5 Details That Would Take the Sonic Movie from Great to Perfect (contains spoilers)

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has made its public debut, which means I can FINALLY discuss it in more detail!! The last week has been a real test of my self-control, because this movie is pretty much the only thing I’ve wanted to talk about. In many situations the only way I could sufficiently restrain myself was simply to abstain from the conversation entirely!

As I mentioned following my early viewing, I’m extremely satisfied with this movie. I fully expected it to be fun, but I never even expected it to be good, let alone great. There’s so much that the movie got right that, quite frankly, I’m stunned. I’ve been a Sonic fan for so long that I’ve become accustomed to disappointment (which was my reaction to the original gremlin design). To have an entry in this franchise actually do this well after all this time gives me the most unbelievable feeling. It stirs up nostalgia, but not in the sense that this film is reminiscent of the original games or cartoons; rather, I don’t have to defend myself for being a fan. I can say that I liked this movie and the response is typically, “Yeah, me too!”

That said, the movie isn’t perfect. I’m sure there are a few nitpicks one could make from a film critiquing perspective, but you’re not following this blog to hear from a professional movie reviewer, you’re here to listen to an awkward trash nerd babble about fandom junk! And in my opinion, there are five things in particular that would’ve taken the geekery of this movie from “old nerds shaping the next nerd generation” to “gaming convention collectively weeps as their nostalgia is validated.”

At one point during the trip to San Francisco, Tom stops to make a call from a pay phone, instructing Sonic to stay put in the truck. Unfortunately, their stop is directly adjacent to a western-themed biker bar, which Sonic finds very enticing. He does his best to hold back, but ultimately succumbs to temptation and goes inside. How does a 3 ft. blue hedgehog casually stroll into a bar? The same way he’s lived the rest of his life on Earth thus far: Stealing things that make him happy! Sonic throws on a red shirt, a cowboy hat, and some sunglasses before heading into the bar, where Tom finds him moments later. They go back and forth about whether or not to leave until a waitress approaches and asks Tom if Sonic is, “a kid in a mask,” because children aren’t allowed inside. Tom explains that Sonic is actually a 43-year-old with a “condition” that makes him look the way he does.

I admit that this is only a small detail, but it’s one I just can’t let go of: Why 43?? He should’ve said 28! The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is currently 28 years old, as of the release of the movie. It would’ve served the purpose of the plot while also tipping its hat to longtime fans that happen to know a tidbit like that off the top of their heads. The fact that the movie was delayed from its original release date actually doesn’t harm this idea, either, because Sonic’s birthday is in June. Whether the movie had released in November last year or February this year, he still would’ve been 28 at the time. It’s so unfortunate because this was such a great opportunity for a fandom Easter egg!

I probably don’t need to explain that Robotnik’s design in this movie looks a lot more like Jim Carrey than it does like Robotnik – which is fine, really. Although I might have preferred that he start out looking like the villain we know and love from the beginning, I’m not opposed to him starting differently and getting there later, especially since this version of Robotnik appears to draw inspiration from several different incarnations of the character. What does bug me, however, is just how much later this transformation happens – by which I mean it’s not even in the movie proper. Robotnik doesn’t take on his more well-known physical characteristics until the epilogue, well after the story has concluded. Once he’s banished to the stinky mushroom planet, Robotnik’s mustache is fried from the explosion and he shaves his head bald.

Why couldn’t we have led into this a bit earlier? It wouldn’t even have to be that much earlier, really; I just would’ve appreciated it if it’d been part of the movie itself. Had it been me, I would’ve had some of these alterations begin sneaking in over the course of the final battle. There’s a moment during the showdown in Green Hills where Robotnik’s ship gets absolutely pummeled, and I feel even one smaller scale explosion during this scene could’ve laid the ground work by blowning off half of Robotnik’s hair and frizzing up half of his mustache. This would’ve given us a clearer taste of the “real” Robotnik during the main action of the story while also giving us a firmer explanation for him shaving the other half of his head in the epilogue.

While I’m on this topic, I also would’ve preferred a bit more focus on the voice earlier on as well. It’s another detail that sneaks up during the epilogue and makes me think, “Wait, they were going to incorporate that? Why’d they wait until now??” If Jim Carrey’s capable of doing that voice and the story intends to have him use it going forward, I would’ve used it from the start rather than throwing it in afterward.

The movie makes no secret of the fact that Sonic scavenges all of his belongings, including his shoes. Not only do they not match, but the soles are completely blown out and one of them is literally taped together. Like most of his other possessions, Sonic’s shoes are old, broken, and barely serve their original purpose. They’re so thin that he actually leaves a partial footprint behind that Robotnik later discovers, and one shot in the therapist’s office is at a low enough angle that we can see the bottoms of his shoes are basically hollow.

Naturally, this puts a lot of stress on Sonic’s feet. Maddie even comments on “his poor feet” when she examines him at the midpoint, and the camera shows that his socks have massive holes as well. All evidence suggests that Sonic’s footwear is borderline decorative, since they don’t seem to actually be supporting or protective him at all.

With that in mind, I’m surprised that the movie didn’t take the time to show Sonic’s feet causing him pain or discomfort. Even just a minor demonstration here and there, such as having him quietly mumble a quiet, “Ugh, my feet,” or leaning against something to briefly squeeze them, would’ve been more than enough. The health of Sonic’s feet is critically important to his character, so if you’re going to set up the fact that they’re probably in bad shape, then show the consequences of that as well! It would’ve given the moment when he gets the iconic shoes a bigger payoff, too; considering it’s probably the first time he’s had brand new shoes, it’s probably also the first time his feet have been comfortable. Foot pain can have a serious impact on mobility, so upgrading him to decent shoes for the first time could’ve resulted in Sonic discovering he can now run even faster – which itself would be an additional low-level nod toward the super sneaker power-up from the games.

This is a smaller detail and very much a throwback to nostalgia, but for someone that’s been around the franchise as long as me, it’s a big deal. All the way back in the original Genesis games, Robotnik had a very distinct ship that he constantly modified with various weapons and enhancements. This ship, often known as the Egg-o-Matic, carried over into several other Sonic media as well. It’s almost as iconic as the doctor himself.

When act three rolls around and Robotnik confronts Sonic on the skyscraper, it would’ve been great if the ship he’s piloting had some nod toward the Egg-o-Matic in its design. I’m certainly not asking them to recreate it exactly, but perhaps the body of Robotnik’s ship could’ve been rounder to suggest they’re following the same theme. I wouldn’t even necessarily eliminate the two big turbines on either side, because knocking them off could’ve been part of the final showdown. It would’ve been a perfect reference to another deep-running segment of this franchise, and could’ve even suggested that we might see more modifications to the ship in the sequel, just as Robotnik does in the games.

This is another very small detail that could’ve had a huge nostalgia payoff. One of the main tensions running through the second act of the movie is the question of Sonic and Tom’s relationship. Tom decides to help Sonic out largely on principle (specifically to save a life), whereas Sonic is desperate for real friendship – a notion he’s very forward about. At one point during the trip, Sonic declares himself Tom’s best friend, but Tom quickly shoots him down. Undeterred, Sonic instead declares himself Tom’s best animal friend, which Tom again rejects, stating that the honor belongs to his dog, Ozzy. Later, upon arriving in San Francisco, Sonic comes face-to-face with Ozzy. He makes a couple of sarcastic comments about not seeing the appeal, but he’s interrupted by Ozzy repeatedly licking his face. By the end of the film, Sonic is accepted as a member of the Wachowski family and no longer has to compete with Ozzy for Tom and Maddie’s affection (although he still insists the dog can’t come in his room).

More recent fans may not realize it, but in some of the earliest Sonic the Hedgehog continuities, Sonic actually had a pet dog himself, named Muttski. Like Ozzy, Muttski had a yellow-brown color scheme and was very friendly and well-behaved. With all the ways in which this movie makes little acknowledgements of the history of this fandom, I thought it would’ve been nice if Ozzy’s name had instead been Muttski, as a nod to those very early stories. Or, in the same vein, perhaps the dog’s name could still be Ozzy, but Sonic could’ve started calling him Muttski as a nickname (as he’s prone to nicknaming almost everyone around him). It would’ve been a clever way to incorporate both names!

 

As great as the movie already is, I think this handful of little details would’ve really given it that extra bit of punch. It’s already an amazing love letter to its fans, so I say, why not show that love in as many ways as possible? There’s no reason to stop at 98%, go for the full 100 and earn that A+!

Do you agree with my list? Are there other things you would’ve added or subtracted? Tell me all about it in the comments!

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

Sonic the Hedgehog, both the character and the new movie, are © Sega. Paramount has some ownership in there too, but I’m sure Sega overrules them. After the disaster of the initial unveiling, Sega probably put a very, very tight leash on the entire project.