Jeff Fowler directs Sonic the Hedgehog, a film based on the 90s Sega video games.

The film centers around this typically optimistic blue hedgehog who becomes depressed when thinking that he will always be alone– him and I sure do have that in common- except this dude’s strong emotions causes a city-wide power outage. Jim Carrey plays a silly sinister over-the-top Dr. Robotnik who is hired by the government to discover and eliminate the cause of the blackout. Sonic teams up with Sheriff Tom Wachowski, played by James Marsden, in order to prevent being caught.

The setup interestingly sheds light on Sonic’s origins and I could sympathize to Sonic feeling lonely! Unfortunately, outside of the setup which was well-developed, the film becomes predictable and formulaic as soon as Carrey hits the screen. Children may find his lines to be comical but I found most of them to be outlandishly unclever (which is unfortunate, as I am a fan of Carrey’s classics, such as The Mask and Liar Liar). I do not think you need to run out to see Sonic this weekend, but it is fine passive entertainment kids will enjoy, 90s adults may be amused by.