The Reel Review
A policeman in a small town in rural Montana (James Marsden) decides to help a small, blue hedgehog from another planet defeat an evil genius (Jim Carrey) in this family-friendly live action animated film based on the popular video game.
Nevermind the silly premise – Marsden totally sells it and Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), who voices the iconic video game character, makes him likable and fun. Jim Carrey, after a years long acting hiatus, appears to be having a ball chewing up the scenery as the evil Dr. Robotnik and the other main human characters – including Tika Sumpter (Nobody’s Fool) as Marsden’s veterinarian wife – have plenty of clever, funny dialogue.
As far as “human gets the creature back to his world” stories go, Sonic the Hedgehog is a surprisingly well constructed movie that manages to be entertaining both for kids and adults, with plenty of fun Easter eggs hidden throughout for longtime fans of the video game. Stay through the credits – we see sequels in the horizon.
REEL FACTS
• Director Jeff Fowler says the Sonic references sprinkled throughout the film were a way of rewarding fans for their years of enthusiasm by adding things that regular viewers might not even notice.
• James Marsden says he has already agreed to do as many Sonic the Hedgehog sequels as filmmakers want to make.
• Jim Carrey, who acknowledged doing a “lot” of ad-libbing throughout the movie, says he was attracted to the film because his daughter was such a fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog video games growing up.
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