Sonic the Hedgehog, the Movie

[Rodin]

Yeah, that bar's so low, it's basically underground. While I really surprisingly enjoyed the Boom cartoon, I do understand that it's very much not typical Sonic fare, what with being a purely comedy focused show. It does what it does at least relatively well... but, it's tonally separate from all other aspects of the franchise. So, I understand why they didn't do anything like that.

Also, yeah, I'm not really a Carey fan, but he was (quite surprisingly) the least objectionable of anything in the trailer, and if everything was on that level it feels like it might be at least passable.

I dunno, the bit with him and the general felt like they were trying to replicate Austin Powers (which ceased being funny around the turn of the century) and failing at even doing that. If that's the level of humor to expect in the film...dear God. Keep in mind too - that's the HIGHLIGHT from the film, the bit they felt was most funny to get people to watch.

Also, why did Sonic go from "unable to dodge a tranquilizer dart" to being freaking Neo?

My expectations were rock bottom after the reveal that it would be live-action sonic set in the real world (because WHY?), but the trailer brought its own jack-hammer to prove me wrong.

[Legato Endless]

The variable reaction inconsistency is just something most fiction falls into with super speed. Half the fights in the Flash TV show involve the hero getting hit by things at the start until he arbitrarily decides he's actually going to start dodging.

Honestly this is about what I expected from the tradition of videogame movies. The only newfangled horror was Sonic's appearance which had already been spoiled by the earlier teases. Heck we've (maybe?) dodged the bullet of Sonic romancing another human girl.

[Ravens_cry]

The more things change

At least the rabbit looks cute and the lighting matches the real world well. There's a a definite art to that. Sonic, along with being a abomination unto lord, looks cut and pasted into the scene with no shadows or affect on the lighting on things around him.

[DataNinja]

I dunno, the bit with him and the general felt like they were trying to replicate Austin Powers (which ceased being funny around the turn of the century) and failing at even doing that. If that's the level of humor to expect in the film...dear God. Keep in mind too - that's the HIGHLIGHT from the film, the bit they felt was most funny to get people to watch.

Yeah, I wasn't a whole big fan of that scene, but the other bits weren't as bad. Though, as of this Trailer, with the super-speed and all... yeah, there's literally no tension regarding that matrix-esque scene. Someone like that should be literally invincible unless caught unawares.

[Kitten Champion]

It just seems to me that Paramount wanted to do the crowd-pleasing super-slow motion Quicksilver scene from Days of Future Past for their own thing. After all they have a speedster hero, and clearly people liked that enough that Fox felt they should do it again in Apocalypse... so I could see the dominoes falling on that idea.

[DataNinja]

Oh, I have no doubt that that's why. It makes for extremely good spectacle. But... it also, unless it's explicitly something that can only be done once, removes huge amounts of tension... or makes the user seem like they don't know what they're doing. It's just one of the few things that jars me out of movies, when there's something that game-changing in it.

[Zevox]

I dunno, the bit with him and the general felt like they were trying to replicate Austin Powers (which ceased being funny around the turn of the century) and failing at even doing that. If that's the level of humor to expect in the film...dear God. Keep in mind too - that's the HIGHLIGHT from the film, the bit they felt was most funny to get people to watch.

Agreed, the Robotnik bits weren't at all funny, just cringe-inducing. The closest thing to a funny moment in the trailer was when Random Guy with Tranq Gun met Sonic and appropriately freaked out, and even that barely passed "mildly amusing."

Detective Pikachu looks substantially better in that regard, and I don't think I'm even bothering to watch that.

[Razade]

I really just want to know why they thought now was the time for this movie and not some time in the early 90s when Sonic was both popular and considered good. It's 2019, who is clamouring for a Sonic movie? The old Sonic fans are either disillusioned by the constant shlock that the franchise has produced to the point that they won't touch anything else related to it out of apathy or the sort that goes into Gamestop and assaults people because Sonic's arms are blue. I'd go into new Sonic fans but are there any to talk about that aren't born on obscure webforums where the other general topics are not forum appropriate? Because I sure as heck haven't seen any.

The choice of Gangsta's Paradise makes sense to me if only as a stark reflection of the product it's trying to sell. A song from a bygone era known mostly for being the "oh, that one Weird Al parodied" song. The choice to use modern slang like "basic" just confirms that the people who market tested to see if this ought to be a thing had and have no idea who its for either. I can't imagine it was anything less cynical a move as some exec looking at the news that Detective Pikachu was going to be a thing and then desperately wracking their minds for a video game franchise to turn into a "realistic cgi" remake. I bet they had to get through Mario, and also the existential dread that the live action Mario movie produces when thought about, along with Crash Bandicoot and Vectorman before landing on Sonic.

[Kitten Champion]

Oh, I have no doubt that that's why. It makes for extremely good spectacle. But... it also, unless it's explicitly something that can only be done once, removes huge amounts of tension... or makes the user seem like they don't know what they're doing. It's just one of the few things that jars me out of movies, when there's something that game-changing in it.

They had to break Quicksilver's leg in Apocalypse to make him less setting-breaking.

I imagine here, since they can't crush Sonic's legs, that they'll end with Robotnik cloning Sonic with one of those quills he's shown picking up and they'll have him fighting Shadow or something similar... or they'll make that Mecha-Sonic thing that I know exists though nothing about. Something along those lines, anyways. In the grand Flash tradition of "we'll just make another speed-based villain".

I really just want to know why they thought now was the time for this movie and not some time in the early 90s when Sonic was both popular and considered good. It's 2019, who is clamouring for a Sonic movie? The old Sonic fans are either disillusioned by the constant shlock that the franchise has produced to the point that they won't touch anything else related to it out of apathy or the sort that goes into Gamestop and assaults people because Sonic's arms are blue. I'd go into new Sonic fans but are there any to talk about that aren't born on obscure webforums where the other general topics are not forum appropriate? Because I sure as heck haven't seen any.

The choice of Gangsta's Paradise makes sense to me if only as a stark reflection of the product it's trying to sell. A song from a bygone era known mostly for being the "oh, that one Weird Al parodied" song. The choice to use modern slang like "basic" just confirms that the people who market tested to see if this ought to be a thing had and have no idea who its for either. I can't imagine it was anything less cynical a move as some exec looking at the news that Detective Pikachu was going to be a thing and then desperately wracking their minds for a video game franchise to turn into a "realistic cgi" remake. I bet they had to get through Mario, and also the existential dread that the live action Mario movie produces when thought about, along with Crash Bandicoot and Vectorman before landing on Sonic.

According to the wikipedia entry, Sony acquired the film rights to Sonic in 2013 - I believe that was around the time Sega was in the pit financially - and started developing the movie the next year, got an actual director in place in 2016, then declared the production a wash for the sake of their tax returns. The rights were then bought by Paramount who to all reports just carried on the basic story Columbia/Sony was using, they shot in '18 in Vancouver for what I assume wasn't a hefty budget, and here we are.

For my own personal amusement -

The first trailer premiered on April 4, 2019 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas,[37] and was released online on April 30. The footage received near-unanimous criticism,[38][39] with Kotaku calling it "horrific" and "a blight upon this weary earth

So, this seems to be a case of money and Hollywood as usual.

I'm pretty sure Detective Pikachu - at least from the timeline that I remember - was a thing that came into being because of the massive success of Pokemon Go at the height of it as a fad a couple years ago. While Pokemon is a hugely successful behemoth of an IP in general, Detective Pikachu was Hollywood doing their best to strike when the iron was hot.

[Bohandas]

I figured out what it is. Why he looks so messed up. His eyes are too far apart. WAY too far. Also the fuzziness is redundant with the spikes on his back that are supposed to represent quills.

The plot seems fine, given that there are already four or five different contradictory settings, backstories, and continuities for Sonic anyway - another one's not going to hurt.

And they actually changed Robotnik's name back! I did not see that coming, though I welcome it. Though I do not welcome the fact that they made him thin (Would it have been that hard to put Jim Carrey in a fat suit?).

[gomipile]

Well ... I guess it could have been worse.

Before I clicked on this link, I thought it was going to be about the live action Super Mario Bros. movie.

[DataNinja]

And they actually changed Robotnik's name back! I did not see that coming, though I welcome it. Though I do not welcome the fact that they made him thin (Would it have been that hard to put Jim Carrey in a fat suit?).

To be fair, he has been thin before...



...oh, wait, that's not a good sign.

[Anteros]

I'm gonna go against the grain and say it looks fine. It's clearly targeted towards young kids, not the mid 20-30 year olds criticizing it on the internet. In general, kids aren't going to care if the CGI isn't good or if he doesn't look like the character from the video game that came out 25 years before they were born. It's not something I'd go see, but it's clearly not targeted towards me, so that's fine.

[DataNinja]

I'm gonna go against the grain and say it looks fine. It's clearly targeted towards young kids, not the mid 20-30 year olds criticizing it on the internet. In general, kids aren't going to care if the CGI isn't good or if he doesn't look like the character from the video game that came out 25 years before they were born. It's not something I'd go see, but it's clearly not targeted towards me, so that's fine.

On the one hand, that's fair enough. On the other hand, it's always nice when a film is fine for all ages to enjoy. There've certainly been plenty of films that are geared towards kids that older audiences can still have fun with. And it's a plus when the source material of a given adaptation appears to be giving some respect to it.

So, yeah, while it's not necessarily the intended audience... given that adults still enjoy other Sonic media, it might be nice if there were things that someone beyond a very young age could enjoy.

[Bohandas]

I'm gonna go against the grain and say it looks fine. It's clearly targeted towards young kids, not the mid 20-30 year olds criticizing it on the internet. In general, kids aren't going to care if the CGI isn't good or if he doesn't look like the character from the video game that came out 25 years before they were born. It's not something I'd go see, but it's clearly not targeted towards me, so that's fine.

I can sort of see that, but If it's not geared toward people who were young when the game came out then why does it have Gangsta's Paradise and Jim Carey?

[Anteros]

I can sort of see that, but If it's not geared toward people who were young when the game came out then why does it have Gangsta's Paradise and Jim Carey?

Are...are those things you associate with maturity?

[Bastian Weaver]

I dunno what's with all the frowns. The trailer looks awesome!

[Millstone85]

The one thing most people seem to be praising is Jim Carrey's performance. Well, I didn't find it any funny.

Though I do like what seems to be a slow transformation through the movie.

Spoiler

Show

Too bad it will probably only be complete in a post-credits scene.

[Kitten Champion]

I'm gonna go against the grain and say it looks fine. It's clearly targeted towards young kids, not the mid 20-30 year olds criticizing it on the internet. In general, kids aren't going to care if the CGI isn't good or if he doesn't look like the character from the video game that came out 25 years before they were born. It's not something I'd go see, but it's clearly not targeted towards me, so that's fine.

Problem with that is Sonic isn't just a retro game fanboys remember overly fondly from console war nostalgia, they've been making these Sonic games essentially every year for decades, sometimes more than one.

Kids have expectations too as to what Sonic is, ones based on what Sega's done with the franchise in games and cartoons that they potentially grew up with.

[GloatingSwine]

I'm gonna go against the grain and say it looks fine. It's clearly targeted towards young kids, not the mid 20-30 year olds criticizing it on the internet. In general, kids aren't going to care if the CGI isn't good or if he doesn't look like the character from the video game that came out 25 years before they were born. It's not something I'd go see, but it's clearly not targeted towards me, so that's fine.

If this was supposed to be targeted towards young kids, why have a character design that will give them nightmares?

[Kato]

So... I really wanted to be more positive about the movie than the rest of the internet... but after seeing the trailer it's... uh... I mean, I don't hate Sonic's design but it certainly isn't great. I really like Carrey but what we got from the trailer is... eh. It's also not like the plot will be deep but... maybe the next trailer will be funnier?
And if not, I'll jut ignore it. It's not like Sonic will visit me and drag me to the cinema.

[-D-]

I kept hearing the Weird Al version in my head, which at least made me chuckle a little bit while watching instead of just staring in abject horror.

As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain,
I take a look at my wife and realize she's very plain
But that's just perfect for an Amish like me
You know, I shun fancy things like electricity

Glad I'm not the only one

[Cikomyr]

The problem is that Sonic is a fundamentally flawed character. He's a Poochie; character created by committee to be "cool" and appeal to youngling's immature and self-conscious desire to "not like kiddy thing"

He was a mascot meant to emulate what a 15 year old was in the eyes of a 10-11 year old during the first Console War of Nintendo vs Sega. Sonic was meant to brand itself as the "edgy" character vs Nintendo's "kiddy" mascots. The same syndrome that hit the Dork Age of comic books.

So making a quality product with that character is delicate. Not impossible - Sonic SatAM is proof of that - but delicate. Any media piece that will try to highlight what made Sonic distinctive will.. Just be another ****ing Poochie.

I think where SatAM did right was putting a lot of characterization on the world and setting, instead than on the character itself.

[Devonix]

The problem is that Sonic is a fundamentally flawed character. He's a Poochie; character created by committee to be "cool" and appeal to youngling's immature and self-conscious desire to "not like kiddy thing"

He was a mascot meant to emulate what a 15 year old was in the eyes of a 10-11 year old during the first Console War of Nintendo vs Sega. Sonic was meant to brand itself as the "edgy" character vs Nintendo's "kiddy" mascots. The same syndrome that hit the Dork Age of comic books.

So making a quality product with that character is delicate. Not impossible - Sonic SatAM is proof of that - but delicate. Any media piece that will try to highlight what made Sonic distinctive will.. Just be another ****ing Poochie.

I think where SatAM did right was putting a lot of characterization on the world and setting, instead than on the character itself.

If Sonic was just a poochie then he wouldn't have endured as much as he has. He's outlasted the system he was designed to sell by 20 years and is the longest running franchise based comic book. Guy has a float in the thanksgiving day parade. The reason people keep trying is because there's something there.

[Bohandas]

Are...are those things you associate with maturity?

No but they;re all things from the 1990's or late 1980's

[J-H]

Not optimistic. I really don't like Jim Carrey's character...he looks like Robotnik, but he has the random disrespect jerkness of Carrey. He's supposed to be funny, but he's not.

[Millstone85]

Ha, ha, ha!

I rewatched the Pikachu trailer to restore my faith that it can be done right.

And all the comments were about doing exactly that.

[John Cribati]

I was immediately sold on this movie once I heard Jim Carrey would be Robotnik.

I would like a refund.

[Reddish Mage]

I'm gonna go against the grain and say it looks fine. It's clearly targeted towards young kids, not the mid 20-30 year olds criticizing it on the internet. In general, kids aren't going to care if the CGI isn't good or if he doesn't look like the character from the video game that came out 25 years before they were born. It's not something I'd go see, but it's clearly not targeted towards me, so that's fine.

If Sonic is known only among the 20-40 crowd then what's the point of making a movie about an old franchise kids don't know anymore that only young kids can enjoy?

Clearly, this, like most kids movies, are made to draw kids but also draw adults who bring their kids.

Problem with that is Sonic isn't just a retro game fanboys remember overly fondly from console war nostalgia, they've been making these Sonic games essentially every year for decades, sometimes more than one.

Kids have expectations too as to what Sonic is

This too.

[Cikomyr]

If Sonic was just a poochie then he wouldn't have endured as much as he has. He's outlasted the system he was designed to sell by 20 years and is the longest running franchise based comic book. Guy has a float in the thanksgiving day parade. The reason people keep trying is because there's something there.

The float doesn't require much characterization to be successful.

90% of the character's brand popularity is because of easy and memorable brand recognition, as well as nostalgia.

From what I see about the Archie Comics Sonic comic book that you mention, it developped strong characterization, universe and supporting cast, as well as a solid narrative tone that put it closer to SatAM than most other Sonic storytelling.

It would fall in the example bucket of good stories made with the character, once that expanded from the initial video game.