By: Keaton Marcus

Against all odds, largely anticipated video-game adaptation "Sonic the Hedgehog" has been released. And with grand success, I may add, being the box office blur of the weekend and shockingly turning out to be a watchable movie itself. Of course, there are flaws, the storytelling is nothing less than chaotic, and occasionally manic, but the blue hedgehog exceeds with its flashy action sequences, and a surprising amount of humor provided by its three co-stars, Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, and James Marsden. The chemistry within the main and supporting cast is top-notch as well, and in a few instances, there's a proud amount of good old heart amidst the 95 minutes of utter insanity. Remember, this is basically "The Godfather" for a video-game adaptation, even topping the likes of "Detective Pikachu" (60/100 "sweet/sour"), funnier and more intact, despite feeling a tad overstuffed. The youngsters will absolutely adore the picture, completely oblivious to the fact that it's all just an expertly set up distraction. But it becomes a little more than the average diversion, and may even appeal to older audiences. Who knows?

The movie kicks off with a young Sonic (an amiable Schwartz) finding out that his original planet isn't safe for him anymore, and his guardian, Longclaw, sends him to a far off land dubbed Earth. After that, the pic cuts to ten years later, and we find an older Sonic all alone in a town called Green Hills, California--however, one night he runs so fast that the speed causes a power outage throughout the globe. With the military and an evil genius called Dr. Robotnik/Eggman (a brilliant Jim Carrey) on his tail, the hedgehog teams up with a small-town cop named Tom (James Marsden back in the talking animal gig) to save the world. There's nothing exactly wrong with the plot, but there's nothing too creative, and it ends similar to the standard good vs evil layout. However, maybe that's sufficient enough for a flick such as this, and it's a whole lot of fun, so I forgive the somewhat familiar storyline.

While Ben Schwartz and James Marsden have some solid buddy-comedy chemistry, it's really Carrey who steals the show with the energy that launched his career. He isn't given the amount of screen time he had in "The Mask", or perhaps "Dumb and Dumber", but director Jeff Fowler gives Carrey enough to get his signature performance across. Principally, when you get a little fatigued watching Marsden and Schwartz doing the same routine again, audiences will always have Jim Carrey to save them. Schwartz is no Ryan Reynolds, who voiced Pikachu, but he still nails the egotistical Sonic with ease, bringing loads of charm to the CGI'd hedgehog. Marsden, who's known best for his roles in "Hop", "Enchanted", "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "X-Men", does a fine job. His role isn't groundbreaking, but its just what the actor needs. There are times where these guys wear out their welcome, but it's seldom unfunny.

Now one thing readers are waiting to hear about is: how the heck was the redesign? Well, we got a glimpse of it in the most recent trailer, and in the film, its a whole lot better than the moderately ugly original look. Thank god for social media, who are the guys that review bombed the teaser solely because of the odd design. So, Fowler and Paramount then seemed pretty committed to spending another five million dollars to redesign the iconic character. It certainly paid off, as they make the character look like a nearly flawless match to the design from the video game, which many adaptations fail to achieve. Don't get me started about the 1993 "Super Mario Bros." movie. Its gonna be a huge success in the box office, its faithful to the game, and Fowler is sure to come back to helm a sequel with the usage of the big reveal at the end! I'd watch it!

The final opinion is: "Sonic the Hedgehog" surprisingly features a considerable amount of good humor, a dose of heart and a scene-stealing Jim Carrey to make a suitable--if chaotic adaptation to the popular game...$TREAM IT

Buy for $19.99 on Prime Video SD or HD

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening: 58M

Domestic Total: 146M

Worldwide Total: 306.7M