Travel with me back to 1991….

The Sega Genesis console was re-released with a new game, Sonic The Hedgehog, as part of a package deal. Sonic was created by Naoto Ohshima and was Sega’s answer to Nintendo’s Super Mario.

My parents bought me that Sega bundle package, and when I put that game in and heard “SEEEEEEGGGGGAAAAAAHHHHHHHH” I was hooked! Sonic and I have been homeys ever since. I spent hours playing that game, and giving myself different missions after beating it several times. The music, the sound effects, the mini games…LOVED IT!! I could type all day about how Sonic 2 is still one of THEE BEST GAMES EVER MADE. A true classic. Fast forward to the present and I’m super giddy hearing the news that Sonic was getting his own full length feature. In the words of Daniel Bryan, “YES! YES! YES! YES!” Then I saw that teaser trailer with the terrible design of Sonic. In the words of Jack Skellington…”WHAT IS THIS!!” I was still going to see the movie, but thankfully the backlash was immense so the visual effects team reworked Sonic’s design. I’m still wondering why they even put that horrible design out in the first place. Changing some things is okay. For example, Sonic’s arms having fur on them in the movie. No issues there. However, making him look totally off and super muscular was no good, and I read that the redesign cost millions of dollars. OUCH! The final product was true to the game design and I thought the movie was highly enjoyable. I went to an early screening a couple of weeks ago, but I dozed off (I was running on fumes) for a good 10 minutes and was sitting by talkers. So round 2 in Dolby Cinema at AMC. Wide awake, but next to talkers again. ARGGGHHH!! Round 3 in an empty theater at a Regal. Much much better, but no premium format there. I’m going to try to catch it in Dolby one more time. I wouldn’t say you should spend the extra money to see this in premium, but if you are an AMC A Lister, then put it to use. If you are a hardcore fan of Sonic like I am, then premium format may be the route you want to take. The movie, much like the game, is easy to follow and Sonic hooks you from the jump. A lot of nostalgia from the games are incorporated into the film, and fans have been pleased. I would have loved to hear Jaleel White aka Steve Urkel voicing Sonic again, but Ben Schwartz does a decent job. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter were good as Sonic’s human buddies the Wachowskis, aka Donut Lord and Pretzel Lady. I was happy to see my man Cyclops (Marsden) not take a back seat in this film, and he still has that mean hook from X2. Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik was a treat. It was like watching 90s Jim Carrey. Zany, over the top, and there are some really good quips between him and the protagonists. It was awesome to see a showcase of how fast Sonic can be, although there is one scene where the script dropped the ball. I would have done it different, but oh well. If you saw the movie you may have been tapping your chin on that scene also. Overall, Sonic is heart-warming and fun for the entire family so check it out if you haven’t done so. Putting together this review has me wanting to bust out the Sega Dreamcast so I can play Sonic! Check my live review here: https://www.facebook.com/MoviesWithMigs/videos/199839628073271/

CHEERS!
Migs Rodriguez