There have been some astounding shows based on video games in recent years, from Arcane and Castlevania to The Last of Us and Fallout. Unfortunately, video game movies have failed to reach the same level of quality, but there has been one notable exception. Sonic the Hedgehog was a surprise hit in 2020, kicking off a franchise that will continue later this year with Sonic the Hedgehog 3. But if you need to catch up, the first movie is now on Netflix.
You might remember the controversy that surrounded the initial trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog, which featured an inexplicably horrifying computer-generated Sonic that gave us all nightmares. Thankfully, the artists went back to the drawing board and returned with a much more palatable interpretation of the famous Sega video game character.
When the movie finally did hit theaters in early 2020 — weeks before the world shut down — it quickly became a smash hit. After taking in $319 million worldwide, Sonic the Hedgehog ended up being the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2020.
“The world needed a hero — it got a hedgehog,” reads Paramount’s synopsis for the first movie. “Powered with incredible speed, Sonic embraces his new home on Earth — until he accidentally knocks out the power grid, sparking the attention of uncool evil genius Dr. Robotnik. Now, it’s supervillain vs. supersonic in an all-out race across the globe to stop Robotnik from using Sonic’s unique power to achieve world domination.”
In the movie, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) finds himself transported from his home planet to Earth, where he befriends Sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden). But the real scene-stealer is Jim Carrey, who plays the villainous Dr. Robotnik.
Jim Carrey has generally been opposed to doing sequels, but he surprisingly returned for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 2022. He’ll reprise that role once again in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 this fall and will also play Robotnik’s grandfather, Gerald Robotnik.
If you are looking for more after the first movie, you can stream Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Hulu. The third movie hits theaters on December 20, 2024.
