I finally got around to the first modern live action Sonic movie. The first time I tried to watch it I found Sonic too childish and didn’t like his voice so turned it off. After getting through it, it turned out to be a decently entertaining family film.

I remember the controversy surrounding Sonic’s design but I can gladly say he looks fine and watchable in this movie, eventually getting the iconic red trainers. Robotnik looks a bit too polished for most of the movie but does get his crazy, oversized moustache by the end.

The style of movie is familiar with a fictional character entering the human world of Earth, finding an individual and going on an adventure together. At first the pair don’t get along, there’re complications as they grow on one another. Sonic did develop his personality over the course of the film, eventually becoming the strong character who’d bravely do anything to protect his friends.

Sonic is a hard one to relate to games as there’s so much in his universe both 2D and 3D, there’s even a lot of different TV Sonic stuff. The main thing is that he’s a speedy blue humanoid hedgehog. There’s a mention of chilli dogs; the evil Dr Robotnik (nicknamed Eggman by Sonic) in a big flying thing that takes many hits and he has his robot army; Green Hill zone gets good mention; Tails eventually makes an appearance; rings act as teleporters like at the end of game levels, and Sonic gains elemental powers which I’m sure I’ve seen somewhere but sadly he didn’t go super, yellow glowing Sonic as the element of electricity seemed to replace this.

There are a few animated clips in a modernised version of the retro Sonic style that look really good, they have little to do with the rest of the movie but I liked it and how it made further connections to the games.

Although this movie was setting up Sonic to be developed more later it had its funny moments which made the characters decently likeable. If Sonic keeps the developed character then I would look forward to seeing the second movie especially knowing that Knuckles is in it.