'Sonic' Reviews Are Generally Positive as Critics Say Movie 'Nailed It' After Major Redesign

Seems like that Sonic the Hedgehog redesign worked, as critics are praising the new movie.

In just-released reviews, critics are generally positive about the family comedy comedy, which stars Jim Carrey as the villain trying to catch James Marsden and his new blue friend with super-sonic speed, voiced by Ben Schwartz.

With a high 78% score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics are overall enjoying the film, based on the popular video game property.

“‘Nailed it!’ screams Sonic at one point and that might be a fitting summary for the film,” wrote Mark Kennedy from the Associated Press.

“If the title makes you wince, know the movie is a lot better than it deserves to be. You’ll actually care about what happens to the prickly blue dude, even if you never cared about getting to zone seven,” Johnny Oleksinski from the New York Post wrote.

“Sonic isn’t transcendent family entertainment but it gets the job done, and Carrey’s manic shtick elevates the proceedings,” writes Adam Graham of The Detroit News.

A small number of critics didn’t think the redesign helped distract from the plot of the movie, which some found “lazy.”

“His eyes are bigger, his fur is smoother, and thank god his teeth are no longer so disturbingly… human. Yes, the version of Sonic The Hedgehog zipping into theaters a few hours from now is much less unpleasant to look at than the one unveiled to widespread ridicule last year, when the first trailer for his first big-screen adventure dropped,” wrote A.A. Dowd from the A.V. Club.

He continued, “Then he opens his mouth, and you maybe wish those ghastly teeth were still there, if only to distract from the lazy wisecracks, pop culture references, and earnest clichés that come flooding out.”

“An on-form Jim Carrey can’t stop Sonic’s live-action debut from feeling like a missed opportunity. If the teased sequels do materialize, here’s hoping the storytelling levels up,” Amon Warmann from Empire magazine wrote.

Fans originally blasted the first trailer of the movie for portraying Sonic as “human-like” and were particularly upset about Sonic’s realistic looking teeth and shapely legs.

Director Jeff Fowler then confirmed in April 2019 that the movie would be delayed by three months after receiving backlash for Sonic’s appearance.

He tweeted it was “taking a little more time to make Sonic just right” and that the character would be going through “design changes” in the coming months.

“Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear,” Fowler tweeted later in May. “You aren’t happy with the design & you want changes. It’s going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be… #sonicmovie #gottafixfast.”

Sonic the Hedgehog opens in theaters Friday.