Sonic the Hedgehog is now 30 years old. A slew of video games has been released in that time (most of them are bad) along with a mountain of other merchandise. So, it comes as no surprise that no one thought this would be a good movie and the surprise is that it is actually fantastic.

The writers took the smart and logical angle from the very start. How do we get a gigantic talking blue hedgehog (that doesn’t look much like a real hedgehog, but I digress) from another planet to interact with humans on Earth? The story behind Sonic has always been very thin and no one really cares about the lore so they had a lot of runway to tackle this problem. They set up a dramatic escape for kid Sonic from his home planet to ours by using the magic of the gold rings from the games. Boom. A backstory and lore from the games.

Next, how do you get the audience to care about your protagonist? Give him a fun personality and problems people can relate to. For Sonic, he’s a one-of-a-kind dude who’s all alone far from his home. He’s self-sufficient in his survival on Earth but he has to keep himself hidden from the townspeople of Green Hills. Except for the old man who spotted him and keeps trying to trap him. But no one believes him because he’s a crazy old man talking about a gigantic blue creature that moves incredibly fast. Sonic’s big wish is to have a friend or two.

And then we come to, what’s the problem of the story? Where’s the conflict. Here the writer’s figured out how to integrate long-time Sonic villain, Dr. Robotnik. Sonic accidentally sets off a massive power surge (which becomes a McGuffin for Robotnik to covet) that makes his presence known. Robotnik comes onto the scene, Sonic teams up with a local police officer and what do we have now? A buddy comedy with awesome action.

I’m amazed at how good this movie is. Tons of character, a lot of heart, and a well-constructed script that’s perfectly paced and never outlasts its welcome. The cast is terrific. James Marsden as Tom is a great counterbalance to Sonic and it’s a hell of an achievement to make a believable relationship between an animated character and a real actor on screen. Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik is a stroke of genius, he’s perfect. The cartoon version of Robotnik was more or less a mustache-twirling Loony Tunes/Tex Avery kind of villain. Carrey pulls that closer to his wheelhouse while not making him too over the top. He’s the right kind of wacky. They also sneak in-game references so that it’s never distracting or feels like fan service. It’s subtle nods for fans to pick out names, places, and designs while the general audience can stick with everything going on naturally.

The SFX are some of the best in the business as well. The CG is animated, rendered, and integrated so well with the live action footage that I never questioned that Sonic wasn’t actually standing in a bar learning how to throw darts or running 100 miles an hour down a road while fighting off a Robotnik tank.

The video game to movie translations have been getting much better recently and it’s about time! I recommend Sonic the Hedgehog to any kid or adult looking for a good adventure to watch.