After school yesterday I took Dani to the cinema to see Sonic the Hedgehog. As he finishes at 3pm and there is a cinema in the shopping centre near his school it is a great opportunity to go and see the type of films he likes. A very convenient time slot.

I was never into video games, but I do remember the Sonic character being one of the early popular games on the SEGA consoles. The game is back in vogue – apparently.

Some Cast Members

The thing that caught my eye about this kids’ movie was that Jim Carrey plays the chief villain. Back from what seemed to be a short-term exile. Back to his nutty best.

Dani’s nana always said that Carrey was like Jerry Lewis on speed. And there was certainly the odd scene where he exhibited such qualities. Like he had never been away.

Naturally the star of the show was not even real, but he was voiced by a real actor. Ben Schwartz; who it turns out has been in quite a few movies but mostly ones I have never heard of. Although he did play the voice of BB-8 in the latest Star Wars movies. That’s odd. Doesn’t that BB-8 droid only make R2D2-like squeaking noises? Hmm…

Plot – Spoiler Alert

Sonic comes from some other planet. I really wasn’t paying attention at the start but if you know the game then you probably know the place. When he and his guardian (a female owl) are attacked she gives him some magic golden rings. Each ring can open up a gateway to other places. Even other planets. He ends up escaping to earth where he lives in the woods near a small town in Montana, USA. Funny how all aliens in films end up in America isn’t it?

Despite being able to do what he wants – as he is too fast for anyone to see – he realises one night just how alone he is. Then, in frustration, he unwittingly unleashes his supersonic powers which cause a power outage in the whole state. This attracts the attention of the military top brass who unleash Carey’s character, Dr. Robotnik, to search for the cause of the power surge. Dr. Robotnik uses his intelligent drones and robots to discover and then try to capture Sonic.

While running from the drones Sonic ends up in the home of the local sheriff (Tom) who he befriends. Dr. Robotnik turns up at Tom’s house and when the sheriff and the hedgehog escape Sonic loses a blue spine. The two new friends quickly become fugitives being pursued by the increasingly crazy Robotnik. The mad scientist soon discovers that Sonic’s spine has immense powers that he can harness. This makes the final chase and fight scenes a lot more even.

And so on… Enough of the plot spoiling. Hey, some of you may even want to watch this movie.

Suffice to say that there are some hyper-active scenes. One of which ends in a bar fight where Sonic does his lightning fast thing on the bullies.

Conclusion

I could tell that Dani loved the film, although he rarely lets on too much. I enjoyed it too. Much more than I expected. I would recommend this film to anyone who has young kids but also to anyone who ever played the SEGA video game. Finally, of course, this movie is worth consideration for any cinema buff. If only for the chance to see Jim Carrey back on the big screen.

Aussie Cinemas

Oh; and a top tip if you want to go to the cinema around here. Take a jumper or jacket. It is freezing. It is not a good thing when these indoor places are over air-conditioned. It’s like travelling on the trains here. They are too cold. Then you have to come out into the hot and humid streets. Not unlike Madrid in that respect.