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Lord of the Ring

Another video game adaptation? Must we do this again? It's easy to be weary going into "Sonic the Hedgehog" for a multitude of reasons: Video game movies are rarely successful but, most importantly, the first trailer for "Sonic the Hedgehog" didn't look good, aesthetically speaking, which caused the movie to delay its release while it was reworked. Thankfully, for the filmmakers and the movie's audience, the revised film is a pleasant surprise.

When the first trailer was released, Twitter did what Twitter does and made its opinion heard. As stated, the effects looked troublesome, but there's a danger in letting the avalanche of unhappy Twitter users dictate what a filmmaker and a studio does with their product. On the other hand, one must give director Jeff Fowler an immense amount of credit. He heard people's concerns and chose to continue working on his film, in order to make it the best he possibly could. In the aftermath of "Cats" and "Dolittle," two movies that were clearly not ready to hit screens, it's nice to see a filmmaker who cares about something their name is attached to.

The plot of "Sonic the Hedgehog" is a bit thin and basic, but the movie is infused with such kinetic energy that the story becomes somewhat secondary. Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) heads to Earth and must navigate foreign terrain without standing out. Of course, this is can be tricky for a bright blue ball of energy, but his speed often keeps him out of sight. He befriends police officer Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), who helps keep him safe from mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

"Sonic the Hedgehog" operates in a lot of familiar terrain: mismatched buddy comedy, fish-out-of-water farce, and road trip adventure. Even so, the movie's bright visuals and snappy rapport between Marsden and Schwartz keep things silly and alive, never taking itself too seriously but rarely being too light to be outright dismissed. Carrey brings his signature energy to the villain role, without overdoing it, which is a nice relief from an actor we don't see too much of anymore. The movie, as most of its kind do, finds itself in a final battle of good versus evil, which is when the movie begins to feel like watching the actual video game.

A lot of people are likely to be attracted to "Sonic the Hedgehog." Those who grew up playing the Sega game will be won over on nostalgia alone. The movie provides enough pratfalls and some scatological humor, which will entertain a younger generation of moviegoers, who might not be as familiar with Sonic as a property. Sweet and good natured, "Sonic the Hedgehog" doesn't revitalize the video game genre but provides enough entertainment for a family trip to the movies.