Back when I was young, children sat firmly in one of two camps; you were either a Sonic fan or a Mario fan, rarely both. Me? I was a total Sonic fan and have some very fond memories playing the games with my mum. So, when they announced their plans to develop a live-action Sonic The Hedgehog movie around the clearly superior 1990’s gaming icon, I was intrigued and cautiously optimistic despite a rather rocky start, with some fierce backlash, over very questionable CGI.

We are quickly thrown into the action with a flash forward that sees Sonic, a bright blue anthropomorphic hedgehog, racing through the streets of San Francisco at breathtaking speed narrowly avoiding the blasts coming from Dr. Robotnik’s flying machine. As if aware of our presence, and sympathetic to his new audience Sonic backs up and starts his story from the beginning to help bring us up to speed – pun intended.

Wistfully recalling his childhood days racing around his home planet, Sonic tells us of the events that force him to flee his home in order to protect his powers. By using golden rings to form portals to other worlds, Sonic is able to escape and ten years later he has built a home for himself on Earth in a small town called Green Hills, Montoya. Careful to remain hidden, Sonic watches the town’s residents from afar, giving them names and forming bonds with people who don’t even know he exists. One evening, Sonic’s self-imposed isolation gets the better of him and, in an attempt to run off the pain and loneliness, he unwittingly generates a pulse of energy that knocks out the power across the entire Pacific Northwest.

Unaware of the cause of the blast, or the reason behind it, the Department of Defense sends the brilliant yet eccentric genius roboticist Dr. Robotnik to investigate. With enemies closing in on the cave that he has made his home, Sonic goes to the home of his favourite person ‘Donut Lord’ aka Sheriff Tom Wachowski to open up a portal safely. Startled by the bright blue alien in his house, Tom shoots Sonic with a tranquilizer gun and he drops his golden rings through the portal onto the roof of a building in San Francisco.

With Sonic in desperate need of help, and as an apology for shooting him, Tom agrees to help retrieve the rings and send Sonic safely on his way, all whilst avoiding the relentless Dr. Robotnik.

When watching films and writing my reviews, I do honestly try to understand and appreciate some of the more technical aspects of film-making but in all honesty, the only thing that really matters to me is whether I enjoyed the film or not. And I absolutely LOVED Sonic the Hedgehog!!

Director Jeff Fowler’s fast paced action packed buddy movie gives us a fun and faithful cinematic introduction to a classic video game character. Those who grew up with the spiky speedster will appreciate the nostalgic little touches scattered throughout the film, particularly some iconic sound effects that will invoke pleasant memories and an almost overwhelming feeling of sentimentality. There’s even a mid-credit cut scene that introduces my personal favourite SEGA character, a certain dual-tailed fox.

And while the nostalgic elements may go over the heads of the uninitiated, Ben Schwartz brings the character to life and the younger audiences will love Sonic’s high energy and child-like wonder. Schwartz manages to perfectly blend a juvenile innocence with some heavy emotional aspects and some pretty snappy dialogue.

Working opposite a computer generated character must always be a challenge but James Marsden handles it well and delivers a fairly strong performance as Tom, Sonic’s partner-in-crime , delivering the type of world weary attitude that I am sure parents of highly energetic children can easily relate to.

But in all honesty, Sonic the Hedgehog’s crowning glory is the decision to cast Jim Carrey as Sonic’s arch-nemesis Dr. Robotnik. On paper, it shouldn’t work but Carrey brings his trademark eccentricity, quirky physicality and whip-smart comedic timing to the role, truly making it his own. As much as I enjoyed the film as a whole, I truly believe that with anybody else behind the iconic mustache the film would have been a game-ending flop.

Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog was a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining watch. Full of action, adventure and a generous helping of silliness to boot, this is the perfect choice for a family night in on the sofa.