Shadow The Hedgehog The Movie

Sonic the Hedgehog movie release date, reviews, trailer, redesign and cast

the Sonic the hedgehog movie stars Ben Schwartz (voicing Sonic), James Marsden, and Tika Sumpter

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures/Sega)

Do you gotta go fast to see the Sonic the Hedgehog movie this weekend? Well, that depends on how much you love the iconic Sega character, how you value critics reviews and your thoughts on a Jim Carrey renaissance.

The Sonic movie arrives after a significant delay, thanks to the cries of horror that met the initial trailer, where our ring collecting hero just looked wrong. After this course correction, will Sonic the Hedgehog thrive or go straight to Netflix?

The history of video game movies isn't exactly strong, but the studio's willingness to adapt to fan feedback gives us some hope for the quality of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. In fact, a bunch of us are going to see it together at a theater near the Tom's Guide offices.

So, now that we've revved our engines for the Sonic movie, here's everything you need to know to make a decision as to whether you need to spin head-first into this possible Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe.

Sonic the Hedgehog movie release date

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie came out today Friday, Feb. 14 (this Valentine's Day, join Sonic in putting a ring on it!). Like many big movies, though, Sonic the Hedgehog technically comes out in theaters one day early, with many theaters showing it starting the night of Feb. 13.

We've also got details on the Sonic the Hedgehog movie post-credits scenes.

Sonic the Hedgehog movie reviews

Currently, Sonic the Hedgehog has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 70%. Bilge Ebiri at Vulture praises Jim Carrey, saying he's "taps back into the unpredictable energies of his golden era," but also notes that it "could have been the biggest hit of 1996, in ways both good and bad."

Spencer Perry at ComicBook.com said it captures the spirit of the games and character, while Amon Warmann at Empire also compliments Carrey's performance as "on form" but says the story-telling is off.

Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer

In the official trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, the titular character leaps out of the Green Hill Zone and into our own universe. And just like every entity with special powers in a movie, he's nearly immediately hunted for capture by an evil man with alarming facial hair.

His foe, of course, is the wily Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey out here chewing on scenery like it's candy). Sonic's only hope, as we see, is a goof named Tom Wachowski, who's played by James Marsden.

Sonic the Hedgehog movie redesign

If you missed the original Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer (which they've since taken down), and are wondering how Sonic could have looked, wonder no more. The folks at Entertainment Access combined the original April 2019 trailer with the November 2019 version, so you can watch the new clip before the old one.

As you can see in the preview still, the original Sonic looked a lot less cartoonish, and with a truer snout, smaller eyes and ... well, the less said about the teeth the better. Watch the clip to also notice how oddly muscular and athletic the original Sonic looked.

Sonic the Hedgehog movie cast

Ben Schwartz as Sonic (voice and facial motion capture)
Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik
James Marsden as Tom Wachowski
Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski
Lee Majdoub as Stone
Adam Pally as Wade Whipple

In addition to the main cast, expect some special surprises. Garry Chalk, who voiced Grounder in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Robotnik in Sonic Underground is confirmed to be in the movie, as is rapper/crazy person Riff Raff.

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Henry is a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past six-plus years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.