Meet the New and Improved “Sonic the Hedgehog”

It was only a few months ago when we got our first look at a CGI Sonic the Hedgehog and the response was a resounding, "WTF." So days later, director Jeff Fowler announced they'd push the movie back to Valentine's Day 2020 and make their animators work overtime to fix the character design so it looked far less horrifying.

Now we get to see the results of their hard work and I'd say it paid off. I don't know if the movie will be any better, but one of the most beloved video game characters of all time no longer looks like an abomination from the depths of hell, so that's a definite improvement.

Ben Schwartz voices our speedy blue hero, with James Marsden as the straight man in this comic duo, driving him to safety from Dr. Robotnik, played by what looks like a completely unhinged Jim Carrey (and I mean that as a compliment). The film's cast also include Neal McDonough, Tika Sumpter and Adam Pally.

Audiences can find out if the film catches that golden ring on Friday, February 14. Check out the trailer below.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.