I basically disagree, not everything can be explained like that imo, what about change in character designs then? Sonic aged and suddenly he gained green eyes? What about the time that for some reason Eggman changed his appearance completely in 2006 but returned to normal after it for some reason? Or what about humans in general? some games they are present, some games they are absent, and they change style completely whenever they appear? Why the world map in Unleashed is completely different than Forces? why green hell exist in one but not the other? and why whenever we see Green Hell on a map it changes places completely? What about games that straight up contradict each other like Sonic Rush and Sonic Rivals? each had their own explanation for Eggman Nega, or even Blaze and Silver if you include 2006 in the mix? Why Sonic only needs rings to fill boost meter in Unleashed and Generations but for some reason he can't do it without wisps in Colors and Forces? That's without talking about different takes like Sonic Riders , secret rings etc Games are not consistent at all, i wouldn't even fault them for that, the way i see this franchise, it's like Batman and Spiderman etc, they can have pretty different takes, you don't have to like all of them, but you don't have to act like the series didn't differ from it's "origins" either, it's not like the series have some super solid canon or anything.
I saw the movie in theater months ago on my birthday, before COVID stuff started getting really bad. I was kinda predisposed to like the movie, I admit; I didn't really have any specific expectations for it (neither positive nor negative), I was seeing it with some really good friends who weren't into Sonic games so much but were aware of the buzz about the movie with the very first trailer, I had been in a much better mental space in early 2020 compared to early 2019, and, well...it was a Sonic movie, and Sonic is one my favorite game franchises. (what a surprise!) The "this is an actual thing that exists now" feeling didn't really hit me until we got in the theater before the movie started. I was genuinely excited! It was such a jump from the initial impression I had. So all of that I think influenced how I would see the movie. And it definitely was a super fun time with my friends, but I haven't really thought about the movie any deeper than that since watching it. And yeah...I don't really feel the need to rewatch it? Definitely would feel more compelled to go back to it if it broke away a bit more from its formulaic premise/setting; ideally the sequel will be a little less "generic" and work in more elements that seem like they could exist in the game world, even if they're done somewhat abstractly like how the rings were adapted in this movie. Again, the experience was great though: with the movie being fine, it was cool to see a version of a character I enjoyed through a medium that my friends and I could all appreciate. I also thought Ben Schwartz was great as this version of Sonic, and the way the writers worked up to Sonic calling Robotnik "Eggman" was genuinely clever. Overall I thought the movie itself was harmless as is. "Been there done that" feelings aside, I have like 3 moments in the whole movie that I actively disliked IIRC. It felt like there was a lot of heart in it, but that may be my aforementioned bias speaking lol. I do hope the sequel improves on its weaker aspects though.
Ok it’s one thing if you don’t like the movie but you’re just making stuff up. Sonic’s sense of adventure and caring for animals/others is definitely there. You’re clearly choosing to ignore it along with the other game elements while writing off the echidnas...for reasons. Nobody is denying it was simplified for the sake of introducing Sonic. That’s what sequels are for. Saying nothing about his backstory lines ups with the games is the poorest complaint I’ve seen. None of the games have given him a backstory (someone correct me if any game has ever touched on his origins, there’s a few portables I haven’t played). His origins have only come from comics and cartoons and both are different. Yet you criticize the power rings. The most game-accurate game-element in the movie. You’re just straight up hating and I know I replied against my better judgment. I am curious though how his redesign was still “wrong”. Please don’t say blue arms or separate eyes. I thought they were just going to adjust his face and add gloves.
I mean, Unleashed and Colors basically have the same plot, except that Unleashed just makes things complicated by turning Sonic into a Werewolf. Remove that and they’re basically the same story with different settings.
The map was always in the script but it was designed by me much later. You can still see my handwriting in "Safe Worlds".
As an aside, re: "The echidna tribe is alive in this universe and that really messes things up" I've seen that sentiment before but like... people know how old Knuckles is right? And people know where babies come from, right? Unless you want Knuckles to be the end result of incest, there had better have been more than 2 echidna alive 16 years ago.
A "Night of the Werehog" feature length movie would be great. Also can we stop saying things like "this was just the first movie, the sequel will be more fleshed out and better"? When has a sequel to a kids movie ever been better than the first? In all likelihood the sequel will have all the same problems as the first and none of the heart. It will just be a cash-grab like all animated sequels are.
Eh...Not really. Sonic's Personality is quite different in Unleashed than in Colors. Sure he has the wise cracks in the former like he does in the latter, but unlike the latter? He actually takes the stakes of the story seriously in the former. Unlike the latter that pretty much just cracks cringe jokes all the time, and over all just treats what he is doing is one big massive play job. He also shows a lot more of his...heroic side in the former than the latter. The plot also seems a lot larger in Unleashed as well, with earth being at stake due to it being split, and Sonic having to save it. Where as Colors just have the whole thing with Wisp that didn't really feel as big or grand as Unleashed did with the earth. The only thing the two might have in common is that they are both lighthearted, but even then Unleashed still manages to have the stakes be taken seriously unlike Colors. In other words? Unleashed still has that Shonen Anime feel (Despite the humans looking like Pixar characters) that Adventure 1 and 2 had but a bit more lighthearted than those two, while Colors has a Saturday Morning Cartoon feel.
The sequel is bound to be more fleshed out just based on the ending. How far they go beyond Robotnik/Mushroom Hill/Knuckles/Tails is unknown. I think other locations will appear and probably another cameo. Not sure about emeralds. I do not want to assume there will be 3 but a trilogy makes more sense instead of cramming everything in part 2. It took 3-4 games to get all the elements they’re popular for. I cannot stand the term cash grab. It’s one of the most cynical, exaggerated phrases that’s only used to naysay stuff. I get the meaning behind it but it’s rarely, if ever used in an objective context. So this movie was not “Sonic” enough but doing a sequel automatically makes it a cash grab? So in other words it’s darned if it does and darned if it doesn’t.
Pretty much all sequels are cash-grabs. It's easy for the studio because they don't have to do the heavy lifting of getting you invested into the characters. And most studios take advantage of that and make a forgettable sequel that either is a direct copy of the original or completely ignores the original's character development. That's what makes it a cash-grab. There are of course some sequels that are legit better than their predecessor. I think Shrek 2 is better than Shrek 1. But as a whole sequels are rarely as good as the first movie, and this problem is much more pronounced in kids movies. I would love for Sonic 2 to be an awesome movie that sticks to the plot/characterizations of the Genesis games, but in all likelihood, it'll just be a low-budget cash-grab middle of the road kids movie sequel.
In general I do not agree because in most cases they do elaborate on the story. People criticize sequels for not being as creative as the first but they can’t because that core idea/story was just done. The mind has been exposed to it. For example you cannot watch Jurassic Park for the first time...twice. Sequels, however many, will naturally be repetitive in someway. Not that it’s a bad thing. They can only work off the previous movie(s). In Sonic’s case the first one was so straightforward there’s nowhere else it can go but up. Maybe it could have started out on a bigger scale but Robotnik is from earth so I don’t know. It’d be weird without establishing a rivalry with Sonic first imo.
I always liked the idea that he was a Sun Wukong thing where he was born from an egg when he was needed the most. Since he’s an echidna, and eggs, and yeah lmao. But that’s just one of many ways. Always imagined it had something to do with the Master Emerald picking and choosing things it sees fit for destiny purposes, at least.
And I replied against my better judgement. I knew none of my criticisms would be taken seriously by someone who already had their mind made up and thinks this film just can’t POSSIBLY be better as a Sonic film lmao. First of all I know Sonic cares about a single animal and the people of Green Hills, USA, but not in the context I was expressing would need to probably be shown if we wanted to get to the core of what the games are about. If Sonic's core is him busting out animal trapped robots due to a desire to see people live free like him, then where is that in the film? Where is he actively pursuing that beyond when he's cornered at the end, and where is his want to be "like the wind" (as the games always point to)? Saying 'sequel' as a response seems like a cop out of my point. And sure, Sonic has no true backstory in the games. But there are certainly enough elements all throughout the JP manuals and early artwork/content to pull from, if you want to angle this as a passion project. Rather, it much more reflects the various western canons Sonic had, which I imagine is probably what the director and writers were looking at, if anything. And if you like those takes, more power to you! But I don't. That last bit is really all that could be said about this entire thing. I’m not gonna be able to change what you like, and you’re not going to be able to change what I like. I just don’t like it, or think it’s a good image of what Sonic is to me at all. No dig. It's different strokes.
I guess considering none of this is canon I don't really see how that's any less of a bastardization of Knuckles' origin than say, the last few Echidna dying shortly after his birth and leaving him alone. At some point you'd have to explain things like how he learned to talk, or who was guarding the emerald before then. And yes, you could concoct any number of ways to do it. But I don't see how it's any less faithful to the canon when the canon... doesn't exist.
I've also thought that once or twice. Knuckles lives alone on the island. But someone must've birthed him, and taught him the necessary stuff. So there had to have been a few echidnas alive until his official debut. I tend to reflect on such little things, here and there... xD
Sure, though it begs the question why they would leave him alone. I can see neat concepts coming from that, but I dunno. Admittedly I'm not as hard on the Knuckles thing as I feel about the other stuff. I just feel like a more mystic angle fits my personal cuppa for him more than a grounded one like that, especially since I don't want to lessen the impact of Adventure's story beats by stripping it's more succinct qualities, if I can. But others may not mind as much about doing that, so it's all different strokes I guess.
Sonic has literally been everything under the sun, are we really gonna take an issue any time the series deviates slightly from the source material? This is like how Star Wars fans take issue with anything that's not about Sith, Jedi, or Skywalkers. Guess I'll my small two cents; this movie basically exists on two levels, as a generic family film and a Sonic film. I can't even really judge it as a Sonic film because its well established as its own thing separate from the main series. It's like if I tried to judge SATAM compared to the games, which completely ignores the fact that its trying to be its own thing. The film isn't trying to be an 1:1 adaptation of the games, its' very much its own beast that borrows heavily from the games. Now do I wish for more Sonic related content in the sequels, absolutely. As a generic family film though, it gets the job done. I know I'm not the target demographic for this film and for what it is, I know the kids will enjoy it. I know it sucks to read this, but yes, Sonic is and will always be, for kids. Sorry, no getting around it. I personally found it kind of boring outside of Jim Carrey's performances as Eggman, and the occasional character moments brought from this version of Sonic. But I also saw this film in a theater full of kids, and they loved almost any time Sonic was on screen, and everyone audibly cheered when Tails came on. The film accomplished what it set out to do, introduce a new version of Sonic to a younger audience. If you were expecting something else, welp sorry. Oh and my opinion on this version of Sonic...he works for what the film sets out to do. He still has the high energy that's generally associated with the character, so it's not like he's completely unrecognizable. But he is very much a separate entity from the mainline version of the character. You can argue that he has actual character depth for once, having to wrestle with general insecurities that most kids who will see this have to endure, so he has that relatable aspect. But no, this is not the larger than life entity who confidently barrels through everything with no regrets, and he doesn't have to be. He can certainly BECOME that type of character by the end of the film series and I would it interesting how they have this version of Sonic growing into the version that we all know and love by the end of it; it would feel very earned to me.
Idk, I get it and why you guys are cool with it, but I was never really a fan of how Sonic is like TMNT or other similar series, where every new thing has to be a wild new take. Just feel like it would be nice if a tv/movie Sonic thing more directly reflected what it came from instead. Guess I have the IDW comics for that, but I digress.
As much as we all love it, fans are very quick to forget that Game!Sonic is a tarnished franchise to the rest of the world. The movie WE all want as fans isn't a movie that would ever be worth the price tag for a studio. Us fans lament that we'll never get a Core Sonic movie but don't really consider that a Core Sonic movie wouldn't make enough money to justify the budget of a wide-release feature. Let Ratchet & Clank serve as a cautionary tale for making a movie that's 100% authentic to a video game. Fans don't buy tickets to family features. Not enough, anyway. This is a golden rule in Hollywood. You can't sell a movie to kids without selling it to their parents first. What we really want is a present where Sonic as a franchise didn't shit the bed and require so many attempts at rebranding. But that's not the reality we live in.
