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

[CaptainRobo]

Interview with Josh Miller who is one of the writers.:

Some parts of the video about the sequel and Jim Carrey.:

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

For anyone looking for a few of the songs, I've tracked them down on YouTube. Here's a selection - (Spoilered for their scenes):

Spoiler

Meet Sonic/SEGA Logo (The song that's a remix of GHZ and the SEGA Chant that plays at the very beginning): 

Boom (The song that plays during the Bullet Time scene): 

Where Evil Grows (Song that plays during Eggman's dance sequence):

Don't Stop Me Now (Song that plays during the Sonic and Turtle scene): 

Catch Me When I'm Falling (Missile Slow Mo Scene): 

 

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

19 hours ago, Austroid said:

 

  Hide contents

Though I wonder how his 'stache grew so much? According to his wrist device its only been 7 days since he arrived. Wacky ring portal shenanigans messed with his DNA maybe? lol

 

Spoiler

Assuming the Doctor's Log refers to how long Eggman's been in Mushroom Hill, he's actually been in there for either 67 or 87 days by the end-credit scene.

 

[OnyxCrimsonBlur]

So, I saw the movie on opening night (Friday 14th) and it was an enjoyable experience. 

Two things still boggle me though. Why they picked yet another person to play Sonic when he already has a voice actor. 2) Why they picked Jim Carrey for Eggman when he just doesn't fit. 

But, it was fun and I'm definitely watching it more. 

[Multikaris]

I don't want Shadow in the films unless they prove they can do him right, which not even IDW could. 

 

I also did appreciate the entertaining cast of minor characters. This is as much about the world as it is about himself. More movies should do that; if they have few leads, make the minor characters really colorful, like in Alice in Wonderland. This film strikes a balance between the main character and the world that's hard to achieve, and Sonic got more screentime than Dumbo, the Chipmunks, etc.

[Steve993]

So showing up in this forum again feels like a blast from the past. Been nearly 8 years since I posted my half assed and now pretty laughably bad looking attempts at a Sonic movie series back when one was said to be coming out but still uncertain. I sounded serious about my attempt but really it was my earliest attempt at fancasting and fan script ideas and while these days I only do such an idea if I think I've got a good one (and I hope by this point I've gotten better I'm my own worst critic but even if I wasn't my old ideas were pretty bad anyone could tell you) thinking back I do owe Sonic weirdly for getting me my start in attempting that kind of writing. Again looking back the plots and casting felt very of the times and generic and while I had a good laugh at my own expense tracking down the old post I think it's best to be left in the past.

 

Now cut to 8 years later and I've had a few changes in life most of them not great: I did graduate from school but I don't have a job and am looking for one and my mom got sick and eventually died 2 years ago. Difficult times but still striving on. Which in some ways is something Sonic himself does and something I can learn from him which this film also sort of addresses as well. I didn't think 10 years after I first came up with ideas for Sonic movie which was when the MCU was still in it's infancy we would get a film let alone the fact that the film while not perfect turned out as good as it did was an achievement so seeing this come out in my lifetime is kind of a surreal but cool feeling that everyone else shares I'm sure. 

 

Spoiler

Talking about the movie I don't have much to say but I will say I had fun and I think it's likeability carries it through from the performances of Ben Schwartz as Sonic, James Marsden as Tom and Jim Carrey as Robotnik. Ben is an energetic and likeable Sonic that's a little different from his video game counterpart but also carries a lot of the same traits being courageous and funny but not to the level of being too quippy or not feeling phased by anything he does get knocked down a lot in the film but he gets back up so he can help his friends. While you can call it a cliché friendship is an important theme of the film. Sonic being isolated and having nobody to talk too and how he acts as his own therapist drives home the point he needs friends physical ones to interact with and he's able to realise that by the end and now he's got new friends and will continue to find friends. 

Robotnik meanwhile is a bitter person who hates the fact he was abandoned but by this point rejects humanity's help because he realises how worthless they are to him and feels only his machines can be the right sort of companionship and they also do everything a human can't except for a lackey like Stone which is interesting that despite Robotnik doesn't care for humans or him in particular he still feels the need to keep him around. He does make a good latte I'm sure but if Stone came back and maybe it's going too far here but what if Robotnik roboticised him somehow? 

Carrey brings his trademark energy but he also kind of feels restrained in his madness. There's comparisons to be made to his Riddler performance but while Riddler starts out already an energetic madman constantly talking and doing something on screen from the moment he's introduced Robotnik while having his moments in his introduction and weird moments throughout the evil dance being the big one he's never to level of Riddler until the end credits scene where he officially adopts the video game look and by that point he has gone crazy despite his claims he remains absolute. His frustration as he tries to hold back the anger felt like Ratigan from Great Mouse Detective in that regard. 

Plot is basic but with the budget they had it's understandable but now that they've provided an origin and set stuff up and the movie looks to be successful with a sequel being a possibility that means they'll have to go further with the sequel now that they'll be given the opportunity. They took a gamble and turned what should have been a box office bomb into the most successful videogame movie and that's something to respect and commend them for. If they don't take advantage of the opportunity to go big it'll be a mistake so hopefully with the elements they've set up they'll do that. I'll be curious to see what other characters make it in and how they'll adapt their dynamic with Sonic with Tails, Knuckles being a more than likely addition and maybe Amy and Shadow with Robotnik creating Metal Sonic. While they'll more than likely replace the voice hearing Colleen O'Shaughnessy as Tails at the end was cool and the fact that everyone got excited was a nice feeling. 

 

 

The movie won't change hearts and minds but it was a fun time and is something that'll connect with audiences old and new plenty of kids and families have been enjoying this and I think are going to in the long run.

[Austroid]

15 hours ago, Zulon Eredas said:

  Reveal hidden contents

It actually looks like it says 87 days.

 

 

5 hours ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Assuming the Doctor's Log refers to how long Eggman's been in Mushroom Hill, he's actually been in there for either 67 or 87 days by the end-credit scene.

 

Yeah, that makes more sense. I didn't catch the number before the 7 in theaters; but the way he's monologuing makes it seem like he hasn't been there that long.

Either way, you could sum it up with "he's going loony." (or maybe eating too many of the mushrooms lol)

[JezMM]

5 hours ago, OnyxCrimsonBlur said:

So, I saw the movie on opening night (Friday 14th) and it was an enjoyable experience. 

Two things still boggle me though. Why they picked yet another person to play Sonic when he already has a voice actor. 2) Why they picked Jim Carrey for Eggman when he just doesn't fit. 

But, it was fun and I'm definitely watching it more. 

Known actors help sell movies.  Sonic's existing voice actor is not known outside of the video game/anime nerdosphere really, and Jim Carrey is extremely well known for his ability to play wacky, larger than life characters, which Eggman typically has always been.  Carrey's Eggman is a very unique take on the character, but I think that was the film-maker's intent anyway to provide a new interpretation of the character and let Jim play in the space.

While Ben Schwartz isn't SUPER well known (yet, I think Sonic has been a big boon for him and the guy deserves it), I do think his higher-pitched Sonic voice lends itself better to this excitable "kid" version of Sonic who is still figuring himself out than Roger's voice would have (who much better fits game Sonic who knows EXACTLY what he's about).

[Adamis]

13 hours ago, CaptainRobo said:

New Sonic Render.:

Also an ad in a local small town in Malaysia.:

 

"J'ai failli attendre" is Sonic's catch phrase in the French dub of AoStH, it's "I'm waitiiiiing".

Nice touch

Also, I saw the movie in French. First thing to say, Sonic's voice actor is terrible. Instead of using Sonic's usual voice actor, they choose to do some "star talent" and get... some guy I don't know, who loves to claim that it was " a dream job since childhood" but doesn't even know who Tails and Knuckles are...

Other than that, I enjoyed the movie and I might watch it again.

[PeterPancake]

I wouldn't mind Schwartz replacing Smith as the offical voice actor of Sonic. He was a welcome refreshment and imo fits Sonic a lot better. 

[OnyxCrimsonBlur]

1 hour ago, PeterPancake said:

I wouldn't mind Schwartz replacing Smith as the offical voice actor of Sonic. He was a welcome refreshment and imo fits Sonic a lot better. 

I respectfully disagree. Ryan was the best Sonic and Roger is a close second. Schwartz reminds me to much of Jason and he was my least favorite. So, no, disagree here.

[dbzfan7]

1 hour ago, PeterPancake said:

I wouldn't mind Schwartz replacing Smith as the offical voice actor of Sonic. He was a welcome refreshment and imo fits Sonic a lot better. 

Doubt it will happen but it would at least be a first step to have me like Sonic as a character again in the main series. He'd still need better writing but Movie Sonic is the first time in a over a decade I've been able to say I enjoy Sonic as a character and want to see more of him. He's not exactly like Sonic is, but that's because this is his first outing and he's not a seasoned hero yet. He may still not be even after all this. Even better as this Sonic has places to go, while the normal Sonic is stale and has been treading water for years.

[Red Hot Jack]

Roger is a great voice actor… who doesn't fit Sonic, at all, it fits an adult comedian maybe, or deeper serious characters. I don't see him being replaced for Ben who is probably expensive, but anyone else with a fitting voice would be welcome.

[Plasme]

I'm only going to post this one comment, because I know the film has received a lot of goodwill and a lot of people like it, even on this forum. But I have this one thing to say, it's very negative, and then I'll leave and not be a spoilsport.

But I'm very disappointed that so many people are on board with, by their own admission, an "okay" film which "doesn't take risks" and "plays it safe".

I want the Sonic franchise to be as excellent as it was in the 1990s and we know it can be achieved. The Tyson Hesse shorts, while marred by a low-budget, are exactly where visual Sonic media should be going. But now we are going down the direction of this mediocre live action nonsense.

Moreover, was this all that people really needed to get onboard? A redesign of the Sonic animated model? I must have been pretty gullible back then to think people had higher standards than just seeing a nice looking Sonic run around and be lively animated. Like I thought "nah, this redesign isn't enough for people, they won't just accept a mediocre film now that it has a better model". But it seems to be that way...

The film has made 70 million, a majority of Sonic fans are okay to settle with it and even the general public like it for the dumb entertainment it is.

I really have no faith in the future of Sonic going forward if they push in on this direction. The chances of Whitehead and EveningStar making a Sonic game are looking more unlikely and that was the only avenue of real hope I had. If the next game is going to be movie Sonic, which it very well might be with this general goodfeeling, then this franchise is fucking dead for good to me.

[Jango]

@Plasme

23 minutes ago, Plasme said:

But I'm very disappointed that so many people are on board with, by their own admission, an "okay" film which "doesn't take risks" and "plays it safe".

So basically just like how it happens with the games? :V

[Dr Ryan]

46 minutes ago, Plasme said:

I want the Sonic franchise to be as excellent as it was in the 1990s and we know it can be achieved. The Tyson Hesse shorts, while marred by a low-budget, are exactly where visual Sonic media should be going. But now we are going down the direction of this mediocre live action nonsense.

Genuine question though: Apart from the main series games, what was so good about Sonic in the 90s? Don't get me wrong, I was a MASSIVE Sonic fan at the time (still am), but AoStH and Underground were awful, SatAM was completely different from the games and we had plenty of stinkers like Sonic R and Sonic the Fighters back then. Even as a kid, my friends and I knew we were just 'making do' with the comics and cartoons of the time (we wanted non-existent Sega Sonic media above all else).

And if the games were what was so good back then, we recently got Mania which IMO is the best 2D Sonic game.

One thing I have been thinking though is maybe this movie will lead to more straight to video animated movies in a more traditional sense, alongside the big budget movies. Kinda like DC does with there stuff.

[StaticMania]

Why would an average arcade game be such a stinker?

Compared to anything else at the time...

[Steve993]

While it can be debated whether this should become a recurring thing for every film which usually if something is a success people will take the wrong lessons from things I hope people wouldn't but we'll just have to wait and see. But in this case the redesign did make a better film. Without it the film wouldn't have worked as good. Jim has even said that some things didn't fall into place and flow better until the design was changed. You look at the original footage and the artwork and the stand in puppet and hearing the original plans for a generic lizard villain and I imagine Tails was a later addition things honestly did work better with the new design. 

One of the things people have praised and I agree with is Ben Schwartz's performance as Sonic and without the redesign that wouldn't have shined through. That voice doesn't fit with the old design and I don't know if the facial motion capture Ben did was something added to the redesign but it comes through more there than it did with the old design if it was there from the start. Sonic is way more expressive here then he ever could have been with the old design. Even the lines had a differently delivery that worked better like the "Uh... meow?" bit that is a different delivery in the film then the trailer and it was better in the film. They also I think unless I forgot cut the "Basically I'm going to have to save your planet" line which indicates a more straight up Sonic as a hero from the beginning whereas in the film it's building to his hero status. I still wish they kept Carrey's "You're mine hedgehog!" because that was the most he sounded like game Robotnik until the credits. 

Here's Carrey talking about his apprehension to the redesign but why he was won over where he mentions it helped change things in the movie for the better: 

https://www.comicbookmovie.com/video_games/sonic_the_hedgehog/sonic-the-hedgehog-star-jim-carrey-explains-how-trailer-backlash-ultimately-benefited-the-movie-a173299 

Also while the music from Junkie XL I thought was hit and miss in places I do like this Robotnik theme they used. Feels like something you would hear in a video game: 

 

 

[Dr Ryan]

49 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Why would an average arcade game be such a stinker?

Compared to anything else at the time...

It came after Tekken, Virtual Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers, all of which have much more depth imo. Although maybe they were trying to make StF very basic for kids I guess.

[StaticMania]

Compared to other Sonic games at the time or even before...

[Knight56]

I see this movie as testing the waters for something bigger. We can't expect any company to dive all-in and give a movie about Sonic a massive budget without proof that he can do well with the general audience. This movie had a small budget for that reason. If it does well--which it has--they'll surely greenlight a sequel and maybe even give it a larger budget, one that allows for better effects, and the story can be scaled appropriately. We could even see a fully CGI movie--provided that whoever produces it sees that as the right direction.

The movie as it stands is passable. The plot is basic, the humor is hit and miss, and there are certainly issues scattered across it. But it doesn't offend anyone, and there are legitimately good things the movie does. If nothing else, it'll help Sonic's perception to the general audience, and can open the door to more Sonic content. Content that dives deeper into the lore and appeals to the fans--hopefully, at least.

I like the movie, and from what I can see no one really hates it. At most, people are disappointed it wasn't more than it was--a light, family-friendly movie. And considering where we were back with the first trailer...I think that's an improvement.

[Scritch the Cat]

2 hours ago, Plasme said:

I'm only going to post this one comment, because I know the film has received a lot of goodwill and a lot of people like it, even on this forum. But I have this one thing to say, it's very negative, and then I'll leave and not be a spoilsport.

But I'm very disappointed that so many people are on board with, by their own admission, an "okay" film which "doesn't take risks" and "plays it safe".

I want the Sonic franchise to be as excellent as it was in the 1990s and we know it can be achieved. The Tyson Hesse shorts, while marred by a low-budget, are exactly where visual Sonic media should be going. But now we are going down the direction of this mediocre live action nonsense.

Moreover, was this all that people really needed to get onboard? A redesign of the Sonic animated model? I must have been pretty gullible back then to think people had higher standards than just seeing a nice looking Sonic run around and be lively animated. Like I thought "nah, this redesign isn't enough for people, they won't just accept a mediocre film now that it has a better model". But it seems to be that way...

The film has made 70 million, a majority of Sonic fans are okay to settle with it and even the general public like it for the dumb entertainment it is.

I really have no faith in the future of Sonic going forward if they push in on this direction. The chances of Whitehead and EveningStar making a Sonic game are looking more unlikely and that was the only avenue of real hope I had. If the next game is going to be movie Sonic, which it very well might be with this general goodfeeling, then this franchise is fucking dead for good to me.

 

2 hours ago, Jango said:

@Plasme

So basically just like how it happens with the games? :V

Yeah, while I can’t say the movie will do much to improve Sonic’s franchise as a whole, I don’t think it will be hurt by this and most of what could be blamed on the movie could be more solidly blamed on SEGA’s attitude toward Sonic lately.  They want it to be good but they aren’t putting the big money behind making it good.  So they might cash in on the movie as a chance to be mediocre, but they might cash in on other things for that, too.

The movie is what it is; a generic plot that Sonic and Robotnik got shoved into and managed to elevate it above other movies with that generic plot.  I still think it was the wrong way to make a Sonic movie, but the sad thing is that I’m not sure Paramount can be blamed for cutting so many characters out when SEGA’s own minds see them as dispensable.

The unfortunate truth is that Sonic fans are used to being underwhelmed by now.  They’re happy for something that’s not totally broken.

[Kittea]

For the most part this movie was exactly what I expected it to be ^^ I actually ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would

Getting the negatives out of the way. Not all of the humor landed for me. The dumb cop jokes and the jokes Tom makes to himself at the beginning of the movie to name a few. I get the point of the latter is that he's bored out of his mind but I still didn't like them. Wasn't entirely keen on some of the writing for Eggman. I found his dialogue to be too wordy at times. The CGI for the drones wasn't amazing and they stood out a fair bit.

That's really it as far as negatives go ^^ I loved the characters in this movie, even with the changes they made ^^ I'm surprised they gave Sonic the character arc that they did. They did it well, don't get me wrong but that's the last arc I would've thought of when thinking of Sonic of all characters! Really liked how it tied into Toms character arc ^^ Also liked Ben Schwartz as Sonic ^^ A couple of lines here and there could've done with the redo but other than that he was great ^^ Not sure where I'd rank him compared to Sonics other voices.

Eggman was a little more erratic than normal but I still thought Jim Carey's performance was great ^^ The way they had him "devolve" into being Eggman was interesting. The other human characters had a purpose and didn't get in the way ^^ I didn't dislike a single one of the main or secondary cast and I didn't think I could ever say this about a Sonic story ^^ Was cool hearing "Friends" play at the beginning of the film and quite something considering Sonics character arc ^^

There's probably more I could say but overall this was a really fun movie and I'm glad it's doing well ^^

[caitash]

I saw it today, first time I was able to get to a cinema so I’ve been avoiding anything to do with the Sonic film to avoid spoiling the film for myself. Hard but I managed it and when I saw the film I really enjoyed it. MY husband and I were just lightly talking about how much we enjoyed it at the start of the 16-bit credits when the mid-credits stinger came on.

 

 

I was totally floored, I was NOT expecting Tails (I mean, I was hopeful early on in the film’s development but in recent months had written it off) and could have cried. I was so caught off-guard that I didn’t take in what he said or did so had to Google for the scene when I got out to re-watch it. The young kids in front of us gave us a ‘WTF?’ look because I don’t think they got why it hit us as hard as it did, but I didn’t care. We were happy.

 

Super happy. Enjoyed it in all its wholesome glory and I really can’t wait for the inevitable sequel. It will be quite a difficult and possibly long wait though.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

5 hours ago, Plasme said:

I'm only going to post this one comment, because I know the film has received a lot of goodwill and a lot of people like it, even on this forum. But I have this one thing to say, it's very negative, and then I'll leave and not be a spoilsport.

But I'm very disappointed that so many people are on board with, by their own admission, an "okay" film which "doesn't take risks" and "plays it safe".

 

Okay, time out dude.

This movie, from the very moment it was rumored, confirmed, and previewed, was anything but safe.

It's very premise was risky—it’s a live action Sonic movie, basically outdoing Sonic 06 in realism. And given that comparison, it should have failed by that measure alone even with the redesign. The thought of a live action film of a series that had been struggling sounds like suicide for Sonic, yet against all odds and expectations, it succeeded.

People aren’t onboard with an okay film. They’re onboard with a film that defied expecitations and became a hit despite everything in this franchise’s history telling people, and the fans especially, that this shouldn’t work. And more to that, they’re onboard with something out of this franchise actually doing well given its up and down history with success and failure.

I’m not a fan of the direction this movie took, but I can appreciate that this movie shows that opinions and expectations aren’t set in stone, that it shows a high risk move that pulled off a decent reward, and that in spite of everything this franchise has been through better or worse that people still love Sonic even after years of being the butt of jokes.

That’s not sometimes to take for granted.