Last year, people took to social media to express their concern over how Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog looked nothing like the original cartoon, so director Jeff Fowler announced in May that the premier of the film would be delayed due to the crew redoing the entire design. Now that Sonic looks like Sonic, and not a spray-painted alley cat, the film has grossed over $113 million within its first month of airing, and deservedly so. If you’re looking for a feel-good movie that has a balanced mix of cheesy humor and sharp wit, this film will have you running at supersonic speed to your nearest theater. 

Sonic the Hedgehog tells the story of the popular Sega Games character (voiced by Ben Schwartz) fleeing enemy attacks on his home planet as a child and escaping to earth using magic gold rings given to him by his guardian, Longclaw the Owl. Despite loving his life in Green Hills, a small town where he vicariously lives through a married couple he longs to form a family with, sheriff Tom (James Mardsen) and vet Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter), Sonic is lonely without any real friends. After his super-speed causes an explosion that results in a town-wide power outage, the blue alien teams up with Tom to outrun inventor and evil scientist Dr. Robotnik (legend Jim Carrey), who sets out to use Sonic’s powers for his own technology.

Speaking of Dr. Robotnik, let’s say this upfront; if you can’t think of a reason to see this children’s movie on your own, let it be because Jim Carrey kills this role. In every scene he’s in, Carrey brings this air of unease to the character that creeps you out and makes you laugh all at once. His physical comedy is also amazing with his facial expressions and dance sequences. When you forget that a character is just an actor playing a role, that’s when you know they’re going the extra mile. Carrey went ten extra miles.

Another aspect of the movie that takes it just a notch higher than a regular kids film is the banter between Tom and Dr. Robotnik. Some lines seemed a little out of the box for a kid’s movie, but it read well with the children in the theater. The heavy sarcasm worked with the two enemies’ dynamic of butting heads. Mardsen’s overall performance was a bit lacking compared to his counterpart, which was a tough contender to act alongside. However, he nailed the annoyance and concern that was required when Sonic would get under his character’s skin. 

The main gripe with Sonic as a whole was the odd setup for why the mad scientist was chasing after Sonic and Tom in the first place. According to the official synopsis on Google, he is after the pair to use Sonic’s super-speed for “world domination.” But the actual film makes it seem like the duo is hunted as national terrorists due to Sonic’s threat to the town, and Tom aiding a runaway criminal. This comes across when the sheriff’s face is plastered over television screens, after being named a “terrorist”. So does the scientist want to figure out the hedgehog’s powers, or is he simply accomplishing his goal of killing the pair like the government instructed? Unless I was too mesmerized by the new character design to notice the real reason, it wasn’t explained to the audience well enough. 

Still, this is only one con among the several pros of seeing this movie. The team behind it took the time to give Sonic a makeover, to pay homage to what fans were expecting, and that is more than what most other production companies would’ve done. 

Sonic the Hedgehog is currently in theatres and is rated PG.