Well, this week I saw the Sonic movie trailer and I’ve got to say I have mixed views. My first reaction is something along the lines of “DEAR GOD MY EYES! MAKE IT STOP!!” But I made the effort of watching the trailer a few more times to really draw out what was going wrong.
This way I figure you won’t have to – you’re welcome.
Before I go any further I’ll admit I was a dyed in the wool Sonic fan from way back – the first time I saw a Sonic game in the stores in 1991 I was with a group of young boys, all of us swaying and ducking in time as we watched the little blue hairball roll around the screen at breakneck speed. I’ve loved most of the Sonic games, with my favorite being Sonic Adventure 2 DX, which was the high point of the series. After that there’s been some absolute nightmares, not least of which was the Sonic – human princess romance (I’m looking at YOU, Sonic 2016), but Sonic Lost World has gained back some of my trust.
I actually have a strange respect for the Sonic series. Even when they bring out some truly lackluster games, even when their marketing strategy seems to be shooting themselves in both feet, the Sonic franchise always scrapes itself off the floor from its latest failure, blinks away the tears and tries again. It’s weirdly endearing.
So now we have the Sonic movie, which appears to be in direct competition to the Detective Pikachu movie. However while everyone has loved the furry yellow battery-pack, Sonic has been savaged by the critics.
Why?
Bad writing, which has led to bad decisions. Rather than having a kaleidoscopic adventure in Sonic’s home world of Mobius, they’ve pulled out the tired old trope of “non-Earth character magically appears in a modern city. Hijinks ensue.” AAAAArghh… Of course, in order to try and make the difference between the cartoon style of Sonic’s setting fit with urban US in 2019, they’ve had to mangle the design of the blue speedster beyond comprehension.
Human teeth? Why did they give him human teeth? And what’s going on with the legs?
But all is not lost here. Jim Carrey has reprised some of his old-school comedic rubberface action to play a younger version of the Sonic series most enduring villain, Dr Robotnik. Some explanation – Sonic was released during the tail end of the Cold War, with our hero being the rad, freedom-loving dude against the authoritarian robotic rule of the Russian-named bad guy. They changed the name to Dr Eggman in the 2000s when the joke had gone stale.
I like Robotnik as a villain, especially how his character has been developed over the game series. If Carrey can give us a character that goes beyond Ace Ventura with a moustache then some good writing might just save this movie. Give us a taste of classic Robotnik, Jim. Make him swaggering, cultured, eccentric, intelligent and occasionally goofy – right up until the moment he does something truly tyrannical that reminds us he is a force to be reckoned with. Show us why Robotnik is so utterly obsessed with Sonic, to the point that he abandons Earth to embark on a one-man campaign against the entire world of Mobius.
If this movie can get away from “Sonic has to learn how modern kitchen appliances work” and give us a really fun super-villain origin story, then the movie might just become a hit. Fingers crossed.
In the meantime, if you’d like to watch some funny skits with Sonic and Robotnik in a setting that really doesn’t take itself too seriously, check out the Sonic Boom television series. It’s become one that I love watching with my daughters.
UPDATE: The movie studio has announced they will be going back and reworking Sonic’s design. Credit where credit is due, this was a humble move and shows they want to listen to the fans out there.
Leave a Reply