Hot take of the week: fans of a beloved cultural icon don’t take too kindly to having their childhood memories of said franchise desecrated. Enter Paramount’s first full-fledged trailer for Sonic The Hedgehog which, if we’re to put it lightly, has gone down like a lead balloon with fans on social media.
However, given that the majority of Sonic’s adorers are now in their adult years, they’re a respectful bunch. The Blue Blur’s live-action debut has yet to garner Paramount any nonsensical threats – that we know of, at least – but instead, onlookers have resorted to giving the upcoming flick a right good roasting.
The subject? Why, none other than the anthropomorphic hero himself, of course. Wholly unsurprisingly, reaction to the Hog’s redesign for the big screen has been near-unanimously derided for straying too far from Sega’s original design, the result a cavalcade of comedy gold at the character’s expense.
— Amanda 🗽 (@WMassLiberty) April 30, 2019
Hank Azaria: I will make a fool of myself as Gargamel!
Jim Carrey: HOLD MY BEER' pic.twitter.com/SRfyo74rYO
— Malek T. (مالك) (@malekawt) April 30, 2019
— FilBil (@FilBillions) April 30, 2019
— Óscar Oyola (@OscarORF1) April 30, 2019
The Boy Whose Face And Arms And Arse Are Blue
Channel 4, 9pm pic.twitter.com/u4GcC7qVzZ
— Sam White (@samwrite) April 30, 2019
— Carl Johnson (@CJ_Appearance) April 30, 2019
Calling it now. pic.twitter.com/gatqG3ev2o
— Robert (@TheCheekyTaurus) April 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/kiraShimamu/status/1123218503937478659
https://twitter.com/GawjoGator/status/1123229090226552835
this sums up my reaction to that trailer pic.twitter.com/vfa5YuPpVO
— 𝙹𝙾𝙴⚡ (@JoeXanity) April 30, 2019
— 🌺AmyRoser (@RatedEArt) April 30, 2019
— Bondforged TINfinite (@TinTinfinite) April 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/xtheYukx/status/1123241872716128256
https://twitter.com/RaygamerYT92/status/1123210459631505408
To its credit, Paramount has taken the inevitable criticism in its stride, though that raises questions of its own. The studio was no doubt aware of the negative reception an earlier poster showing Sonic’s silhouette attracted, so for it to have decided against making any adjustments is strange, to say the least.
Then again, the final product could be a result of taking that feedback into account, so who knows – this could well be the lesser of two evils. On the bright side, Jim Carrey’s portrayal of Dr. Robotnik/Eggman has received praise, especially for infusing his trademark humor into the role. Whether that early positivity will last once the film has arrived is anyone’s guess, but silver linings, and all that.
Sonic The Hedgehog speeds into theaters this November and it’s not the only video game adaptation slated for 2019, either. Next month sees the long-awaited release of Detective Pikachu. Needless to say, it received a warmer welcome than Sega’s mascot.
