Gotta Go Fast…and Watch This Movie
So some kid from the 90s managed to talk Hollywood into making this nostalgic emerald. If any of you remember the original trailer for the film then you know that this emerald needed some polish.
Fan Serviced
Fans were furious that the original look planned for Sonic was…well it was creepy. He was tall with humanistic limbs, no gloves, small eyes and unsettling teeth that I’m sure would make Johnny Deeps’ Willy Wonka jealous. There was a ton of backlash, so much so that they actually ended up pushing the release date back from November to February to redesign his look.
However if anyone recalls Ryan Reynolds taking time to listen to fans with the development of Deadpool, Hollywood is a bit more humble with what they make when handling source material.
Hollywood did take some other risks in my opinion. Noticeably casting Jim Carrey as Dr.Robotnik seemed strange at first. Now, Carrey is my favorite actor of all time and even I was skeptical since Carrey hasn’t been in a PG rated film since 2011 with Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and he clearly isn’t a bald fat man with a wild mustache. However Carrey goes on to deliver a great performance that pairs well with the nostalgia of it all and improvised some great details to make the character his own. For most people who grew up playing the game they would remember Carrey as part of their childhood as well from titles like The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and that’s exactly the kind of energy we get in this film. He nails Robotniks “egg”centric persona and even though his look isn’t a spitting image it grew on me especially towards the end.
The movie has tons of Easter eggs such as rings, echidnas, Robotniks transforming robots, and Sonics epic spin dash. Stick around for the credits to get something to look forward to because this franchise has legs and I can see it going the distance with sequels to come.
Reel Talk
The plot of the movie is pretty basic; Strange otherworldly creature finds a friend and has to outrun government pursuit. But, there is an endearing message that the film did impart to me. Sonic finds a friend in Tom Wachowski (James Marsden). Tom is a cop in the small town of Green Hills but, doesn’t feel he’s living up to his full potential. Tom plans to transfer to San Fransisco for a chance to be a real police officer but, Sonic has been spying on the town for a long time or “hanging out although nobody invited or knows he’s there” according to him and sees that although Toms efforts might not be glorious they are appreciated. In contrast to Dr. Robotniks constant bragging and ego, Tom realizes that being humble and appreciating his life right now can be just as fulfilling as whatever might be waiting over the horizon. It reminded me that accolades don’t equal respect. It reminds me of this quote by Taylor Hanson…
“To the world you may be one person but to one person you may be the world”
Toronto Film Club 