The first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog is out. If you’ve been following the leaks and rumours for the Sonic movie and hoped they were false: bad news. There’s been a lengthy and sustained speculation for the movie which producers are presumably looking to capitalise on. Almost all feedback for the trailer has been negative. At the same time, there’s no denying its been spread widely and discussed on just about every news site going. Equally there are YouTube reaction videos and an explosion of Sonic movie memes keeping this thing in front of you. The end result? Sonic the Hedgehog is a trailer nobody likes, and fast becoming a must-see movie.
Is it the worst trailer ever? No, not really. The cast seems solid. There’s a lot wrong with Sonic, but Ben Schwartz‘ voice isn’t an issue. Robotnik’s over-the-top attitude Jim Carrey seems to digging deep for his 90s goofiness – era appropriate for a Sonic movie. It seems as though the hook of this movie is the snark-fueled rivalry between Sonic and Robotnik, which has been the basis of pretty much every cartoon based on the character. Except this time Robotnik is slimmer.
Its clear from the trailer that the movie is not aiming for artistic brilliance, but not every movie has to. The Sonic movie looks strange as hell, but by far the most off-putting part remains Sonic’s design. I’ve shared thoughts on the Sonic design previously, exploring how Sonic’s die-hard fans have every right to be sceptical. Sonic’s look is again what drew the most mockery in the wake of the trailer. A particular focus for many are Sonic’s inexplicably human teeth. Beyond the unappealing design there are other elements adding to the baffling mix. Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise seems about as far from appropriate from a movie about a snarky hedgehog as you can get. Again, though, its these details that are attracting attention to it.
