‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ review: A video game movie that’s actually pretty good

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Jim Carrey gives a great performance as the power-hungry Dr Robotnik, while Ben Schwartz leans into the role of the electric blue speedster

Jamie Lam |
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Sonic the Hedgehog is actually an alien from another planet.

Based on the speedy, furry mascot of the Sega Genesis gaming console from the 90s, Sonic the Hedgehog is a by-the-numbers action film that is good, forgettable fun.  

After escaping from power-hungry aliens on his home planet, extraterrestrial hedgehog Sonic (Ben Schwartz) has been hiding out on Earth. When evil scientist Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) wants to capture Sonic’s power for himself, the anthropomorphic electric blue speedster teams up with local sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) to take him down.

 

 

Schwartz does a wonderful job of bringing the retro video game character to life. His expressive and enthusiastic voice acting adds dimension to Sonic’s backstory, and the playfulness of the character shines through.

Carrey also turns in a great performance with his trademark zany physical humour and comical facial expressions. Though the dialogue is really not that funny, his intense delivery will make you laugh at the sheer effort he makes to sell it. Marsden is also good as the straight-arrow small town cop who learns to treasure what he already has.

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The action scenes are pretty good as well, though nothing we haven’t seen before. The best set piece sees Robotnik chasing Sonic across iconic attractions around the world such as the Great Wall of China and the pyramids in Egypt, and is a delightful visual sequence.

Through Sonic the Hedgehog is by no means a masterpiece of family filmmaking, as far as video game adaptations go, it’s actually pretty good. Run (at not quite sonic speeds) to your nearest cinema to catch it today.

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