“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

“Venom” Movie Review

    Any one who knows me will tell you, I am a huge nerd.  One of my favorite genre of films are comic book movies.  Good or bad, I try to watch them all and I can find elements of joy in the biggest pieces of shit.   Yes, that being said, I will completely acknowledge some comic book movies are complete trash.  While I was intrigued by the notion of a movie based on Venom, I was a bit taken aback by the critic’s reception to the movie.  Critics so far have been rather savage towards “Venom” so I just had to know for myself.  Was it on the level of “The Avengers” or was it a train wreck like “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”?
    The movie plays basically like a modern day monster movie.  The film follows journalist Eddie Brock as he deals with unwillingly bonding with an alien symbiote.  The film depicts Venom as more of an anti-hero as opposed to a villain as he is often shown in Spider-Man comics.
    First of all, I actually did like the movie and I think it’s better than critics are making it out to be.  While the film has many illogical story beats, you just kind of go with the flow of the movie and you don’t really think about them unless someone brings them up.  The film isn’t perfect but it has it’s own charm.
    The thing I liked most that seems to be dividing audiences is the film’s humor and tone.  “Venom” doesn’t take itself seriously and plays like an actual episode of the 90s “Spider-Man: The Animated Series”.  I also like the nods to Spider-Man such as the spacecraft commander from the beginning being John Jameson.  The first after the credits scene alone is worth the price of admission as Woody Harrelson teases the epic Maximum Carnage storyline from the comic books.  It’s hard to imagine how the sequel could avoid an R rating with Carnage as the villain.
    The film is directed by Ruben Fleischer and it is his best work in awhile.  While “Venom” isn’t as innovative as “Zombieland”, it’s still better than forgettable films like “Gangster Squad”.  One of the biggest complaints I have against the film is how the fight scenes are depicted.  It is hard to make out what is going on when Venom squares off against Riot.
    As far as performances, I thought Tom Hardy was a delight to watch.  He has a great awkward energy.  The character Hardy plays is Eddie Brock and Brock was previously played by Topher Grace in “Spider-Man 3”.  Riz Ahmed plays the leader of the Life Foundation Carlton Drake.  Later in the film, it is revealed Drake has his own symbiote named Riot.

    The film contains no direct ties to the MCU and instead acts as a side universe exclusively through Sony.  It could still theoretically tie in at a later date but it doesn’t look likely right now.  I think it would be a smart movie for both Sony and Marvel.  The film isn’t perfect but it’s hardly terrible.  I would recommend “Venom” to comic book fans and people with an abstract sense of humor.

Grade: B-