Avert your eyes, those who are weak of heart. The day we feared has finally arrived. From weird poster, to even more bizarre casting news, the culmination of marketing has led us to this dark day, the day in which the Sonic The Hedgehog trailer has arrived.
No, what you are seeing is not a fever dream, and it’s not a glimpse at the hell that awaits us all. Okay, maybe I’m being a little too dramatic, but I don’t think there’s anyone who can objectively say there’s lots of hope for this film. From what we can tell, the film will center around Sonic, with the help of a San Francisco cop played by James Marsden, trying to defeat Dr. Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, who has been called by the military to address Sonic’s speedster “threat.” The trailer itself is kind of weird, what with the corny jokes and the choice to play “Gangsta’s Paradise” throughout the whole thing, which is tonally mismatched.
The biggest, most glaring issue, however, is Sonic’s appearance. There’s something not quite right about the animation of his face and body – I don’t know if we’re hitting uncanny valley territory or just bad design choices but I am uncomfortable. Ben Schwartz does the voice, and while I don’t think he is doing a bad job with what he’s given, I don’t think it’s a solid fit. I think if they had gone out of their way to get someone who sounded more like the cartoon, that would have been maybe a little more acceptable. At least, at the very end of the trailer, we’ve got a lot at a Robotnik who looks more like his original design, so there’s that for die hard fans of the games.
All I can say is that I’m really looking forward to the memes that come out of this.
Sonic The Hedgehog arrives in theaters on November 8, 2019.