Tag: 2020

Categories
Movie Review

Bloodshot (2020) Movie Review

Director: Dave Wilson

Writer: Jeff Wadlow, Eric Heisserer (Screenplay) Kevin VanHook, Bob Layton, Don Perlin (Comic Book)

Starring: Vin Diesel, Guy Pearce, Eiza Gonzalez, Toby Kebbell, Sam Heughan, Talulah Riley

Plot: Ray Garrison, a slain soldier, is re-animated with superpowers.


Tagline – Being a hero is in his blood.

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Ambitious Action Film

Story: Bloodshot starts when soldier Ray Garrison (Diesel) sees his wife murdered, before taking a bullet to his head, waking up under the experiment of Dr Emil Harting (Pearce) who has bought him back to life swapping his blood for nano technology that re-animates his cells, giving him superpowers.

With Ray become a soldier that will kill for vengeance, he is unstoppable, until he learns the truth behind why he was created and decides to fight back.

Thoughts on Bloodshot

Characters – Ray Garrison is the soldier that gets killed by a psychotic killer, he doesn’t stay dead, he ends up being taken and turned into a super soldier with nano technology replacing his blood, making him stronger, faster and almost unkillable. He will get a target in his head and go all out to kill his target no matter what the odds. KT is another one of the creations, using her breathing technology to stay alive, used to help Ray get on target, though always being conflicted about her part in the missions. Jimmy Dalton is the heartless member of the team, who enjoys hurting people. Dr Emil Harting has made the soldiers, he has used technology to improve them and give them a second chance, only he has become obsessed with power he has created.

Performances – Vin Diesel is everything you expect him to be in the leading role, he doesn’t push himself to the next level, but handles the action fine. Gut Pearce is fine as the villain, while Eiza Gonzalez does make for the conflicted figure well, with one excellent action spree.

Story – The story here follows a re-animated soldier that is driven by revenge, until he learns the truth about his memories, where he can turn his new abilities against his creator. This is a comic book story, so we can see how this is going to be over the top and this is going to change how certain moments in film are read, though it is one of the most predictable stories you will ever see, once the first repeat happens, it does become clear what is happening and we are just waiting for Ray to learn the truth. The story is easy enough to watch, though it will never test the audience, because of the confuses around character introduction being false for the most part.

Action/Sci-Fi – The action is everything we have seen before, with a couple of flashy nano shots, this does mix into the sci-fi side of the film, which shows what is going on within the body of Ray, the two can create moments for the action, without being anything more than we have seen before.

Settings – The film uses the high-tech research facility for the creation, while sending us to the usual ambush locations for the big fight moments.

Special Effects – The effects work well enough, though with the nano technology almost hiding what is on screen at times.


Scene of the Movie – The KT fight.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Very predictable.

Final Thoughts – This is a simple easy to watch action sci-fi film, it doesn’t get as dark, bloody or edgy as it could be.

Overall: Easy to Watch.

Categories
Movie Review

My Spy (2020) Movie Review

Director: Peter Segal

Writer: Erich Hoeber, Jon Hoeber (Screenplay)

Starring: Dave Bautista, Chloe Coleman, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Kristen Schaal, Greg Bryk, Ken Jeong, Nicole Correia-Damude

Plot: A hardened CIA operative finds himself at the mercy of a precocious 9-year-old girl, having been sent undercover to surveil her family.


Tagline – He’s a Pro. She’s a Natural.

Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Enjoyable Comedy

Story: My Spy starts as new CIA agent JJ (Bautista) goes off script on his mission, leading to him needing to be scaled down to a surveillance mission with new partner, in tech operator Bobbi (Schaal), the pair must watch over a mother Kate (Fitz-Henley) and her daughter Sophie (Coleman) who have a connection which could be a lead to the man that JJ lost.

When Sophie discovers the two watching them, she decides to blackmail them into being a friend, with JJ filling a void in her life, while opening him up to letting people in his life, learning more about himself.

Thoughts on My Spy

Characters – JJ is a former soldier turned CIA agent, he does lack the undercover skills, which he does make up in his military training, he is reluctant to work with a new partner, seeing his latest mission as a bad one he has no interest in. he gets caught out and must do what young Sophie says or see his cover exposed, seeing him being a fish out of water, turning from closed off from the world to learning to enjoy it again. Sophie is the young girl that is still trying to adapt to her new life, struggling to make friends, before turning to JJ to be another adult figure in her life, showing the skills to play JJ to put the smile back on her face. Kate is the mother of Sophie, the lady that JJ is meant to be watching over, she is struggling to adapt to her new life, balancing being an ER nurse and mother, which sees her letting her down at times. Bobbi is the partner to JJ, she idolises him and can’t wait to work with him, only to find him being distant from her, with her first mission in the field.

Performances – Dave Bautista is great in the leading role showing his skill for comedy in a way that we don’t see from other action heavy stars. Chloe Coleman does a great job in her role too, showing great chemistry with Dave. The rest of the cast get their laughs when needed, working well through the film.

Story – The story here follows a rookie CIA agent who must work on a surveillance mission, only he gets caught out and must teach the young girl who caught him how to be a spy. The story is enjoyable to watch, the whole CIA versus the villain side does take a firm backseat for the story, while we focus on the unlikely friendship between the former soldier turn CIA agent and the little girl that wants to be a spy. We get to address how difficult it can be to fit in as a child in a new environment, how soldiers could see their lives becoming very isolated, with the two helping each other, showing help can come from strange locations. We could easily say we have seen stories like this before, with other big name action stars, this does do enough to stand on its own on the buddy side, but does become forgettable when it comes to the mission.

Action/Comedy – The action in the film is entertaining, with the fights working well, certain scenes getting a laugh too, this is where the comedy steps up, the pairing of JJ and Sophie will get most the laughs, though the supporting people around them interact well through the film for even more laughs.

Settings – The film uses the basic surveillance settings through the film, it is mostly an apartment building and the surrounding Chicago location, it works well enough for the film, without needing to be anything more.


Scene of the Movie – The plane.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The mission does seem to just be in the background too much.

Final Thoughts – This is an entertaining comedy that the family could enjoy, it will get enough laughs and continues to show Dave Bautista becoming a bigger name in the action comedy world.

Overall: Great Fun.

Categories
Movie Review

The Hunt (2020) Movie Review

Director: Craig Zobel

Writer: Nick Cuse, Damon Lindelof (Screenplay)

Starring: Hilary Swank, Emma Roberts, Betty Gilpin, Ethan Suplee, Justin Hartley, Ike Barinholtz, Macon Blair

Plot: Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen – for a very specific purpose – The Hunt.


Tagline – The Most Talked About Movie of the Year is One That No One’s Actually Seen

Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Entertaining Comedy

Story: The Hunt starts as 12 strangers wake up gagged in the middle of a woodland area, with a mysterious box sat in the middle of a field, soon they discover they are trying to fight back against a group of rich people that are looking forward to their hunting trip.

Crystal (Gilpin) soon turns out to be one of the strongest members of the strangers, being able to fight back, searching for an answer to why they have been select, where they are and proving to be a lot harder to kill than the rest of the group.

Thoughts on The Hunt

Characters – Crystal is one of the random strangers that has been taken for this game, she does head off on her own once she awakes, she proves to be difficult to kill, knowing how to get through different people bs and isn’t going down without a fight. Athena is the woman leading the hunt, she has planned, picked and set everything up, waiting for her chance to spill the motivation behind the selection. When it comes to the other characters, we meet the strangers who give out small clues to who they are, while the hunters give us clues to why they are doing this, letting the leading two get the most scenes.

Performances – Betty Gilpin is wonderful in the leading role, which sees her holding back a lot, while letting her actions speak louder, while Hilary Swank is meant to be more of a surprise, though the trailer gives everything away with her appearance and she is great to see in this role. The supporting cast get plenty of laughs along the way.

Story – The story here follows the 12 strangers that have been taken to be used in a hunting situation for the rich elite to hunt down for their own pleasure. This is a simple side of the story, with the wild introduction that doesn’t let you know which character is going to be the lead character and once we learn who it will be, we don’t get bogged down with the standard hunting situation, we get well into the bigger picture and why everything has unfolding, which is a clear message about how to react to what we say in any tone.

Action/Horror – The action here is fantastic to watch, with the final showdown being a true highlight of the film, being completely engaging and showing the characters look like they have been hurt during it, we do get a lot more comedy that expected with the satire style of the film, which shows the horror of what is going on to them.

Settings – The film does take us to the woodland area, which is part of the mystery about where we are, with the characters needing to learn this along the way, it works because it could have been anywhere.


Scene of the Movie – The final showdown.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The hiding of Athena’s face for most of the movie, even though the trailer gave away who it was.

Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful satire that will get laughs that will make you think about who you word things in your own life, with a outstanding leading performance from Betty Gilpin.

Overall: Entertaining Throughout.

Categories
Movie Review

An Irish Story: This is My Home (2020) Movie Review

Director: Karl Nickoley

Plot: The Black Donnellys attempt to break the Guinness World Record for a concert played in every U.S. state while exploring Irish immigration to America and its influence and heritage.

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Nice TV Style Documentary

Story: An Irish Story: This is my Home starts as we meet Dave Rooney and Dave Browne known as The Black Donnellys, who have broken world records in the past, including the longest gig. The pair have set their sights on a new world record, the fast number of gigs in the 50 different states in the USA.

As the band start their tour, they start to look at the first obstacles that are thrown at them, which sees the band look to make sure they can continue their dream to achieve this world record.

Thoughts on An Irish Story: This is my Home

Final Thoughts – This is a documentary that would be an easy watch through the television screen, mostly because we are watching a small band trying to make history, does give us an interesting theme to watch, with chasing dreams being inspiring to anybody else. We do learn about the stories of the band members, what drives them to achieve with the world records and have their name in the record books until somebody else comes along. We get glimpses of their music, though it could have given us a little bit more, which does play in the background for a lot of scenes, but we could have seen the performances. The highlight of the journey is seeing the different size of the gigs, with some being the typical bar scenes, while others have a much more personal motivation, for people who wouldn’t normally be able to see the band. A nice look at how dreamers could get to achieve everything they are trying to in life.

Overall: Entertaining Documentary

Categories
Movie Review

Transference (2020) Movie Review

Director: Matthew Ninaber

Writer: Jennifer Lloyd, Matthew Ninaber, Aaron Tomlin (Screenplay)

Starring: Jeremy Ninaber, Jehan Hashim, Melissa Joy Boerger, Eamon Hanson, Justin Moses, Ethan Mitchell, Aaron Tomlin

Plot: A financially struggling Josh pays to keep his disturbed sister hidden in a mental facility, as he tries to find a solution to their supernatural episodes, but someone has followed their destruction and hiding is no longer an option.


Tagline – It’s darkest within.

Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Simmers

Story: Transference starts as Josh (Ninaber) is looking for the latest solution for the help his sister Emma (Boerger) needs, currently local up under the care of Doug (Mitchell) mostly to hide her from the world, rather than solve the problems she is showing.

As Josh is pushed to new lengths to keep Emma safe, a mysterious biker tracks him, a doctor, Malcolm (Tomlin) offers to help and Josh’s own love interest Amanda (Hashim) must let him have enough space to do the right thing for his sister.

Thoughts on Transference

Characters – Josh has always wanted to keep his sister safe, he keeps her away from the world, with only one person stopping her unleashing what could cause her problems. He keeps himself to himself not wanting to become exposed for what he is doing, until he is forced into letting someone help. Emma is the sister that has been locked away from the world, she has an ability which could cause people harm and knows that she is dangerous to the world. Doug is the doctor that reluctantly helps Josh, even though he knows it isn’t doing any good for Emma, he suggests Malcolm to come in and help. Malcolm is a doctor that is asked to come and help with treating Emma, only he starts pushing in ways that doesn’t make Josh comfortable.

Performances – Jeremy Ninaber and Melissa Joy Boerger are both the highlights of the performances, as we see how the two work together and alone to show why they are doing each action through the film.

Story – The story here follows a brother who is keeping his sister away from the world because of the danger she could posses to the world if the wrong people get their hands on her and what happens when somebody gets too close. The story does have plenty of interesting ideas here, the problem comes with trying to hold too much back at times, we know there is an ability in question and we can see the aftermath, only we deal with more along the lines of ‘Midnight Special’ where it is the keeping everything safe, rather than getting into the personal issues early enough. The idea that we do get different people coming into Josh’s life does offer up plenty of different potential threats or friends.

Sci-Fi – The sci-fi side of this film does look at the ideas of power or abilities that people might have and the danger that could come to the world.

Settings – The film does use settings to show how Emma is kept away from the world, without needing to give us anything iconic for the film to use.


Scene of the Movie – Is it a dream?

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not unleashing the full power.

Final Thoughts – This is a sci-fi film with plenty of ideas that doesn’t get enough of the ideas getting unleashed, while having strong performances throughout.

Overall: Holds Too Much Back.

Categories
Movie Review

The Invisible Man (2020) Movie Review

Director: Leigh Whannell

Writer: Leigh Whannell (Screenplay) H.G. Wells (Novel)

Starring: Elisabeth Moss (truth), Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman, Benedict Hardie

Plot: When Cecilia’s abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.


Tagline – What You Can’t See Can Hurt You

Runtime: 2 Hours 4 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: First Great Horror of the Decade

Story: The Invisible Man starts as Cecilia (Moss) escapes her abusive relationship with Adrian (Jackson-Cohen), still haunted by her time thinking Adrian will find her, she is living with cop James (Hodge) and his daughter Sydney (Reid), when she learns the news that Adrian has killed himself.

While trying to move on with her life Cecilia starts to suspect Adrian is in fact still alive and faked his death to continue to ruin her life, with his knowledge of technology, which nobody will believe her story about, leading her to need to prove the truth before it is too late.

Thoughts on The Invisible Man

Characters – Cecilia Kass was once an ambitious architect who ends up getting involved in an abusive relationship, where nobody knows about, she has planned her escape, even though she is still caught under his spell, believing he will come for her, she is trying to continue her life after his death. Cecilia shows us just how difficult escaping an abusive relationship can be and how not everybody is going to understand the story. Adrian Griffin is the tech genius that has been controlling Cecilia’s life refusing to let her live her life and after she leaves, he kills himself, only he continues to haunt her life using his knowledge of tech. James is a police officer that takes in Cecilia, while raising his teenage daughter, he is very open and patient with Cecilia, only he will always put his daughter first.

Performances – Elisabeth Moss is fantastic in the leading role, giving us one of the greatest performances of the year. Aldis Hodge was great to watch too, showing both sides of his character very well. While the actual invisible man is more about the presences, it is truly hard to give a true description about the acting behind it.

Story – The story here follows a woman escape her abusive relationship only to learn the man has killed himself, only he hasn’t, he is still haunting her using his own creation to continue to torment her life. Where this story is very interesting, is by not telling us everything about Adrian, we start with the escape and learn about him from how Cecilia tells the people in her life. This helps because we slowly see how Cecilia could well be losing her mind and by sucking out all of the sound in most scenes, we have a tension filled story.

Horror/Sci-Fi – The horror in this film comes from seeing how Cecilia is being haunted by an invisible threat and how that person goes about causing the pain in her life, while the sci-fi side of the film shows us just how the invisible effect is achieved.

Settings – The film does use the locations to show the different places Cecilia finds herself, from the glamorous mansion, to the suburban location or the hospital she finds herself being assessed in.

Special Effects – The effects are flawless to make every action seem nature despite the attacker being invisible.


Scene of the Movie – The Dinner.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It never seems to be explained the relationship between Cecilia and James.

Final Thoughts – This is easily going to become one of the best horrors of the year, with one of the best performances of the year from Elisabeth Moss, being one of the most gripping movies too.

Overall: Fantastic

 

Categories
Movie Review

Emerald Run (2020) Movie Review

Director: Eric Etebari

Writer: Anthony Caruso (Screenplay)

Starring: David Chokachi, John Schneider, Chris Mulkey, Yancy Butler, Michael Pare, Vernon Wells, Angela Gots

Plot: A Desperate man gets involved in a risky plan to smuggle emeralds across the Mexican border in order to save his daughter’s life. When the deal goes awry and he is left for dead


Tagline – Family is everything

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Slow Paced

Story: Emerald Run Starts as John Thomas (Chokachi) a former criminal that needs to raise money for his daughter Lisa’s medical bills, which sees him reunite with a former boss Alfio Sarda (Mulkey) which would see him look to smuggle diamonds across the border.

When the job goes wrong, John is left for dead in the desert, he must find his way back to safety to bring down the person that has set him up.

Thoughts on Emerald Run

Characters – John Thomas is getting to new lengths to try and help his family, he agrees to help his father-in-law, which sees him try and smuggle some emeralds over the border, only to be left for dead and needing to fight to survive to expose the truth. Alfio Sarda is the father-in-law that will do anything to make more money, he has a reputation for being a man that will give people opportunities, as quick as he will take them away. Anna is the wife of John’s who challenges John’s faith when it comes to fighting their daughter’s illness. We do meet plenty of other people who are all interested in the emeralds and money involved.

Performances – David Chokachi in the leading role does bring the character to life, which is the only performance that gets enough time to make something out of his character and their limited screen time.

Story – The story here follows a father that agrees to go on a risk smuggling run to help get the funds for his daughter’s medical treatment, only to be left for dead. This is a story that does have the right motivation for John to be going on the job, but it does seem to make him look to desperate, when he doesn’t need to be, we do have a religious theme in the film, which doesn’t help, as John is conflicted with the ideas behind the survival. The story never really feels as intense as it should be and ends up feeling flat throughout.

Adventure – The adventure does take John on a job which doesn’t go to plan, forcing him to try and survive in the wilderness.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show us just how harsh the environment John is travelling through will be on his mind and body.


Scene of the Movie – Home.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It felt very slow.

Final Thoughts – This is a by the books adventure movie that focuses on how far people would go for family and what is worth risking for them.

Overall: Flat Adventure film.

Categories
Movie Review

Brahms: The Boy II (2020) Movie Review

Director: William Brent Bell

Writer: Stacey Menear (Screenplay)

Starring: Katie Holmes, Owain Yeoman, Christopher Convery, Ralph Ineson, Anjali Jay, Oliver Rice

Plot: After a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their young son soon makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms.


Tagline – He’s made a friend

Runtime: 1 Hour 26 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Too Much Baiting

Story: Brahms: The Boy II starts when Liza (Holmes) and her son Jude (Convery) suffer a burglary gone wrong, which sees Liza injured and suffering in her own way and Jude turned to a mute, communicating only with his notebook, to escape and try to rebuild their lives, Liza, Jude and Sean (Yeoman) escape to the country, to a guest house next to Heelshire Mansion.

Jude discovers Brahms the doll buried in the woodland area around the house and starts to use it to communicate, but the rules Brahms wants in place lead to Liza getting worried about the power it might be having over him and the promises it is making.

Thoughts on Brahms: The Boy II

Characters – Liza does suffer a head injury after the burglary gone wrong as she was protecting her son, she is suffering her own traumas, but is trying to stay strong for her son, even though her trauma is rubbing off on him. She does start to question Brahms, with everything that she does, being for Jude. Sean is the typical father in horror films, he will always be the child’s best mate, try to be the voice of reason and usually not around when anything scary is happening. Jude is the young boy that witnesses his mum get attacked, he used to like pranks and now he is left to communicate through a notebook, he finds Brahms and brings him back to the house and is getting overly attached to the doll. Joseph is the local groundskeeper that always appears when the story needs just a little bit more mystery or explanation thrown in.

Performances – Katie Holmes does well in the leading role, it is more her dealing with the trauma that shines through over anything to do with the horror. Owain Yeoman had a difficult job because the character is so flat, it is hard to bring him to life. Christopher Convery is creepy at times through the film, which does add plenty to the film.

Story – The story here follows a family looking to rebuild their life and solve the trauma they have been through with an extended stay in the country, only for the son Jude to find Brahms the doll and bring him back to the home to join the family, which only leads to creepy events around the house. Well, this story was a lot to digest, first I would praise the fact that we are dealing with the idea of trying to overcome a trauma, which would explain a couple of events in the film, including why the doll was used as a way of getting back on his feet and how Liza could be unsure of what she is seeing. Where the story gets confusing, is by knowing what happened in the first film and while it might well get explained, it does feel like we are watching a completely different Brahms than we saw first time out. A lot of this, does first change the tone, it is a light feeling babysitting gig, it is a personal story about overcoming something, with a much darker tone through the film, that does give us a couple of potential theories as to what will happen, I personally had three different ideas of how it would end and none of them happen.

Horror/Mystery – The horror in the film is the basic jump scares, we know we will get silence, loud noise as something scary happens, they all happen to Liza, because the mother will always be the target in this style of film, though the doll does give us a creepy vibe. The mystery is why is Brahms different this time around, while we do get the generic research and slowly unwinding story from supporting characters, we don’t get enough clues or hints to anything that happens here.

Settings – The film is set in the guest house next to the first film’s house, while still on the same land, the hallways are less creepy and we do spend time at the original house, it just isn’t the primary setting.

Special Effects – The effects in the film are used sparingly through the film, they seem weird when used around Brahms, though could be saved by something in the final act.


Scene of the Movie – Let go of the hat, that kid deserved it.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – What sort of parent would bring their asshole son to see a child who has been through a horrific trauma, when he has the sensitivity level of zero?

Final Thoughts – This is a sequel that feels like they wanted to try and create a franchise, the performances are good enough, the scares are basic and we don’t spend enough time on the true trauma of the characters.

Overall: Strange Sequel.

Categories
Movie Review

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) Movie Review

Director: Jeff Fowler

Writer: Patrick Casey, Josh Miller (Screenplay) Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, Hirokazu Yasuhara (Characters)

Starring: Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Neal McDonough, Ben Schwartz, Adam Pally, Tika Sumpter, Leanne Lapp

Plot: After discovering a small, blue, fast hedgehog, a small-town police officer must help it defeat an evil genius who wants to do experiments on it.


Tagline – A whole new speed of hero

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Fast Fun Film

Story: Sonic the Hedgehog starts as a young Sonic must leave his home after being discovered by creatures that want his power, he moves to Earth and a small Montana city Green Hill, where he follows the residents believing he is part of the town, even though nobody knows he is even there.

After Sonic unleashes his power, the government turn to Dr Ivo Robotnik (Carrey) to learn about what caused it, which sees Sonic needing to turn to Tom (Marsden) for help, so he can escape the danger or learn to fight, finally exposing himself to the human race, as Robotnik looks to use the power Sonic holds.

Thoughts on Sonic the Hedgehog

Characters – Sonic is the alien blue hedgehog that has great speed, which sees him elude being seen for years, he must leave his home world after being discovered, where he makes a life for himself on Earth, watching a small town, where his loneliness is slowly starting to catch up on him. He is hyper excitable once he makes a friend and must decide whether to continue running or make a stand and fight to remain with his new friend. It is amazing that we do get some real feelings towards the blue fella as we feel the sympathy of loneliness he is feeling. Tom is a local cop that has been looking for a new challenge in a big city, a chance that has come his way, until Sonic turns to him for help, where Tom must do the right thing, save a person in need. Maddie is his wife that has always dealt with her sister being against their marriage, not as big of part of the film compared to Tom. Dr Ivo Robotnik is the machine genius who the government has turned to after the energy surge, he will do anything to put people down around him and is determined to capture sonic to use his power for his machines.

Performances – James Marsden is fun in the leading role working well with the voice work of Ben Schwartz as Sonic, while working well with Tika Sumpter when they get time together. Jim Carrey is entertaining through the whole film being wonderful to watch in the film.

Story – The story here follows an alien blue hedgehog that must turn to a human to help him find a new home to escape a mad man scientist who is looking to use his power for his own benefit. When it comes to video game movies, we know we need to take everything lighter than normal when it comes to storytelling, last year we got Detective Pikachu, which was a lot of fun, and Sonic the Hedgehog follows suit. Seeing how Sonic is becoming lonely in his life away from the rest of the world is something that people can relate too. The adventure to find an item which can solve the problem is an easy to watch story unfold, which is all we needed, with the performances helping the story become more entertaining. Everything we see in this story does give us a nice starting point for a potential franchise, with the rings being used in a way that could unlock any potential future.

Action/Adventure – The action in the film does work for the film with the fast paced Sonic, having scenes which work for the pace, even if some of those moments do feel like we are watching Quicksilver from X-Men. The adventure side of the film sees how Tom and Sonic must travel to San Francisco to get the rings back

Settings – The film uses the small town setting to show how Sonic has created his own perfect world, one where he knows everyone and wants to call him home, he isn’t interested in the big city home where he must go.

Special Effects – As the film was widely panned after the first look a Sonic, the effects we do see in the film are strong and bring the blue guy to life.


Scene of the Movie – The final showdown.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Olive Garden being an on running joke.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun action movie that brings the video game character to life with ease to make us understand his pain and desire to be important in somebody’s life.

Overall: Enjoyable.