Paramount Picture’s Sonic the Hedgehog is an enjoyable ride with a message of friendship that anybody of any age can take away from.

This movie over the past year has gone through delays, backlash, and redesigns. It has been a rough time for the production team to say the least. With all that being said, it was worth the wait. 

This movie had one basic plot and nothing else – Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) accidentally gets discovered by the government and must escape from Earth before Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) captures him. 

The start of the movie was cute seeing Sonic as a child who is forced out of his homeworld by a raid of Echidnas. Sonic then enters Earth through his ring portal where he’ll spend the next decade living. It was a dramatic opening to the movie that felt a little rushed.

Throughout his time on Earth, he’s hanging out in his hideout. He’s playing ping pong, exercising, reading comics, but all this enjoyment comes to a stop when he realizes that he’s all alone. I thought this was a great detail to the story and explains Sonic’s behavior towards Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) throughout the movie.

If you’re a hardcore Sonic fan, then you’ll enjoy the references that appear in this movie – the town of “Green Hills,” the appearance of Sonic’s rings, and Sonic calling Robotnik “Eggman.” There’s not many of them but it’s enough for Sonic fans to enjoy.

Sonic’s attitude in this film is great. He acts more like a child in the movie, unlike the games where he’s just a cocky, easygoing teenager. However, I didn’t mind his new attitude at all.

He’s energetic, loud-mouthed, and funny. There are rarely any moments in the film where he isn’t portraying one of these three traits. Ben Schwartz is mostly owed credit for this- his voice for Sonic matches up completely with Sonic’s personality. 

On the other side of the coin is Jim Carrey’s role as Dr. Robotnik. I enjoyed Carrey throughout this film. Just like Sonic, the character he was playing didn’t match up to Robotnik in the games – but I still enjoyed Carrey’s role despite this. The way he transitions from comedy to threatening is perfect.

Tom Wachowski was the only non-Sonic character in the film I enjoyed. Marsden did his role well and he had nice comedic moments with Sonic and Robotnik. Wachowski’s character was nice and held its own. Sonic, Robotnik, and Tom were the only characters I enjoyed. Everyone else in the film felt average or forgettable.

Tom was the one person who befriended Sonic and decides to help him. These two characters worked so well with each other and had a nice father and son relationship going for them. It was here that Sonic finally got what he wanted throughout his time on Earth, a friend. Sonic up to this point felt lonely but meeting Wachowski filled that empty void. 

This is the message I was talking about – friends enjoying one another even though they likely won’t see each other again. Enjoy your friends til the end. Even though it’s kind of cheesy, I thought this was a nice life lesson in the film. Tom’s choice to have Sonic stay with him felt touching. It also foreshadows a potential sequel that I’d love to see sooner than later.

The CGI and effects in this film are amazing. The Sonic electricity surrounding Sonic was a cool visual made even better in the amazing action scenes. Sonic’s great new design has some minor differences compared to what he looks like in the games. 

Overall this film ironically felt rushed at parts and the characters aren’t memorable besides Sonic, Robotnik, and Tom. However, this film is full of laughs and heartwarming moments. The CGI, effects, and action are great. If you’re a hardcore Sonic fan or just someone who likes quick-witty jokes and touching moments, I recommend this movie. I’d watch this film again in a heartbeat.