Sonic Live Action Movie Thread (Read OP for topic rules) "Trailer 2 on Page 482)

[Jango]

Eh, it's okay. Not something I was hoping let alone desired to see in this movie, but at least it doesn't look awfull. Oh Christ, imagine how baby Sonic would've looked in that old design. Yikes.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Baby Sonic basically looks like a chibi version of the adult redesign...

...which means there’s probably a Baby Sonic floating about in the same style of the original design.

[Rosaleia]

Hmm... A potentially interesting concept. Baby Sonic might make for something of an interesting AU, that perhaps showes Sonic as a child losing his family and fleeing from his home into the care of a human who watches over him. And chronicles him growing up and ultimately going back to his own home to face what he ran from.

Rather than a buddy cop film, I'd probably liken it to Sonic having hijinks with an adopted sibling (and family). Preferably an adopted sister since she won't take too much away from Tails when he shows up later (and won't be shipped with him for at least 2 obvious reasons). Something of a coming of age/action/family story.

Its not that I "hate" the two worlds concept, its just that I hate the thought of it as something that needs to be a mandatory part of Sonic's lore as opposed to something optional depending on the universe. It works better when its something thats introduced early on like in the Movie or in Sonic X, where the characters running away from, or going home is part of a recurring theme.

[AdventChild]

After watching the trailer, it didn’t affect me that much but still rather peeved.

 I would’ve probably been more interested if the setting was based on Sonic’s world and exploring other ‘Zones’ than on our world/earth for a forced buddy cop cliche and generic fish-out-of-water story. It’ll be a miracle that we might get no more 5-10 minutes of scenes on Sonic’s world throughout, and probably popping up near end.

And I can’t emphasize enough about how this would have benefited if it were fully animated while the story sets in Sonic’s world. Still would be more interesting than what we’re getting.

[Almar]

1 hour ago, AdventChild said:

After watching the trailer, it didn’t affect me that much but still rather peeved.

 I would’ve probably been more interested if the setting was based on Sonic’s world and exploring other ‘Zones’ than on our world/earth for a forced buddy cop cliche and generic fish-out-of-water story. It’ll be a miracle that we might get no more 5-10 minutes of scenes on Sonic’s world throughout, and probably popping up near end.

And I can’t emphasize enough about how this would have benefited if it were fully animated while the story sets in Sonic’s world. Still would be more interesting than what we’re getting.

It's not really interesting. But the movie's apologists don't actually think Prime Sonic has good characters, visuals, etc. Hence them making excuses for how radically at odds with the movie is the Sonic who became an icon.

[MainJP]

Lots of attention to detail.

 

[Almar]

 

[Your Vest Friend]

Babies having cuteness appeal is a global concept, Naka-san.

[Almar]

The point is that Movie Sonic isn't marketed as how he envisioned Sonic to be. Nor act like him.

[Kuzu]

I do get where he's coming from; you have a specific vision for the character and as he becomes more profitable and marketable, executives need to try and capitalize on it, usually by betraying the creator's original vision for the character. 

 

I don't hate cutesy, baby Sonic but it's not exactly what I'd picture when I think of Sonic either. 

[Almar]

That sums it up really.

 

 

[Scritch the Cat]

For better or worse, movie Sonic is in keeping with how much of the world sees and appreciates Sonic these days; a goofball who mugs and quips, for whom almost any relavent scenario and subject is joke fodder.  That doesn't mean it's the right way for Sonic to be, but Naka might be presuming a bit too much if he thinks we still live in a world where a giant blue anthropomorphic rodent can be the coolest dude in culture.  Looking back on it against the history of cartooning, it seems like there was only a narrow window of time in the 1980s and 1990s when anthropomorphic animals were seen as charismatic action heroes.  Every other time last century, with every property I can think of, such animals have been the subject of cuteness and/or comedy.

 

[Gamecuber64]

9 hours ago, Almar said:

 

I'll be honest. I still am very confident this film will be decent (definitely above average). But I do kind of somewhat get where he's coming from. When I heard that this film was going to be an edgier and slightly darker approach to the character with a PG-13 target rating, that Sonic wouldn't be MAJORILY different looking compared to how he looks in the games, and that the film won't be like Alvin & The Chipmunks or Smurfs (I still don't think it will, and the production team still says it won't be), I did feel a little gitty. Even though the first trailer for this movie had a bad design for Sonic, and some of the jokes were unfunny, I did like that it was making it out to be a slightly more action-heavy and entirely different approach to this character. Like a Marvel movie.

The second trailer made the movie look more like a fun comedy adventure movie. Which is what it's kind of supposed to be.

 

With that being said though, I am kind of relieved. This movie is going to be rated PG, but it's more than likely going to be a hard PG with more comedy focus than just action. The darkest scene is only in the beginning (I'm assuming it'll be similar to Finding Nemo's dark beginning, and then later have a more comedic tone throughout the red of the movie). Plus, outside of Marvel, that kind of dark emotional action/comedy combination hasn't worked before with an animated character in a live action setting. Bay Turtles tried this, and it failed horrible.

 

I actually think it's kind of GOOD thing that it's family friendly and comedy heavy because the idea of a more serious film starring a super cartoony blue hedgehog that runs really fast wouldn't work well in a live action setting. Remember when the fan film attempted that?

[Austroid]

Okay but, that opening shot of South Island complete with that little piano melody is just pure magic! Honestly I choked up a bit.

That shot is what the franchise is all about for me!

[Scritch the Cat]

3 hours ago, Gamecuber64 said:

I'll be honest. I still am very confident this film will be decent (definitely above average). But I do kind of somewhat get where he's coming from. When I heard that this film was going to be an edgier and slightly darker approach to the character with a PG-13 target rating, that Sonic wouldn't be MAJORILY different looking compared to how he looks in the games, and that the film won't be like Alvin & The Chipmunks or Smurfs (I still don't think it will, and the production team still says it won't be), I did feel a little gitty. Even though the first trailer for this movie had a bad design for Sonic, and some of the jokes were unfunny, I did like that it was making it out to be a slightly more action-heavy and entirely different approach to this character. Like a Marvel movie.

The second trailer made the movie look more like a fun comedy adventure movie. Which is what it's kind of supposed to be.

 

With that being said though, I am kind of relieved. This movie is going to be rated PG, but it's more than likely going to be a hard PG with more comedy focus than just action. The darkest scene is only in the beginning (I'm assuming it'll be similar to Finding Nemo's dark beginning, and then later have a more comedic tone throughout the red of the movie). Plus, outside of Marvel, that kind of dark emotional action/comedy combination hasn't worked before with an animated character in a live action setting. Bay Turtles tried this, and it failed horrible.

 

I actually think it's kind of GOOD thing that it's family friendly and comedy heavy because the idea of a more serious film starring a super cartoony blue hedgehog that runs really fast wouldn't work well in a live action setting. Remember when the fan film attempted that?

I don't know overall how dark and serious you can call the bit about Sonic's parents dying, as it seems more like they're just leaning on a cliche from past animated animal movies.  Instead of making the film feel more adult, it makes it feel clumsy at adapting a famous character for film due to shoving him into pre-established niche after glancing over him briefly and deciding he fits.  That's just my impression now, and seeing the film might change my mind.  Still, if they hired me to write a Sonic movie, I likely wouldn't even have thought of that, because to me, Sonic isn't primarily a cartoon animal; Sonic is Sonic, and what I ought to write about him stems more from what's established in his own franchise than what's been established in a bunch of other movies.

As for that fan film, it's problem is that Sonic is barely in it.

[Almar]

11 hours ago, Scritch the Cat said:

For better or worse, movie Sonic is in keeping with how much of the world sees and appreciates Sonic these days; a goofball who mugs and quips, for whom almost any relavent scenario and subject is joke fodder.  That doesn't mean it's the right way for Sonic to be, but Naka might be presuming a bit too much if he thinks we still live in a world where a giant blue anthropomorphic rodent can be the coolest dude in culture.  Looking back on it against the history of cartooning, it seems like there was only a narrow window of time in the 1980s and 1990s when anthropomorphic animals were seen as charismatic action heroes.  Every other time last century, with every property I can think of, such animals have been the subject of cuteness and/or comedy.

 

You're describing the overreaction that Sonic as a character went through in response to the backlash against the Adventure Era. It's obvious that the direction the franchise has been going through is ultimately one big apology for games like Shadow the Hedgehog with their plots and non-Eggman human characters like Elise. Hence Two Worlds (an excuse to write out non-Eggman humans).

[Jango]

6 hours ago, Austroid said:

Okay but, that opening shot of South Island complete with that little piano melody is just pure magic! Honestly I choked up a bit.

That shot is what the franchise is all about for me!

Yeah, that was really nice. I expected none of this after that first trailer. It's so good when you actually have someone who "gets it" on board (even if it was only halfway through, but still). At least we're gonna get cool things out of this instead of a whole movie made of mess, like how I imagine Paramount's original idea would've turned out. Praise our lord and saviour Tyson Heese. They even got Hyper Potions' Friends in this.

Leave it to Team Mania, man. Leave to them.

[Almar]

Feh. Not impressed by aping nostalgia. Especially when it's apparent that movie makers either don't get Sonic as he was envisioned by Naka and Co. or value him.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I can get where he’s coming from in regards to Sonic’s personality and origins. It’s not to say Sonic doesn’t still show some attitude and snark, he still does so to Eggman, but the majority of what we’ve seen so far has been Sonic being more hyper and excitable, and messing about with the world around him instead of being someone who’s slick and on top of things so to speak. His personality is definitely more centred on curious excited kid, instead of snarky slick guy with an attitude.

I like to think Adventure has a fairly decent idea of what Naka was going for with Sonic. He isn’t a punk, but the game introduced Sonic as being bored because there’s nothing going on, getting into a scrap with Chaos, and then lounging about a pool in Station Square until Tails crashes, and the next big adventure introduces itself. As basic as it is, it kind of introduces the idea that when he isn’t adventuring, Sonic is either lounging about relaxing, or trying to find something to entertain himself, let it be a fight, or saving someone. Adventure 2 furthers it a little more by having Sonic describe himself as just a dude who loves adventure, as opposed to a major hero, or something like that. Granted, he’s probably being humble, but still.

I don’t think I’d go as far as saying the movie’s more curious and hyper version is bad as of yet, obviously the movie needs to come out and see how they handle it. The second trailer at least worked a lot better when it played on Sonic’s playful and fun nature with the remix of Blitzkerg Bop instead of the utterly laughable attempt to associate Gangster’s Paradise with this franchise. As long as Sonic still retains the core of his personality, and the change is one that makes him more fun to watch this time around, it isn’t that bad to me, assuming the curious/hyper/excitable nature of him doesn’t run dry like it quickly did for the DCEU version of Flash.

All that to say I’m talking about the general personality of Sonic in the movie, not Baby Sonic. I still think Baby Sonic is still a needless inclusion, but the design of him is good, at least. That’s likely Hesse working his magic again.

[Almar]

The movie's depiction of Sonic is just within a wider direction of how Sonic Team's been overreacting in response to backlash against the Adventure Era.

[Myst]

Eh. Personally I hope 'Friends' is just used in the trailer and isn't in the movie itself. I want to hear Green Hill Zone or some other Genesis tune from the 90's playing in the background to get my nostalgia going.

[Rosaleia]

6 hours ago, Almar said:

Feh. Not impressed by aping nostalgia. Especially when it's apparent that movie makers either don't get Sonic as he was envisioned by Naka and Co. or value him.

Sonic's image was more than just something that was envisioned by Naka and Sonic Team. America had a hand in his conception as well, but I see your overall point. Sure, Sonic can be a funny, energetic guy, but ... that could essentially be any character. Thats not what SEGA marketed him as and the people with the disposable income to play his games remember him for. A lot of his most crucial,  most defining characteristics of his character seem largely .... ignored. Like, for example, Sonic isn't the type to just run away from home just because people are interested in his powers. If people harass him for that, he's the type to fight back. It'd be one thing if the story was depicting how Sonic gradually developed his core characteristics throughout the story. How perhaps Sonic initially WAS someone who ran away and how that effected the world, his life and people around him and how he had to grow from that to the person we're supposed to know him as. And I'm open to being proven wrong, but... I'm not feeling like thats where this movie's headed.

 

[Almar]

They just want to turn Sonic into a superhero ala Ezra Miller's Barry Allen and Deadpool.

[Sonario]

4 hours ago, Myst said:

Eh. Personally I hope 'Friends' is just used in the trailer and isn't in the movie itself. I want to hear Green Hill Zone or some other Genesis tune from the 90's playing in the background to get my nostalgia going.

I'm hoping we get to hear the full version of the chill Green Hill Zone remix we heard at the start of the second trailer (specifically the part where he gets ready to play baseball)

[Scritch the Cat]

9 hours ago, Almar said:

You're describing the overreaction that Sonic as a character went through in response to the backlash against the Adventure Era. It's obvious that the direction the franchise has been going through is ultimately one big apology for games like Shadow the Hedgehog with their plots and non-Eggman human characters like Elise. Hence Two Worlds (an excuse to write out non-Eggman humans).

 

5 hours ago, Rosaleia said:

Sonic's image was more than just something that was envisioned by Naka and Sonic Team. America had a hand in his conception as well, but I see your overall point. Sure, Sonic can be a funny, energetic guy, but ... that could essentially be any character. Thats not what SEGA marketed him as and the people with the disposable income to play his games remember him for. A lot of his most crucial,  most defining characteristics of his character seem largely .... ignored. Like, for example, Sonic isn't the type to just run away from home just because people are interested in his powers. If people harass him for that, he's the type to fight back. It'd be one thing if the story was depicting how Sonic gradually developed his core characteristics throughout the story. How perhaps Sonic initially WAS someone who ran away and how that effected the world, his life and people around him and how he had to grow from that to the person we're supposed to know him as. And I'm open to being proven wrong, but... I'm not feeling like thats where this movie's headed.

 

Honestly, that's not how I remember Sonic.  However Naka wanted Sonic to act and however SEGA marketed him, it hardly contributed much to the general perception of what sort of character he is compared to DiC's cartoons and their derivative media.  That was inevitably our perception of Sonic's persona, supporting cast and world, as games themselves weren't capable of showing much at the time.  

Sonic, to me, was always a goofy, fun-loving guy.    I watched a bunch of Sonic cartoons recently, and despite the different tone of the freedom fighters cartoon compared to AoSTH, the strange thing is that Sonic himself isn't much different between them.  He's a frequently smiling, giggling and quipping guy even around Robotnik and the swatbots, and it doesn't feel out of place because Sonic is able to get away with it.  It's not that Sonic is so idiotic that he doesn't realize that things are at stake, and that looks to be true in this movie, too, since he learns early on that villains are after him and endanger those who are close to him.  Rather, continuing to look at things in a playful manner even when they're dire is Sonic's way of signaling to villains that they haven't broken his spirit.

The backlash against more serious plots definitely made SEGA retreat from them in a hurry, but the only game where Sonic himself was seen as too serious was Sonic 2006.  Otherwise Sonic from Dreamcast onward isn't too different from DiC Sonic.