“Sonic the Hedgehog” Movie Review

    Growing up in the 1980s, we had no idea how fast technology would evolve.  We thought things couldn’t advance past the current standards we had, how could it?  We were young and naive but that nativity played right into the hands of video game developers.  Nintendo and Sega both introduced systems which would revolutionize the home entertainment market and create a new generation of video game zombies in the wake of Atari’s former dominance.  We had so many options for consoles and all the choices came with their own benefits.  Nintendo/Super Nintendo had the Mario franchise and the Sega Genesis had the Sonic franchise.  Due to their cost at the time, most of us kids had to choose which console we got, if we were even so lucky to get one.  It wasn’t an easy choice but most of us had to make it.  My brother and I ended up sharing a system and we ended up settling on the Sega Genesis primarily because of the Sonic games.  As a result, I was naturally curious about the film.

    The movie follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he grows up in a small town called Green Hills and lives in hiding.  One day after an accidental power outage caused by Sonic, the government sends a team led by Doctor Robotnik to investigate the cause of the incident.  After accidentally shooting Sonic with a tranquilizer, Sheriff Tom Wachowski agrees to help Sonic locate the rings he lost to escape this world after Doctor Robotnik becomes aware of him.  Doctor Robotnik will stop at nothing to capture and study Sonic however, even if it means killing him to do so.

    This movie is surprisingly good considering everything it had going against it before it’s release.  Films based on video game franchises are typically notoriously bad (although I do admit to finding several of them, including “Super Mario Bros.”, entertaining in their own right).  “Sonic the Hedgehog” is a legitimately good movie though.  It is simple and knows it audience is primarily made up of kids and families.  It doesn’t try to be edgy or risqué, the film just has fun with it’s characters and it works.

    A great deal of the success of this film comes from the strength of Jim Carrey’s performance as Doctor Robotnik.  Carrey is weird, creepy and just a plain jerk which makes it easy for the audience to root against him.  Carrey also hams it up in ways he hasn’t done for years and he seems to have a good time doing so.  I am not the biggest Jim Carrey fan, but he delivers in this role.  James Marsden is also charming as usual as Sheriff Tom Wachowski.  Having co-starred in huge hits like “X-Men”, “Enchanted”, “Westworld”, and “Superman Returns”, Marsden takes on the co-lead with ease and proves once again he remains one of the most under appreciated talents of his generation.  Lastly, Ben Schwarz of “Parks and Recreation” fame voices Sonic and does a stellar job bringing the blue hedgehog to life.

    I would like to take a minute and praise Paramount Pictures for their actions regarding this film.  When the first trailer for this film was released, the design for Sonic was universally panned by fans of the Sonic franchise.  Instead of attacking the fanbase (like Sony decided to do when it’s “Ghostbusters” trailer was universally disliked), Paramount wisely decided to listen to the constructive criticism and changed the design of Sonic.  This cost the studio money and they had to delay the film, but it also helped build good faith with the fanbase and as a result, “Sonic the Hedgehog” now has the highest opening  weekend for a film based on a video game of all time, besting even “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu”.

    It certainly didn’t hurt the film that so many things behind the camera worked as well.  I really enjoyed the music and hearing musical nods from the video game was special to me.  The production design overall was amazing.  Also, despite the major overall on Sonic’s design, the special effects were actually far better than I thought they would end up being considering the animators time crunch.

    At the end of the day, every film is subjective but in my opinion, this was a very solid family film.  It amazes me that Sonic has managed to stay relevant even after nearly thirty years after his debut.  Make sure you stay after the film ends for a post credit surprise.

Grade: B

“Pokémon Detective Pikachu” Movie Review

    Being just shy of turning 34, I feel like the Pokémon franchise has been around for most of my life.  Since the mid 90s, Pokémon has taken the world by storm.  The franchise has consisted of video games, trading card games, television shows, and animated movies.  Everywhere you looked, you couldn’t escape Pokémon.  It truly was a cultural phenomenon among the youth of America.

    “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” tells the story of...well...detective Pikachu.  Okay, there is a little more to it but I think Pikachu alone would sell the movie to most people.  After a detective is in a car accident outside of a top secret Pokémon lab, Tim Goodman is informed his father has died as a result of the crash.  Upon going to his father’s apartment in Ryme City (a city where humans and Pokémon live together in peace), he finds a Pikachu there.  This Pikachu is unlike any other Pokémon however because Tim can understand him.  After forming a bond, the pair set off to find the truth behind the disappearance of Tim’s father.

    I am going to start off with a bit of a disclaimer for this review.  I am not, nor have I ever been, the biggest fan of Pokémon in the world.  I have a passing knowledge of the universe but I have never played a Pokémon game or collected trading cards or anything like that.  I have watched a few episodes of the animated series but that is about the extent of my Pokémon experience before this film.  I essentially wanted to see this because the trailer looked entertaining.

    I have some mixed feelings about this film.  On the plus side, this is probably the best video game adaptation to date.  While this is the first live action Pokémon movie made, there have been three animated Pokémon movies that have hit theaters (in addition to several movies that were released direct to video).  This adaptation lifts several elements from “Pokémon: The First Movie” including the inclusion of Mewtwo. One aspect of the film I felt a little let down by was that much of the humor of the film was highlighted in the trailer.  I was expecting a little funnier film even though I did enjoy the finished project.  I just wish the film was marketed a bit less humor heavy.

    The film stars as Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu.  Reynolds provides the voice and facial motion caption for the Pokémon.  Justice Smith plays Tim Goodman and has good chemistry with his computer animated co-star.  Smith has improved significantly since his critically panned role in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”.  Screen veterans Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe add a level of credibility to the film.

    The film was directed by Rob Letterman who previously helmed “Goosebumps”.  Like “Goosebumps”, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” was made for adult fans of the franchise.  The production design was a bit neon noir feeling not completely unlike “Blade Runner”.  The creature design was also fantastic.  The Pokémon felt feel and adorable throughout most of the movie.  Pikachu and Psyduck were among the standout creatures in the film.

    Overall, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is a cute nostalgia trip geared more for fans who grew up with the phenomenon as opposed to young fans just getting into the franchise.  While it wasn't exactly the movie I was hoping for, that doesn't make it a bad movie either.

Grade: B-