Sonic the Hedgehog (film)
For the character which the movie is based on, see Sonic the Hedgehog.
| “ | If these Movie People REALLY want to sell me and EVERYONE, In General: Get Sonic’s Shoes and Arm Colour Right, Get Mike Pollock to play Robotnik, and HONOR the Past Source Materials in the Story of this “Movie”. | ” |
| Chris[1] | ||
Sonic the Hedgehog is the name of the live-action movie adaptation of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, originally set to be released on 8 November 2019 before being delayed to 14 February 2020. The film is notorious for the backlash to Sonic's character design, and unlike Chris's unsuccessful Sonic Boom Protests, Sega actually complied with fan demand to change Sonic's design after the initial design was collectively mocked by the internet for being unintentionally creepy.
Previews
Leaks for the then-upcoming movie revealed several drastic changes from the source material. Responding to news on the film in June 2018, Chris used his psychic powers to confer with Sonic to learn that Sonic disliked the movie, also alluding to his undying hatred of seeing Sonic with blue arms, something that put him in hot water back in 2014.
| Even Sonic, himself, states that this movie does no good justice for him at all. It’s the “Sonic Boom” video game all over again, but in Movie Form, and no blue arms. My two cents, I would Protest to make the movie BETTER and have the people take a Lot more time on it. ⚡️⚡️[2] |
Sonic did not inform Chris that the movie designers had given him blue arms. When Chris found out from a March 2019 leak, he was displeased, showing that his 2014 viewpoint was anything but changed:
| I agree; and I had already stated the need for improvement/change: SONIC’S ARMS ARE NOT BLUE.[3] |
Chris's animosity with the movie's character designs even extended to Jim Carrey's casting as Doctor Robotnik.
| BOO!!! Carrey does not have the chops to get Eggman’s Voice as Awesome as it has been with Mike. Let Mike Voice Eggman in this movie![2] |
When the design of Robotnik was revealed, Chris raged:
| Simply put: NO, @SonicMovie, NO! NO, NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO... HELL F***ING "N", "O".[4] |
The first trailer was released on 30 April 2019. Days later, Chris attempted to reach out to the movie's staff via Twitter (not realizing they cannot see his tweets as his account was in protected mode at the time):
| @SonicMovie, Listen to this dude on WatchMojo; he agrees with me and everyone else about this movie. Delay it a few months and Redo the whole thing.[5] |
Chris was not alone in his displeasure with Sonic’s design, as the trailer received widespread backlash for his creepy design. Jeff Fowler, the film's director, claimed they would redesign him again before its release.
| Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be... #sonicmovie #gottafixfast 🔧✌️ |
A relieved Chris (attempted to) thank him:
| Thank You for listening. 😊⚡️💙⚡️[5] |
It's worth mentioning the first trailer prominently uses the song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio, though this is most likely a coincidence. As a side note, the main trailer for Pokémon Detective Pikachu uses the song "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler, also probably coincidental.
In January 2020, Chris responded to a leak of Sonic's redesign:
| I am Grooving on this Speedy Track of @SonicMovie. ⚡️ZapMeUp!⚡️ |
Chris rated the redesign 9 out of 10 – possibly docking a point for the inclusion of blue arms.
Release
General criticism of movies based on video game franchises are not uncommon, with very few exceptions such as Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.[6] According to the BBC in 2001, the genre has a poor record at the box office,[7] and Uwe Boll’s attempts only worsened the notoriety of the genre. Quite simply put, many movies based on video game franchises do not perform well because it lacks the interactivity and non-linearity that makes video game franchises like Sonic successful.[8]
Nonetheless, Sonic the Hedgehog managed to overperform its opening weekend projections, was met with a moderately positive reception from critics and received praise from fans of the video games, and though it was hampered by COVID-19 leading to shutdowns of movie theater chains worldwide, it managed to be a hit and become the third highest-grossing film of 2020 [9] (in no small part due to blockbusters being unable to play in a large capacity with a public concerned about contracting the virus). A sequel, which featured a more video-game-accurate design for Doctor Robotnik (seen at the very end of the first film), Tails, and Knuckles was released on 8 April 2022. This would be followed by a third film and spin-off series both being released in 2024.
Chris liked the movie, writing on Twitter...
| The Movie is Really Good; Much better than one would perceive it. The character development, story and other details are worth the watch and enjoyment. You all #GottaGoFast to see the Sonic Movie This Weekend!. Only two flaws: they kept the “Child in the bag” not-joke (cringe for less than a minute), and they left out the “9 Million Steps” line. Other than that, Simply Delightful and Awesome.[10] |
Fan Videos
| Sonic the Hedgehog Trailer But Gangsta's Paradise Is Replaced With Trollsta's Paradise | |
| Direct link | Youtube, archive |
| Stardate | 30 April 2019 |
| Made By | I'm Problematic Very Problematic |
| TRUE and HONEST Sonichu Fan Videos | |
| Sonic the Hedgehog Movie (2019) Trailer [High Quality Full HD] | |
| Stardate | 11 May 2019 |
| Made By | VvvvvaVvvvvvr |
| Video Type | Trailer parody |
| TRUE and HONEST Sonichu Fan Videos | |
| Sonichu The Hedgemon (2019) - Sonic trailer, but it was made using MS Paint and Sony Vegas. | |
| Stardate | 20 September 2019 |
| Made By | Artisan A.I. |
| Video Type | Trailer parody; uses Sony Vegas |
| TRUE and HONEST Sonichu Fan Videos | |
| Sonichu Movie: Uh, Meow? | |
| Stardate | 11 November 2019 |
| Made By | Otis Le PoOtis |
| Video Type | Uh, meow? |
| TRUE and HONEST Sonichu Fan Videos | |
References
- ↑ December_2018_social_media_posts#Sonic_Movie_Meltdown
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 June 2018 social media posts#Robotnik's voice isn't Jim Carrey! Change it back now!
- ↑ March 2019 social media posts#Blarms
- ↑ April_2019_social_media_posts#Chris_Reacts_to_the_New_Sonic_Movie_Eggman_Leak
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 May 2019 social media posts
- ↑ Rotten Tomatoes (archived version)
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1735662.stm
- ↑ TV Tropes - Video Game Movies Suck
- ↑ Annual Movie Chart - 2020
- ↑ February 2020 social media posts
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