With the third Sonic movie coming out on December 20th this year, there is no better time to discuss the films. The first installment, Sonic the Hedgehog, based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, released in 2020, follows the titular character Sonic as he tries to regain the portal-making rings he lost with the help of Green Hills sheriff Tom Wachowski as they try to escape the clutches of the mad doctor Robotnik. Sonic ultimately regains his rings but is stopped by the mad doctor once more. Sonic beats Robotnik, sends him to another planet, and stays on Earth.

Some of the best aspects of the film are the characters’ relationships. Sonic and Tom are critical points to this claim. Actors Ben Schwartz and James Marsden have great chemistry and do a great job bringing the father-son relationship to life. There is a fun montage of moments to watch between the duo. Most movies with a CGI animal befriending humans are usually criticized for how the human characters take up most of the screen time; Sonic was refreshing because the main human characters were enjoyable and did not take away too much focus from Sonic.

Sonic’s character in this film works well for what it tries to accomplish. While a bit different from his original debut due to Sonic being more childish in the movie, it still retains his cocky, cool dude attitude with a heart-of-gold personality that many Sonic fans have come to love.

Also, Jim Carry did a fantastic job as Dr. Robotnik. The way that Robotnik is a silly yet intimidating villain makes him enthralling, even if he is a bit more goofy than in the games. His character is well done, from his mannerisms to his descent into madness.

It would only be a Sonic movie with fast-paced action scenes, and this movie delivers. The film also has one of the best depictions of Sonic’s speed. A fast, action-paced chase between Sonic and Robotnik and their final battle, in which he hits Robotnik's machine at high speeds, were well executed.

Of course, the movie is not without its flaws. While it is a good film, it falls flat as a “Sonic” movie. Besides the surface-level qualities, such as his charisma, speed, and cameos, it fails to use much content from the games. Take the soundtrack, for example; the Sonic franchise is well known for having great music in its games, so it was disappointing that the movie's soundtrack fell flat in comparison.

While lacking in many factors, the Sonic movie was thrilling to watch. I recommend this movie if you have not seen it before. The professionals who worked on this movie did an amazing job and should feel proud of bringing the lovable blue blur to the big screen.