Kyla Kobayashi

As a pessimistic Sonic fan, I loved this film. I give it four stars for the film itself, and a fifth star for fulfilling my kid self's dream vision of a Sonic movie by including James Marsden as the deuteragonist. Is this movie perfect? No, it's not. But it's still a great movie. I'm sure there will be diehard Sonic fans who won't like that the movie is trying to start something new with Sonic's story, and film critics who feel like the movie's story is too cliché or basic to be good. However, it's been a long time since a movie made me feel this excited, and I loved getting pleasantly surprised by all the references to the games (and even some memes, which it used rather tastefully and seemed careful not to wear out). I'm sure there was a big, giddy smile plastered on my face throughout the entire film. I thought Sonic's personality was well balanced, maintaining his charisma and spunky attitude while also giving him vulnerabilities and a heart. It made him a very likable character, especially when compared to his increasingly inconsistent, motivationless personality in the games, or him being a straight up jerkass in Sonic the Comic. The human characters don't soak up most of the screen time, Sonic remains a constant focus throughout the film. It's a refreshing break from films with long, boring scenes about humans that make audiences antsy to see some CGI characters. The backstories of Sonic's live action costars are also covered in tactfully given dialogue or brief scenes that let us imply information, keeping the story moving right along while also giving us a good understanding about who they are. The world dynamics also set this movie apart from other versions of the Sonic universe, providing a solid structure to the universe of the film. It reveals enough aspects about powers and magical portal rings to drive the story forward, but also leaving enough information shrouded in mystery to make you want to see a sequel that will show us more about this world and its characters. MCP Vancouver, rest in peace, thank you for working to bring us this awesome film. Here's hoping that we can get the gang back together for a Sonic 2 sequel.