OK, so let's start off by clearing a few things up. I am a Sonic fan and as such that probably helped swing my enjoyment of this movie a little. Second is, this is clearly set up as an origin story for both Sonic and Dr. Robotnik/Eggman and as such, this isn't going to please all fans off the bat. That said, thank goodness they re-designed Sonic from that original abomination, cause damn did that make a difference in being able to view this movie. So I'm going for a spoiler free round up, so as such there are a lot of things I can't talk about sadly. That said, their choice of actors for this movie was brilliant.
There's no looking past it, but Jim Carrey was the perfect person to play the outlandish Dr. Robotnik. His performance has been refereed to by many as 90's Jim Carrey, but for me it just seems he was having a blast playing the character and really enjoyed getting into the role. The character of the Doctor is an egotistical genius who cares only for himself and his machines, with a complete disdain for humanity and believes himself to be always right and unbeatable. This leads to some really great moments between Robotnik and other characters in the movie. To Robotnik, he is the greatest person ever to have existed and everyone else is as nothing to him. It really is all about him and his invulnerable brilliance and he can't stand it when it isn't.
Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic was another great choice. He nails it as a lonely, but fun loving youth who just wants to belong and have friends, but is forced into a life of hiding because of his powers. As the movie goes on, the character begins to slowly evolve into one we are more commonly familiar with, but still lacking some of that full confidence of the current version from years of battling the Doctor. He's a mixture of 90's Sonic mixed with things associated with modern kids, which may not appeal to all fans. He is also incredibly hyperactive, so also keep that in mind. I also believe (theory) that the energy he uses is also an explanation for why he can smash robots up like he does in the games, though he doesn't really spin dash in this movie much (he doesn't really understand the power or know how to really control it. So yeah, origin movie).
While I hate movies that take characters from their settings into our modern world (WTF Smurfs, Seriously?), this movie was probably one of the least problematic ones, given that it made some sense from a story stand point and Sonic has interacted with modern earth like elements in the games, so it has a better believably to it. Another problem with such movies is that it focuses too much on the human character rather then the main stars and feeling more irritating then adding to the story, but in this movie they seem to have avoided a lot of that, with a focus on fewer characters and more on the main ones and their interactions.
This is where the character of Tom Wachowski (played by James Marsden) comes into it. He's a small town sheriff who wants to join a big city police force in an attempt to feel like he can save lives and not just be someone who spends his time on pointless animal chasing and empty roadside speed camera runs. He is given enough time to get the audience familiar with him with out the character overstaying his welcome and his interactions with Sonic do come off quite genuine, as does his annoying of Dr. Robotnik. For a human companion to a cartoon hedgehog, this one worked really well.
There are also some rather nice references to not only the parts of the Sonic lore, but also to the fandom and online jokes (Sanic anyone). Also, stick around after the mid-credit sequence (done in a classic Sonic game style) for a scene which sets up a sequel.
Given the reaction in the theater, many of the kids and adults really like this movie. I absolutely loved it. Not only did it succeeded in satisfying the Sonic fan in me, but the movie overall was just fun in general. I have no doubt that if given the chance, I would definitely go see it again. It may even be my favourite video game movie now (going to really have to compare the enjoyment or re-watching it vs the Mortal Kombat movie, as that one was the original top spot to see which one now has that spot). Needless to say, I want a sequel and I want it badly. There is so much they can do with this now and the fact that they changed the movie for the better before release means they are on the right road to creating an even better sequel.
Either way, it's a great kids movie and a must see for any Sonic fan (might also be if you're a Jim Carrey fan too).
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