Sonic the Hedgehog

Faster than a Speeding Plumber!

Bouncier than a Mighty Mouse!

Able to speed through levels in a single day!

And now, after nearly thirty years, he's on the big screen! Jethro, how'd it go?

I thought you'd never ask, Baxter.

I did.

….

We're talking about Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's video game star. His movie opens with him (as voiced by Ben Schwartz) on the run from baddies. They all want his super-speed for some reason. He escapes his home planet with magic rings that let him go anywhere in the universe. He eventually finds himself in Green Hills, Montana, where his "best friends" are Sheriff Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter), though they don't know he exists. 

Tom is about to move to San Francisco. That is, until Sonic accidentally blackouts much of the Pacific Northwest. The US Government calls up the mad Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to investigate. Sonic tries to ring himself to another planet when Tom shows up. His bag of rings ring themselves on top of the Transamerica Pyramid. Sonic needs Tom's sense of direction to get him to San Francisco. They have to hurry before Robotnik and his drones catch up with them. Gotta go fast.

Director Jeff Fowler (Oscar Nominee for the short, Gopher Broke) and his writers keep it fast. We first see Sonic and Robotnik speed-dueling in San Francisco before it literally rewinds through the whole movie. Once queued up, the movie gives us a concise and speedy plot. Barely any scene is wasted. A few questions, especially the secret of Sonic's speed, are seemingly left for a sequel to explain. We also get some logistical questions that make sense if you think them over. 

Sonic makes for a good protagonist. He's quick-witted and sarcastic, but he's really a lonely nice guy. He never ruins his goodwill with crass humor. We're easily on his side all the way through. The visual effects artists deserve extra pay for retooling Sonic's earlier much-derided first design to match his video game self on short notice. The retool was pretty seamless, mostly. His superspeed effects are astounding; his slo-mo runs are just as good as Quicksilver's in the X-Men movies.

And the others. Jim Carrey as Robotnik steals the show with his manic personality. He's legitimately formidable once he gets serious, though he's also sometimes funny too. James Marsden makes for a good human pal as Tom. We get his frustrations with small-town life and his desire to move on. His arc ended nicely, though somewhat too quickly. Sumpter as Maddie did fine with her relatively smaller role. Lee Madjoub was memorable as Robotnik's yes-man, Agent Stone; the military men were mostly forgettable save for Maj. Bennington (Neal McDonough).

Sonic the Hedgehog makes for a fine matinee. The story is basic, though it's mostly easy to understand. It's a silly escapade, so don't expect some dramatic weight (Sonic's dead? No, he's not.) Again, I hope the sequel explains what this movie didn't. We get a preview of a prospective sequel with one last character arrival in the mid-credits. That gets my interest.