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

[Wraith]

The Sonic movie is built off of tried and tested Hollywood tropes for family movies that have been popular, consistently, for over 20 years. There's nothing risky about it outside of the bubble of online Sonic discussion. 

A fully animated feature would have been riskier by itself by virtue of being more expensive and time consuming to produce without even getting into the story or artstyle.

[Red Hot Jack]

I think they are saying it's risky because usually these movie tropes suck. In fact, I'd say it's a miracle this movie succeeded.

[Wraith]

They still suck.

[Knight56]

Compared to other movies that follow this trope, it certainly fares better. While the plot is simple, itt keeps true to source material and doesn't feel like Sonic is forced into the modern world--unlike Smurfs, for instance. The design is great, and there's few instances of true 'lowbrow' humor. Even the product placement is not as bad, save for that one ad.

Yeah, it follows the trope. But this is one of the better ones that does.

[JezMM]

I think it's kind of cynical to conflate "good" with "mediocre".  I feel like most people here are saying that it's a good movie.  They enjoyed it.  You don't enjoy mediocre movies.  Mediocre movies typically feel unsatisfying and like a waste of time, and it feels like people who felt that way are in the minority on this one.

Stuff can still be good and enjoyable in spite of it's shortcomings, if it couldn't we wouldn't all be here coz boy howdy have you guys played a Sonic the Hedgehog video game.

 

I can appreciate the idea of "guys stop if you say it's good we'll get another sequel with olive garden jokes and sonic will fart twice next time!!" but I feel I enjoyed it enough that it is not worth sending a negative message of "no, not good enough, no more of this ever again please" to the creators.  Coz like... nah, honestly, it was good enough.  Not exactly what I wanted, but I enjoyed what I was given, and I'd take some more for sure.

[Whatever the WhoCares]

This movie kind of makes me want to see the official Sonic design change to the separate eyes. 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 hour ago, Wraith said:

The Sonic movie is built off of tried and tested Hollywood tropes for family movies that have been popular, consistently, for over 20 years. There's nothing risky about it outside of the bubble of online Sonic discussion. 

A fully animated feature would have been riskier by itself by virtue of being more expensive and time consuming to produce without even getting into the story or artstyle.

Debatable.

And even if that were the case. That's no excuse to go out and claim people are settling with mediocrity instead of just legit enjoying it like @Plasme is implying. 

I get being salty at a movie's success, but that's just ridiculous. 

[Wraith]

2 minutes ago, Nina Cortex Jovahexeon said:

Debatable.

And even if that were the case. That's no excuse to go out and claim people are settling with mediocrity instead of just legit enjoying it like @Plasme is implying. 

I get being salty at a movie's success, but that's just ridiculous. 

 

I've never agreed with the "settling for mediocrity" sentiment so I apologize if that was what you interpreted. I just think calling movies like these risky is silly when I've been watching them for as long as I've been around.

There's nothing "debatable" about the "cartoon character in the real world" action/comedy subgenre. It's dominated cinema aimed at kids for years.

[PeterPancake]

2 hours ago, Conquering Storm’s Servant said:

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.

Preach

[Steve993]

I agree that people are enjoying this for legit reasons rather than settling. Some people have argued we have settled with various franchises some people saying people have settled with the MCU when the comics have so much more you can do and bring to life in bigger ways than the movies have done and the cartoon show Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes I think was a good adaptation of comic book Avengers. Ultimately they are two different things as is the Sonic film from the games and other entries in the franchise. 

This movie does do tropes of other family films adapting properties but unlike those ones that have a cynical edge this one even with it's contemporary references still feels sincere in it's delivery and again I attribute that to the likeability from the film and it's main character and Schwartz's performance. Most of these movies make the character we came to see unlikeable or don't give them much screen time whereas Sonic is given plenty of focus and Tom has his own arc to go through but the whole film isn't about him and he and Sonic do build a relationship to where this is a team that needs each other. It has a risk of going into another cliché though when Sonic inevitably befriends Tails that Tom will feel left out but I'm sure they'll work around that. I also like that Maddie isn't a typical character either that she is willing to trust him and sticks up for him no matter what even with the craziness of the situation. They could have both been throw away characters but they do work and I'd be okay with seeing them again.

Regardless had they not made Sonic so likeable and someone to root for then people would easily be able to tell the difference and even with the limitations the film crew did their best to deliver an entertaining product and if you gave them free reign I imagine they'd do the same with creating an ambitious sequel and again I hope they get to do that because they want too and Paramount will probably wise up and not interfere. When you get people who like the material you'll get an entertaining film at least you would hope you would. 

That being said a sequel does run the idea of introducing too many of the supporting cast so besides Tails how many new characters should they introduce? Could Amy and Metal Sonic be introduced and leave Knuckles for a future film along with Shadow and other characters or should Knuckles be in the next film? 

Also kind of funny that Jim Carrey once used the phrase "I am the Eggman" and now he is the Eggman: 

 

 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 hour ago, Wraith said:

There's nothing "debatable" about the "cartoon character in the real world" action/comedy subgenre. It's dominated cinema aimed at kids for years.

Not necessarily lately. Those haven't been the common money makers that they used to be. Heck, neither have live-action adaptations either.

Is it fair to say that it may be common? Sure. But without risk? Nah. 

[King Scoopa Koopa]

20 hours ago, Miragnarok said:

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.

It seems that Paramount has more freedom than IDW, for good or ill -- remember, SEGA didn't like that first design, either, but Paramount was going to give ahead with it.

15 hours ago, JezMM said:

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).

I know Ben from DuckTales and Rise of the TMNT. Is there something else that elevates him above other cartoon voice actors like Roger here?

That said, Ben was perfect for this version of Sonic. While hearing voice actors deliver lines from other versions of the same character is neat, they're not always that interchangeable. I'm not sure if Roger could do Movie Sonic to the same effect as Ben, nor am I sure Ben would have worked as well if you handed him a Sonic Boom script.

But, that's what auditions are for -- so you can find out. But without hearing them doing each other's parts, it's hard to know for sure.

[Your Vest Friend]

I believe Schwartz has more experience in the realm of Hollywood than Roger Craig Smith (who's had some lines in Wreck-It Ralph in a role where he was supposed to exactly represent modern Sonic). 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

3 hours ago, Wraith said:

The Sonic movie is built off of tried and tested Hollywood tropes for family movies that have been popular, consistently, for over 20 years. There's nothing risky about it outside of the bubble of online Sonic discussion. 

A fully animated feature would have been riskier by itself by virtue of being more expensive and time consuming to produce without even getting into the story or artstyle.

I’m pretty sure they could have made a fully animated feature with a budget of $100 million. They don’t have to spend Disney-level cash to get it done.

[thumbs13]

1 hour ago, KingScoopaKoopa said:

 

I know Ben from DuckTales and Rise of the TMNT. Is there something else that elevates him above other cartoon voice actors like Roger here?

 

Ben's a cartoon VA second. He's an actor. He was on Parks and Rec in a semi major role.

[Scritch the Cat]

25 minutes ago, Conquering Storm’s Servant said:

I’m pretty sure they could have made a fully animated feature with a budget of $100 million. They don’t have to spend Disney-level cash to get it done.

Maybe, but graphics companies jack up prices when they know people are willing and able to pay Disney-level cash.  Another for the pile of reasons companies should not be allowed to get that powerful.

Also, regarding how “safe” this movie is and the formula of putting a cartoon character in the real world is, remember that there are different sorts of success.  The type of success that’s safe to assume from that formula is getting the budget back in profits; not getting good reviews.

[azoo]

This movie is definitely a film.

There's definitely an arc, and there's a resolve. There's a lead character, supporting characters, and your background characters. There is a plot. It completes. It follows many of the constructs of a common cgi/live action hybrid film starring B/C-list celebrity actor and cartoon animal as they go do a shenanigan, except this time there's action in it. There's even advertisements in it! Remember, when you're looking for housing, try using Zillow, but first try Olive Garden's endless pasta bowl.

The movie stars James Marsden as Thomas Wachowski, the cop. Sonic the Hedgehog is played by Ben Schwartz. Jim Carrey plays as Dr. Eggman. 

It is definitely a film for kids to love, for boomers / gen-Xers to go "ah I remember my Genesis" to, and for the gaming faithful to salute to as if video game movies are saved. And Sonic fans, having not seen very much if any content outside of their walls, will see it as a success on their part. Bonus points for the people claiming it as "the best version of Sonic ever" who know exactly what they're saying and what it entails.

The thing is, it seems that to make a Sonic movie you don't need to establish anything about Sonic properly. You can make a Sonic movie that apparently does it justice just by having a maybe-one-sentence-long-or-less understanding of what the series, it's characters or it's world, is. Anything else you (or the audience you're selling this to) doesn't know can just be made up for this particular instance; and it especially works since Sonic fans are so used to wildly different continuities and zero consistency that this is considered fine; a good thing, even. Who cares, yeah? It's never stopped us before! 

Let it be remembered that film is the most influential genre, and how despite video games being the most financially viable market out there right now, film shapes entire generation's worth of cultural influence at a time; from it's interpretations of story, to character motives, to character designs. Entire status quo of franchises shift in the wake of what a film does for it's IP, with numbers increasing in profits and views for films to such heights as they do, entire franchises drastically change under the zeitgeist of what they introduce.

And so a series that has consistently fallen in the eyes of the general public gets a milquetoast movie, only to get toted highly for passing the bar of basic competence into an ass-smashing $100M weekend. Hm! Interesting. And yet nothing conceptually about what was once seen as a bad idea changed besides a character design.

Do I think Sonic will fall into this? Idk, maybe! It's not out of the question considering Sega's kinda adamance to see something successful and then violently grip onto it with it's (right-the-bumfuck-out-of-nowhere-tragic-bird-mom) talons for the next better end of a decade. I mean, they could always not, but it's best to not give them the benefit of the doubt on these things. Or maybe you can? Then again, I'm sure many are happy with this, if what I can tell from my scan over it all.

So what did I think of the film, you're probably not wondering at this point, yeah? Yeah, I'm sure you get it. Happy ya'll are able to enjoy it. Jim's pretty fun in his role, Tyson did good with what he had, and Ben's got a good voice for the hog.

 

God, this shit. lol

Theatrics aside, it's an okayish movie for what it is. Garbage Sonic film, though, as I noted above. Kinda rounds out to a 5/10 on a good day. Probably wouldn't watch again.

[Scritch the Cat]

@azoo Theatrics are one thing, but did you really need two references to anal sex?

That aside, I acknowledge your point.  This movie will likely bring a lot of people to Sonic, but there’s certainly the chance that SEGA will change Sonic based on it, maybe for the worse.  I’m not bothered by it now, but originally I also wasn’t bothered by Sonic Rush.  Then the Boost formula stuck around and prevented Sonic from being what I wanted it to be, and because it has its fans, there’s no reason to believe it will leave.

[Endy]

1 hour ago, azoo said:

There's definitely an arc, and there's a resolve. There's a lead character, supporting characters, and your background characters. There is a plot. It completes. It follows many of the constructs of a common cgi/live action hybrid film starring B/C-list celebrity actor and cartoon animal as they go do a shenanigan, except this time there's action in it. There's even advertisements in it! Remember, when you're looking for housing, try using Zillow, but first try Olive Garden's endless pasta bowl.

 

well frankly I have seen the movie and I have to say that you are absolutely wrong on all accounts and you should just quit hating by telling all of these lies, and you are being an absolute headless nark who also feels required to reference anal sex not once but twice on your horrible tirade against what many critics are calling the funniest movie in the universe 

[Scritch the Cat]

4 minutes ago, Enderwoman said:

well frankly I have seen the movie and I have to say that you are absolutely wrong on all accounts and you should just quit hating by telling all of these lies, and you are being an absolute headless nark who also feels required to reference anal sex not once but twice on your horrible tirade against what many critics are calling the funniest movie in the universe 

I wouldn't say many.

[Endy]

Just now, Scritch the Cat said:

I wouldn't say many.

you are a liar

 

Are you guys really convinced that a mid budget, family friendly live action/animated hybrid action comedy starring actors comedy with actors from popular TV shows and also Jim fucking Carrey based on a nostalgic and highly recognizable video game character is not a safe bet for a studio to create? This subgenre of film of bringing cartoon characters to the real world has been around for ages, containing action and low brow humor, and Sonic being an established property only makes it even safer. This movie not being a safe bet would be like, an R-rated horror show that stars the director's literally who friends and being like a 3 hour David Lynch experience. Do you guys not watch movies?

[Scritch the Cat]

6 minutes ago, Enderwoman said:

you are a liar

 

Are you guys really convinced that a mid budget, family friendly live action/animated hybrid action comedy starring actors comedy with actors from popular TV shows and also Jim fucking Carrey based on a nostalgic and highly recognizable video game character is not a safe bet for a studio to create? This subgenre of film of bringing cartoon characters to the real world has been around for ages, containing action and low brow humor, and Sonic being an established property only makes it even safer. This movie not being a safe bet would be like, an R-rated horror show that stars the director's literally who friends and being like a 3 hour David Lynch experience. Do you guys not watch movies?

I think people’s thoughts about this are still colored by the old design.  Because of the constant escalation of bad press it got from the silhouette poster right through the first trailer, everyone expected this to be more than the sort of generic children’s movie that has likely been described hundreds of times here; they expected it to lack the one saving grace such movies sometimes have due to being not endearing to children but scary.

That post-redesign it swung to being better than the genre standard gives some idea of just how thin the line is between a a safe movie and a risky one.  Especially when nothing is exceptional about it and a little push in either direction can swing it far.

[Strickerx5]

21 minutes ago, Enderwoman said:

well frankly I have seen the movie and I have to say that you are absolutely wrong on all accounts and you should just quit hating by telling all of these lies, and you are being an absolute headless nark who also feels required to reference anal sex not once but twice on your horrible tirade against what many critics are calling the funniest movie in the universe 

 

12 minutes ago, Enderwoman said:

you are a liar

 

There's 0 need to go on the offensive and be rude like this. Actually make counterpoints without the name calling or take a break. Consider this your one and only warning.

[CaptainRobo]

Found some videos of the Japanese voice actors recording their lines for the movie. The movie doesn't come out in Japan until near around the end of March. I also found some pictures.:

Spoiler

Some ads in Hong Kong.:

Also some more stuff from Taiwan and Thailand.:

 

[Red Hot Jack]

New estimates with possible new records:

 

Interesting… I doubt it will hit 1 bill but still, I wish, although I'm already happy with what this movie managed to achieve.