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Description
This is one of those titles I've kind of struggled with constructing, hell making any Sonic content has been a struggle because... well to be blunt I'm hardly what you'd call a Sonic fan these days. Ever since SEGA so utterly screwed up Sonic Origins' initial release which came after multiple instances of games being rushed out the gate to meet deadlines, I've... kind of stopped caring about the blue dude. I was suckered back in to pick up Superstars and Origins Plus, the latter of which is great if frustrating given it's basically what the original release should've been while the former has been decent at best. As for Frontiers... aside from experiencing the soundtrack and the story via videos? I have not played it and likely won't until SEGA can somehow show me that it can have steady releases of games that aren't rushed out the gate or I can find it for a good deal. Now, I'm still a fan in spirit. I enjoy playing the games I loved, the con experiences I've had meeting the voice actors have been great and I do jam to the tunes I like and I've kept up with the films... for reasons that completely baffle me.

I'm just gonna get this out there, I genuinely do not like the fact that I have unpopular opinions, I don't like sometimes being that guy who while everyone's partying is just sitting in the corner counting the seconds until we can leave the craptastic bar and all I can worry about is the sleep my body desperately needs and that feeling is especially compounded when it comes to franchises with notoriously rabid fanbases and my, oh me, oh my is this one of the most infamous, especially with me being as incredibly jaded as I am about the whole franchise and with that in mind, I feel like also stating to any Sonic fan who might be reading this a fact that should be obvious but evidently the internet has utterly slaughtered reading comprehension and the concept of context clues and being able to infer certain details so this is needed now.

If you like or hell even love the movies or this franchise? That's awesome. I am not here to attack you or your love for it. My opinions are simply my own. I get when it comes to discussion of Sonic the Hedgehog that it's a minefield and I've been through the dark times. I remember the days where the popular joke of the whole fanbase is that it never likes anything past 1994 and the weirdos, the bizarre porn and more. I get why defenses immediately come up when negativity is involved, especially when considering that the target audience and thus a good chunk of the fanbase is in fact children. Children who... well if I'm being charitable should probably not be engaging with the internet at all but I digress. Please note I am not attacking you and will never do so. All I'm doing is expressing an opinion and if it doesn't line up with yours? It's not that I'm wrong and you're right or vice versa, those are just how subjective thoughts work. I'm of the opinion that there's no such thing as objectivity in opinions unless the topics basically are on subjects like human rights and last I checked? The franchise isn't doing anything actually objectionable unless we seriously want to somehow claim isolated incidents involving the series' voice actors are somehow tied to it which I think you'd agree would be dumb to do.

So with all that said, I don't think it's too much to ask that if you happen to disagree that you act like civilized human beings. Furthermore, considering some of my comments are going to touch on some of the fan reaction? Let me fill you in on a little secret that will ensure that you won't being be sent spiraling into a rage over seeing certain takes. If the comments you've read do not reflect you and your reasonings for why you liked the movies and so on? Then the comments... are not meant for you nor are they talking about you or other good-natured fans. In fact the best way you can show that you are not that type of fan is to either not comment or join in on giving the fanatics a verbal lashing. Now then, with all that preamble out of the way. Let's get into it.

I really do not know what to think of Paramount's live-action Sonic series. From what the general reaction has been? It seems I should love them with every fiber of my being... but I don't. I should be hyped given we're on the cusp of yet another one of these with Sonic 3 being set to feature my favorite character and with a casting choice that's genuinely good... but I feel indifferent. There was a whole series put out on Paramount Plus based on who is to me one of the best characters of these movies but frankly I can't be bothered. Now just so we're clear, this does not mean I hate these movies. Hell for Paramount adaptations of popular IPs which as a reminder includes the likes of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Transformers: The Last Knight and that trashfire Snake Eyes movie? They're definitely a cut above the rest.

But I also don't think these movies are particularly amazing. The first movie to me is just okay. It's fun, it certainly is better than it has any right to be and executes what I think is an incredibly tired, played out plot of an interesting alien being plopped into our normal boring human world well... but that's kind of it. Otherwise those humans are as cookie-cutter as they come for human characters in family movies of this style and it feels genuinely afraid of becoming a Sonic movie except for a few moments and a cute easter egg or two. It was basically exactly what I feared it was going to be after seeing that first trailer with the manhog design. I remember when the general audience and Sonic fanbase was picking the trailer apart, pointing out how the Sonic movie we're getting seems to be a Sonic movie by way of the most tired family movie tropes that we'd seen played out to death. It was basically like the Sonic movie was gearing up to be the answer to the Super Mario Bros. movie... from the 90s. Then the design was changed and suddenly everyone was singing a completely different tune which granted is thanks in part to the trailer giving us quite a few shots of the design and peppering it with easter eggs of both the visual and auditory variety but it was bizarre to see such a complete tune shift on everything. Then again, it likely helps that this movie was also the last one anyone got to see in the theaters in 2020 before everything went to Hell so hey, having a movie that's light and fun maybe helped a ton.

Two years later, we then got Sonic 2. Following up on the mid-credit scene of the first, we got Tails and with Colleen O'Shaughnessy reprising the role from the games which is cool, we have Knuckles, the Death Egg Robot's a part of it, we got G.U.N. from Sonic Adventure 2, we've got the Master Emerald and at the climax we get friggin' Super Sonic and a tease for Shadow who as I said before is my favorite character of this series. In a lot of ways? It's more of a Sonic movie than what the first was...

But it also completely doubles down on all that standard family movie nonsense that I could not vibe with in the first film. While Stone is such a delight in this film, the human element is still here and not only is it still as boring and cookie-cutter as it comes? It's now incredibly distracting and at points incredibly irritating. While there's more Sonic action to go around there's still this distinct feeling that Paramount's not allowing the filmmakers to just go all-out and finally Robotnik who... honestly now just sticks out like the sorest of thumbs with how much he just doesn't embody Eggman to me. He's bald now and has the 'stache but nothing about his performance to me reads as the diabolical goofball that Eggman is, it just reads as Jim Carrey. I think it especially hit when I saw him in the Death Egg Robot. The whole sequence is so much fun but every time it cuts to inside it I'm reminded that their Robotnik is just who they're kind of stuck with and before you say anything, I don't care that there are humans in a Sonic movie, I care that they are either bland or in the case of Robotnik just Jim Carrey. Take for example Tom/Donutlord. He's... okay as a character but otherwise he just exists to do standard human character things in a family movie about a much more interesting alien being. He's Neil Patrick Harris from Smurfs or any number of those characters and personally when I watch a Sonic movie, I want to watch a movie about Sonic doing his thing and if humans have to be there, they should either be small roles or the character has to fit with what's going on. Stone for instance I like because it feels like he tries to match Eggman's manic energy and the actor sells it so well but everyone else? Honestly I'd rather we just leave them. Sonic 2 still has just this general vibe that Paramount is scared of letting a Sonic movie be a Sonic movie and thus the sequel still has so much of the fluff that made the first film just okay. Now there's nothing that makes me angry mind you but nothing that leaves me super hyped either sans maybe the Super Sonic and Shadow appearances and that's where the dilemma for me kicks in.

Because you see, despite the negativity I've shown towards these movies and the apathy I've felt for the franchise as of late? I can't bring myself to hate them. There are quite a few moments during both movies, mainly when it's solely the Sonic-centric stuff, that I genuinely find myself having fun. Every time I look through social media and see the cast and crew posting? There's this vibe that everyone working on these is having a blast and that a good deal of them are fans. In particular Lee Majdoub, the actor who plays Agent Stone is just such a delight for he takes any opportunity to share fanart of his character and it is just the most wholesome thing to see in the cesspit that is Twitter. Comparing this to something like the Transformers movies where aside from Peter Cullen and the huge exception in Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts, I get the impression that most of the people involved really could not care any less. Hell, it's really cool to actually see a Sonic thing get praise and on a fairly consistent basis after the years of botched releases from Sonic Lost World to Boom and Forces. To a degree, I'm still excited for Sonic 3 even if it's mostly due to my love of Shadow. But at this point, I have to wonder if Sonic 3 is truly going to be the Sonic movie that actually lets itself be a movie... or if it's just gonna jingle the nostalgia keys in front of me and expect that to work. To paraphrase KaiserNeko, it really feels like these two movies are only really being praised because we expected a disaster with Ugly Teeth McNightmareface and were utterly surprised when it turned out to not be that and in the case of the second movie? We all kinda figured I feel the first was a fluke that happened to come out at just the right time and due to circumstances led to people looking back on it much more fondly than if say the pandemic didn't happen and other movies just came out when they were supposed to.

And that's the thing for me. Whenever I hear people talk about how the movies have such respect for the series and these really cool references? That's all they are usually, references. Occasionally a level name shows up which is neat. Sonic yes does do a few animations and poses from his history which okay that's kind of cool but I've seen that done in Generations and Smash Bros before so it's not like that's all that special and that's basically it. To me, it's junk food for the eyeballs which I'm sure is what was more desired from the Sonic movie since I don't think anybody is going into the movie about the cartoon blue hedgehog expecting something deep but I also feel that we've just gotten way better movies not just animated but based on video games. In particular, my feelings towards the Sonic movies greatly dampened after seeing Illumination's Mario movie which I greatly enjoyed (Just a quick note, this is NOT me trying to start a fight or reignite the Nintendo rivalry. The Console Wars are stupid, tying an entire brand to your personality is absolute clown behavior and frankly it's embarrassing whenever this happens.)

Is it a particularly perfect movie? No. Is it necessary? Not at all. In fact to a degree, the Mario movie could be said to suffer from many of the same problems as Sonic with how it banks off nostalgia and is kind of just a harmless family movie. To me though, what elevates it is how this movie eats, sleeps and breathes Mario. This was directed by the same guys that created Teen Titans Go and set aside your opinions of that show for a moment, one thing I don't think can be really denied is these guys have a presence and are also giant nerds with TTG in particular being loaded with tributes to DC's illustrious history and that was the perfect energy for Mario where you can tell these people PLAYED the games and have an appreciation for Nintendo's history but it's done in such a way that personally I don't think it takes away from anything. There's also the music where aside from seemingly cases of studio-mandated licensed tracks? For most of it, it has some amazing arrangements of tunes from across the whole franchise. For kids and families? It's a solid piece of entertainment that really succeeds in bringing the Mario world to life but for a hardcore Mario fan? It feels like a celebration of the series, a nice big party that we were all invited to and it's overall insanely fun and one that I'll keep thinking about the positives to in the many years to come. I don't get that same vibe with the Sonic movies in any capacity and for the record I doubt that's going to change. I don't expect the use of Live and Learn in Sonic 3 to suddenly invigorate my soul and remind me why I love Sonic the same way the Mario movie has or that really any of the best adaptations have and for the record, I'm not interested in hearing that I'm just a curmudgeon who doesn't like new things and is just a bitter old man. I've been around the block with these adaptations, I know what I like and don't and as I said earlier, these are just opinions. Same as anyone on the internet and as a reminder? Insults are not stating your thoughts, they are insults and that brings me to another aspect of the Sonic movies that lead to my feelings becoming more complex and also make me grateful I've not associated with this fanbase in a good while.

The toxic positivity and obsessive cheerleading that surrounds these films is mind-boggling. I feel like the Sonic fanbase has gone through an interesting transformation where we have gone from a fanbase infamous for never being able to agree on anything and is constantly shitting on the franchise it claims to love for the most inane reasons... to being utterly incapable of accepting any and all criticism of the series like the act of doing so is somehow attacking their identity. It is genuinely stunning to see the amount of times people just openly pop on the clown shoes and behave like utter fools over these movies. Hell, one of the most notable controversies involved a blue muppet not liking Sonic 2 with the video that was posted being not only levelheaded but making it clear that it's okay to disagree and yet that led to him getting so much flack he posted a response basically to say that while he's doing okay, he had to take a mental health break and to be blunt? That's bullshit of the HIGHEST order. It does not matter if you disagree or think the review is wrong, that is how opinions work and if your argument is "Oh he's just seething that the film did well."? Honestly I'm gonna say it, you're a child. You are clearly a child who has grown past the idea that dislike just means people are jealous of success and let me tell you right now, that kind of attitude is a good way to make sure that in your adult life you'll become a narcissistic prick if you're not careful and stamping that out right now. Attacking somebody because they don't like a movie reflects badly on the whole fandom. You worry about misinformation? Guess what bucko, you're not exactly giving people reasons to doubt the "misinfo". And look, I get it. We are talking the internet, a place where all fandoms and anti-fandoms can be insufferable and when it comes to Sonic? Again, I get why the defenses come up. However, I also think that if you like the movies and are comfortable in those thoughts? A negative review should not bother you and if the concern is people hounding you with bad takes or seeing them around the internet? First off, who the hell are these people and second, that's an indictment on them, not the original poster. It's not the fault of a negative review that some people can be cretins, the fault lies squarely at the feet of those people behaving that way. It also does not mean you are given full authority to attack others for what is ostensibly just their opinion and if none of this describes you specifically? Congrats, you have no reason to be angry or respond.

Unfortunately there are a good deal of people who either don't get it or have basically shown that they are like that, they just will never ever say it out loud because they lack the self-awareness and humility to actually do so and it's thanks to this behavior that frankly it's hard to decouple it from the movie. Now it's true, it's an issue in other fandoms and certainly other parts of the Sonic fandom too but you especially see it with the movies. I mean right now, we have several Sonic fans pretty much making asses out of themselves by declaring that December will be a sweep and that they will be glad to watch Mufasa fail in theaters. Now to be clear, I'm not defending Mufasa nor do I have interest because frankly I don't care about the Disney remakes and have not watched one in a theater since the live-action Lion King. That being said, it is utterly ridiculous to watch people year after year turn these things into basically protests of Hollywood even though they are actively supporting a Hollywood studio and also being incapable of behaving like basically simps for their franchise. It's like the Sonic fanbase can't just have a W, it's gotta have the biggest W that can brand the entire solar system all at once and prove once and for all that the blue speedster is a god and we're all just living as servants in his twisted world without realizing that this behavior with how prominent it will ensure that those with misgivings about the fandom will just develop more misgivings and that even the good fans won't want to take any step into this minefield because they'd rather not have to travel neckdeep through sludge. Oh and please do not try to argue that they're only a "vocal minority". In a fanbase of thousands, saying it's a minority isn't saying it's just one or two people and really it seems the only reason this gets brought up is when someone feels threatened or called out when again, if you don't match the description you genuinely have no reason to complain. Also it doesn't help that when browsing the internet, you're gonna end up exposed to these people whether you like it or not with that expectation being raised even more if you talk about Sonic stuff in any capacity and not seeing it is not the same as it not existing.

Now of course, this doesn't represent the movies or the talented people working on them but they do contribute to my overall complicated feelings on them and why ultimately I'm left with no desire to watch the Knuckles series or even rewatch the movies in preparation for Sonic 3 and look, that's not for lack of trying. Look, I'm often one of the first people to say that you should judge something for what it is, not what you want it to be. I'm also someone who often makes it very clear that it's important to reset expectations when going into a movie or show to give it the fairest possible shake. But with these movies? They're a struggle because I just cannot vibe with them and yet they show just enough of stuff I actively want to see that I keep turning up. There are periods where I think back on the movies and remember the really good bits... and then sometimes I remember all the cringe-inducing nonsense. At this point? I'm really sick of judging Sonic on a constant curve, constantly looking back at the worst of his output and going "Well at least it's not that." when I know he really is capable of more. There were endless possibilities for these movies and yet they went for the blandest options possible while occasionally throwing in references to wake up the people in the back and I'm sorry but that's not enough for me. I don't care Knuckles gets the OVA hat in his show since its purpose is to be a reference to an old anime that just inexplicably decided to put Knuckles in a hat. I don't care about zone names being present because honestly? It just leaves me wishing we'd see renderings of those stages and reminds me "You know I really could just play Sonic right now." and for the record if I want fun? I've got far better options for that, even with other Sonic media. Thing is, I've already gone through this before with Transformers, this feeling where I grasp onto every positive point I possibly can about the movies and keep holding on for dear life because it's the only way the experience will be bearable. Hell I've already gone through this with Sonic to a degree and honestly, I'm just tired.

I'm sorry it got rambly potentially towards the end. Hope you all have a good day.

Description
This is one of those titles I've kind of struggled with constructing, hell making any Sonic content has been a struggle because... well to be blunt I'm hardly what you'd call a Sonic fan these days. Ever since SEGA so utterly screwed up Sonic Origins' initial release which came after multiple instances of games being rushed out the gate to meet deadlines, I've... kind of stopped caring about the blue dude. I was suckered back in to pick up Superstars and Origins Plus, the latter of which is great if frustrating given it's basically what the original release should've been while the former has been decent at best. As for Frontiers... aside from experiencing the soundtrack and the story via videos? I have not played it and likely won't until SEGA can somehow show me that it can have steady releases of games that aren't rushed out the gate or I can find it for a good deal. Now, I'm still a fan in spirit. I enjoy playing the games I loved, the con experiences I've had meeting the voice actors have been great and I do jam to the tunes I like and I've kept up with the films... for reasons that completely baffle me.

I'm just gonna get this out there, I genuinely do not like the fact that I have unpopular opinions, I don't like sometimes being that guy who while everyone's partying is just sitting in the corner counting the seconds until we can leave the craptastic bar and all I can worry about is the sleep my body desperately needs and that feeling is especially compounded when it comes to franchises with notoriously rabid fanbases and my, oh me, oh my is this one of the most infamous, especially with me being as incredibly jaded as I am about the whole franchise and with that in mind, I feel like also stating to any Sonic fan who might be reading this a fact that should be obvious but evidently the internet has utterly slaughtered reading comprehension and the concept of context clues and being able to infer certain details so this is needed now.

If you like or hell even love the movies or this franchise? That's awesome. I am not here to attack you or your love for it. My opinions are simply my own. I get when it comes to discussion of Sonic the Hedgehog that it's a minefield and I've been through the dark times. I remember the days where the popular joke of the whole fanbase is that it never likes anything past 1994 and the weirdos, the bizarre porn and more. I get why defenses immediately come up when negativity is involved, especially when considering that the target audience and thus a good chunk of the fanbase is in fact children. Children who... well if I'm being charitable should probably not be engaging with the internet at all but I digress. Please note I am not attacking you and will never do so. All I'm doing is expressing an opinion and if it doesn't line up with yours? It's not that I'm wrong and you're right or vice versa, those are just how subjective thoughts work. I'm of the opinion that there's no such thing as objectivity in opinions unless the topics basically are on subjects like human rights and last I checked? The franchise isn't doing anything actually objectionable unless we seriously want to somehow claim isolated incidents involving the series' voice actors are somehow tied to it which I think you'd agree would be dumb to do.

So with all that said, I don't think it's too much to ask that if you happen to disagree that you act like civilized human beings. Furthermore, considering some of my comments are going to touch on some of the fan reaction? Let me fill you in on a little secret that will ensure that you won't being be sent spiraling into a rage over seeing certain takes. If the comments you've read do not reflect you and your reasonings for why you liked the movies and so on? Then the comments... are not meant for you nor are they talking about you or other good-natured fans. In fact the best way you can show that you are not that type of fan is to either not comment or join in on giving the fanatics a verbal lashing. Now then, with all that preamble out of the way. Let's get into it.

I really do not know what to think of Paramount's live-action Sonic series. From what the general reaction has been? It seems I should love them with every fiber of my being... but I don't. I should be hyped given we're on the cusp of yet another one of these with Sonic 3 being set to feature my favorite character and with a casting choice that's genuinely good... but I feel indifferent. There was a whole series put out on Paramount Plus based on who is to me one of the best characters of these movies but frankly I can't be bothered. Now just so we're clear, this does not mean I hate these movies. Hell for Paramount adaptations of popular IPs which as a reminder includes the likes of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Transformers: The Last Knight and that trashfire Snake Eyes movie? They're definitely a cut above the rest.

But I also don't think these movies are particularly amazing. The first movie to me is just okay. It's fun, it certainly is better than it has any right to be and executes what I think is an incredibly tired, played out plot of an interesting alien being plopped into our normal boring human world well... but that's kind of it. Otherwise those humans are as cookie-cutter as they come for human characters in family movies of this style and it feels genuinely afraid of becoming a Sonic movie except for a few moments and a cute easter egg or two. It was basically exactly what I feared it was going to be after seeing that first trailer with the manhog design. I remember when the general audience and Sonic fanbase was picking the trailer apart, pointing out how the Sonic movie we're getting seems to be a Sonic movie by way of the most tired family movie tropes that we'd seen played out to death. It was basically like the Sonic movie was gearing up to be the answer to the Super Mario Bros. movie... from the 90s. Then the design was changed and suddenly everyone was singing a completely different tune which granted is thanks in part to the trailer giving us quite a few shots of the design and peppering it with easter eggs of both the visual and auditory variety but it was bizarre to see such a complete tune shift on everything. Then again, it likely helps that this movie was also the last one anyone got to see in the theaters in 2020 before everything went to Hell so hey, having a movie that's light and fun maybe helped a ton.

Two years later, we then got Sonic 2. Following up on the mid-credit scene of the first, we got Tails and with Colleen O'Shaughnessy reprising the role from the games which is cool, we have Knuckles, the Death Egg Robot's a part of it, we got G.U.N. from Sonic Adventure 2, we've got the Master Emerald and at the climax we get friggin' Super Sonic and a tease for Shadow who as I said before is my favorite character of this series. In a lot of ways? It's more of a Sonic movie than what the first was...

But it also completely doubles down on all that standard family movie nonsense that I could not vibe with in the first film. While Stone is such a delight in this film, the human element is still here and not only is it still as boring and cookie-cutter as it comes? It's now incredibly distracting and at points incredibly irritating. While there's more Sonic action to go around there's still this distinct feeling that Paramount's not allowing the filmmakers to just go all-out and finally Robotnik who... honestly now just sticks out like the sorest of thumbs with how much he just doesn't embody Eggman to me. He's bald now and has the 'stache but nothing about his performance to me reads as the diabolical goofball that Eggman is, it just reads as Jim Carrey. I think it especially hit when I saw him in the Death Egg Robot. The whole sequence is so much fun but every time it cuts to inside it I'm reminded that their Robotnik is just who they're kind of stuck with and before you say anything, I don't care that there are humans in a Sonic movie, I care that they are either bland or in the case of Robotnik just Jim Carrey. Take for example Tom/Donutlord. He's... okay as a character but otherwise he just exists to do standard human character things in a family movie about a much more interesting alien being. He's Neil Patrick Harris from Smurfs or any number of those characters and personally when I watch a Sonic movie, I want to watch a movie about Sonic doing his thing and if humans have to be there, they should either be small roles or the character has to fit with what's going on. Stone for instance I like because it feels like he tries to match Eggman's manic energy and the actor sells it so well but everyone else? Honestly I'd rather we just leave them. Sonic 2 still has just this general vibe that Paramount is scared of letting a Sonic movie be a Sonic movie and thus the sequel still has so much of the fluff that made the first film just okay. Now there's nothing that makes me angry mind you but nothing that leaves me super hyped either sans maybe the Super Sonic and Shadow appearances and that's where the dilemma for me kicks in.

Because you see, despite the negativity I've shown towards these movies and the apathy I've felt for the franchise as of late? I can't bring myself to hate them. There are quite a few moments during both movies, mainly when it's solely the Sonic-centric stuff, that I genuinely find myself having fun. Every time I look through social media and see the cast and crew posting? There's this vibe that everyone working on these is having a blast and that a good deal of them are fans. In particular Lee Majdoub, the actor who plays Agent Stone is just such a delight for he takes any opportunity to share fanart of his character and it is just the most wholesome thing to see in the cesspit that is Twitter. Comparing this to something like the Transformers movies where aside from Peter Cullen and the huge exception in Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts, I get the impression that most of the people involved really could not care any less. Hell, it's really cool to actually see a Sonic thing get praise and on a fairly consistent basis after the years of botched releases from Sonic Lost World to Boom and Forces. To a degree, I'm still excited for Sonic 3 even if it's mostly due to my love of Shadow. But at this point, I have to wonder if Sonic 3 is truly going to be the Sonic movie that actually lets itself be a movie... or if it's just gonna jingle the nostalgia keys in front of me and expect that to work. To paraphrase KaiserNeko, it really feels like these two movies are only really being praised because we expected a disaster with Ugly Teeth McNightmareface and were utterly surprised when it turned out to not be that and in the case of the second movie? We all kinda figured I feel the first was a fluke that happened to come out at just the right time and due to circumstances led to people looking back on it much more fondly than if say the pandemic didn't happen and other movies just came out when they were supposed to.

And that's the thing for me. Whenever I hear people talk about how the movies have such respect for the series and these really cool references? That's all they are usually, references. Occasionally a level name shows up which is neat. Sonic yes does do a few animations and poses from his history which okay that's kind of cool but I've seen that done in Generations and Smash Bros before so it's not like that's all that special and that's basically it. To me, it's junk food for the eyeballs which I'm sure is what was more desired from the Sonic movie since I don't think anybody is going into the movie about the cartoon blue hedgehog expecting something deep but I also feel that we've just gotten way better movies not just animated but based on video games. In particular, my feelings towards the Sonic movies greatly dampened after seeing Illumination's Mario movie which I greatly enjoyed (Just a quick note, this is NOT me trying to start a fight or reignite the Nintendo rivalry. The Console Wars are stupid, tying an entire brand to your personality is absolute clown behavior and frankly it's embarrassing whenever this happens.)

Is it a particularly perfect movie? No. Is it necessary? Not at all. In fact to a degree, the Mario movie could be said to suffer from many of the same problems as Sonic with how it banks off nostalgia and is kind of just a harmless family movie. To me though, what elevates it is how this movie eats, sleeps and breathes Mario. This was directed by the same guys that created Teen Titans Go and set aside your opinions of that show for a moment, one thing I don't think can be really denied is these guys have a presence and are also giant nerds with TTG in particular being loaded with tributes to DC's illustrious history and that was the perfect energy for Mario where you can tell these people PLAYED the games and have an appreciation for Nintendo's history but it's done in such a way that personally I don't think it takes away from anything. There's also the music where aside from seemingly cases of studio-mandated licensed tracks? For most of it, it has some amazing arrangements of tunes from across the whole franchise. For kids and families? It's a solid piece of entertainment that really succeeds in bringing the Mario world to life but for a hardcore Mario fan? It feels like a celebration of the series, a nice big party that we were all invited to and it's overall insanely fun and one that I'll keep thinking about the positives to in the many years to come. I don't get that same vibe with the Sonic movies in any capacity and for the record I doubt that's going to change. I don't expect the use of Live and Learn in Sonic 3 to suddenly invigorate my soul and remind me why I love Sonic the same way the Mario movie has or that really any of the best adaptations have and for the record, I'm not interested in hearing that I'm just a curmudgeon who doesn't like new things and is just a bitter old man. I've been around the block with these adaptations, I know what I like and don't and as I said earlier, these are just opinions. Same as anyone on the internet and as a reminder? Insults are not stating your thoughts, they are insults and that brings me to another aspect of the Sonic movies that lead to my feelings becoming more complex and also make me grateful I've not associated with this fanbase in a good while.

The toxic positivity and obsessive cheerleading that surrounds these films is mind-boggling. I feel like the Sonic fanbase has gone through an interesting transformation where we have gone from a fanbase infamous for never being able to agree on anything and is constantly shitting on the franchise it claims to love for the most inane reasons... to being utterly incapable of accepting any and all criticism of the series like the act of doing so is somehow attacking their identity. It is genuinely stunning to see the amount of times people just openly pop on the clown shoes and behave like utter fools over these movies. Hell, one of the most notable controversies involved a blue muppet not liking Sonic 2 with the video that was posted being not only levelheaded but making it clear that it's okay to disagree and yet that led to him getting so much flack he posted a response basically to say that while he's doing okay, he had to take a mental health break and to be blunt? That's bullshit of the HIGHEST order. It does not matter if you disagree or think the review is wrong, that is how opinions work and if your argument is "Oh he's just seething that the film did well."? Honestly I'm gonna say it, you're a child. You are clearly a child who has grown past the idea that dislike just means people are jealous of success and let me tell you right now, that kind of attitude is a good way to make sure that in your adult life you'll become a narcissistic prick if you're not careful and stamping that out right now. Attacking somebody because they don't like a movie reflects badly on the whole fandom. You worry about misinformation? Guess what bucko, you're not exactly giving people reasons to doubt the "misinfo". And look, I get it. We are talking the internet, a place where all fandoms and anti-fandoms can be insufferable and when it comes to Sonic? Again, I get why the defenses come up. However, I also think that if you like the movies and are comfortable in those thoughts? A negative review should not bother you and if the concern is people hounding you with bad takes or seeing them around the internet? First off, who the hell are these people and second, that's an indictment on them, not the original poster. It's not the fault of a negative review that some people can be cretins, the fault lies squarely at the feet of those people behaving that way. It also does not mean you are given full authority to attack others for what is ostensibly just their opinion and if none of this describes you specifically? Congrats, you have no reason to be angry or respond.

Unfortunately there are a good deal of people who either don't get it or have basically shown that they are like that, they just will never ever say it out loud because they lack the self-awareness and humility to actually do so and it's thanks to this behavior that frankly it's hard to decouple it from the movie. Now it's true, it's an issue in other fandoms and certainly other parts of the Sonic fandom too but you especially see it with the movies. I mean right now, we have several Sonic fans pretty much making asses out of themselves by declaring that December will be a sweep and that they will be glad to watch Mufasa fail in theaters. Now to be clear, I'm not defending Mufasa nor do I have interest because frankly I don't care about the Disney remakes and have not watched one in a theater since the live-action Lion King. That being said, it is utterly ridiculous to watch people year after year turn these things into basically protests of Hollywood even though they are actively supporting a Hollywood studio and also being incapable of behaving like basically simps for their franchise. It's like the Sonic fanbase can't just have a W, it's gotta have the biggest W that can brand the entire solar system all at once and prove once and for all that the blue speedster is a god and we're all just living as servants in his twisted world without realizing that this behavior with how prominent it will ensure that those with misgivings about the fandom will just develop more misgivings and that even the good fans won't want to take any step into this minefield because they'd rather not have to travel neckdeep through sludge. Oh and please do not try to argue that they're only a "vocal minority". In a fanbase of thousands, saying it's a minority isn't saying it's just one or two people and really it seems the only reason this gets brought up is when someone feels threatened or called out when again, if you don't match the description you genuinely have no reason to complain. Also it doesn't help that when browsing the internet, you're gonna end up exposed to these people whether you like it or not with that expectation being raised even more if you talk about Sonic stuff in any capacity and not seeing it is not the same as it not existing.

Now of course, this doesn't represent the movies or the talented people working on them but they do contribute to my overall complicated feelings on them and why ultimately I'm left with no desire to watch the Knuckles series or even rewatch the movies in preparation for Sonic 3 and look, that's not for lack of trying. Look, I'm often one of the first people to say that you should judge something for what it is, not what you want it to be. I'm also someone who often makes it very clear that it's important to reset expectations when going into a movie or show to give it the fairest possible shake. But with these movies? They're a struggle because I just cannot vibe with them and yet they show just enough of stuff I actively want to see that I keep turning up. There are periods where I think back on the movies and remember the really good bits... and then sometimes I remember all the cringe-inducing nonsense. At this point? I'm really sick of judging Sonic on a constant curve, constantly looking back at the worst of his output and going "Well at least it's not that." when I know he really is capable of more. There were endless possibilities for these movies and yet they went for the blandest options possible while occasionally throwing in references to wake up the people in the back and I'm sorry but that's not enough for me. I don't care Knuckles gets the OVA hat in his show since its purpose is to be a reference to an old anime that just inexplicably decided to put Knuckles in a hat. I don't care about zone names being present because honestly? It just leaves me wishing we'd see renderings of those stages and reminds me "You know I really could just play Sonic right now." and for the record if I want fun? I've got far better options for that, even with other Sonic media. Thing is, I've already gone through this before with Transformers, this feeling where I grasp onto every positive point I possibly can about the movies and keep holding on for dear life because it's the only way the experience will be bearable. Hell I've already gone through this with Sonic to a degree and honestly, I'm just tired.

I'm sorry it got rambly potentially towards the end. Hope you all have a good day.