such as The Lion King and just being gross to look at as was the case with the original design for Sonic the Hedgehog. Unlike with any of those other films being criticized for their visuals, Paramount Pictures actually decided to spend the money to fix Sonic's design pushing the film back from a November to a February release date, and it definitely was worth the delay.
It is hard to cast judgment on the CGI in the film simply due to the task at hand. To completely redo the CGI of the film in only a matter of months is a crazy idea and leads to both positives and negatives. Where the design of Sonic is nearly perfect, bringing the video game character to life in a way that never feels like a clashing of visual designs despite the more cartoonish design, the CGI itself isn't the best. There are multiple times where the CGI models look out of place and it does overall feel like a weaker quality CGI model than those from Pokémon Detective Pikachu for example but it is hard to hold it against the film as it is a consequence from them doing the right thing. Overall though especially judging what the early model from the first trailer looked like, it is clear the CGI is better here than it originally was in the first cut of the film. The element of the film which does drastically help the weaker CGI is the voice work from Ben Schwartz. Schwartz brings such a genuinely fun performance to this character that feels like the best possible voice to play Sonic. It is in his performance that the film finds its best moments of both comedy and emotion and really stands out.
Unfortunately past Schwartz, the film struggles to find really memorable or entertaining performances. Easily the biggest performance in the film is Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik who is going to be very hit or miss for each individual audience member. His loud over the top performance might be comedic gold for some but sadly fell overall flat for me. It continually just felt like Jim Carrey trying to give it his all and never blended into a fun performance that really spoke to me. In a film with such charismatic performances, James Marsden feels very forgettable. His performance feels bland and uninspired as he tries to play the role of a normal everyday guy caught between these crazy over the top video game characters and where he has moments where his friendship with Sonic begins to feel like something it never becomes memorable.
Unfortunately past Schwartz, the film struggles to find really memorable or entertaining performances. Easily the biggest performance in the film is Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik who is going to be very hit or miss for each individual audience member. His loud over the top performance might be comedic gold for some but sadly fell overall flat for me. It continually just felt like Jim Carrey trying to give it his all and never blended into a fun performance that really spoke to me. In a film with such charismatic performances, James Marsden feels very forgettable. His performance feels bland and uninspired as he tries to play the role of a normal everyday guy caught between these crazy over the top video game characters and where he has moments where his friendship with Sonic begins to feel like something it never becomes memorable.
The plot also if very contrived. For the vast majority of this film and the conflict in it, Sonic the Hedgehog feels like a standard made for tv kids movie. There is nothing as far as conflict or lesson that feels new or inspired in the slightest. The plot itself is a very average on the run buddy road movie that follows the same layout as nearly every other movie like it before and the message is one that is unlikeable and confusing. Tom is packing up his life and moving from Green Hills to San Francisco with his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter). The film portrays this as almost a betrayal of character, despite Tom not doing much of note in Green Hills even as their sheriff, the movie argues that because the people there rely on him he shouldn't move on with his life. By the end, the film warms up to this idea but still feels underdeveloped and uninteresting. Sure the film is competent, but it also does nothing to stand out or leave an impact on audiences from a plot perspective.
Where Sonic the Hedgehog might be an overall fun film especially when it comes to the character of Sonic himself, the film failed to leave much of an impact by the time the ending credits started. It is a fine film, but instead of being something interesting or fresh just ends up being a generic and basic kids movie. There is nothing in the film that demands to be seen on the big screen, but also there is nothing that is painful to sit through either.
Where Sonic the Hedgehog might be an overall fun film especially when it comes to the character of Sonic himself, the film failed to leave much of an impact by the time the ending credits started. It is a fine film, but instead of being something interesting or fresh just ends up being a generic and basic kids movie. There is nothing in the film that demands to be seen on the big screen, but also there is nothing that is painful to sit through either.