Urkel to reprise the voice of Sonic in upcoming fan film.

[Popcorn]

It looks like literally the worst thing of all time, ever, literally.

[G.Silver]

I will give them credit for their E102y. That was really pretty impressive!

[Delphine]

I tried to pick out the worst thing about it, but I can't. It's all the worst thing.

[Rob-Bert]

How is it that the CGI in that trailer looks worse than that in the first teaser?

[Farmer]

Cringe cringe cringe.

[Team Mecha]

& finally the film is out.

[Neo]

It's a parody of itself, right? I mean, it's got to be self-aware. It has James fucking Rolfe, for crying out loud!

[The Doc]

So?

[Wombatwarlord777]

I'm still kind of baffled from watching this movie. As bad as it was, I kind of wanted to see how the elements here would've congealed into a coherent plot, with a beginning and end.

[Jingles]

That was the worst looking and sounding Sonic I've ever seen. Was this supposed to be taken seriously?

[Neo]

Supposedly they went with that design to make him more realistic and fitting in the real world. Well I don't know which world has hedgehogs who at a glance look like slitted paper.

So?

Look, I'm not insinuating anything. I love the guy and everything he does. But I just can't watch him host a serious news show without imagining him breaking script and going on a "cowa-fucking-piece-of-dogshit" tirade. He has become typecast and that is not entirely a bad thing.

[Rob-Bert]

The hell was Jaleel White thinking? I don't remember him ever sounding that bad on any of the Sonic cartoons. Is Eddie Lebron just unable to identify bad acting?

[Opa-Opa]

I thought it was abysmal.

The guy playing Robotnik was kind of good though. It could've been a lot worse, like a Power Rangers villain, but it didnt.

[G.Silver]

Preface: I don't know why I felt like I should dignify this thing by actually expressing my thoughts on it, but yet I wrote them out before I thought better of it. Oh well!

The guy playing Robotnik was kind of good though. It could've been a lot worse, like a Power Rangers villain, but it didnt.

I think a power rangers-style character would actually reflect how ridiculous Eggman is better. A cackling-made Rita Repulsa-type of character would, at the very least, be more fun to watch on screen.

That kind of hits the nail on the head for what is wrong with this for me, is that it isn't much fun to watch at all. As a "concept" video I don't think it's entirely awful, because we can easily imagine replacing their utterly lame Sonic and his awful animations with something better, but on its own, to balance out the serious plot elements they really need Sonic's actions to be more fun-looking, and for all their quality CG rendering, they sure look limp and poorly choreographed. Maybe it's not fair to say a thing like "Sonic CD's opening and ending clips did all this action better" but at the same time, Sonic has been animated better so many times in other cartoons and the games themselves, examples of how to do this sort of thing already exist and it's been done better. I can pretend that somehow Sonic spinning a robot is more effective than shooting it with a machine gun, but not with animation like this! It doesn't make me excited for the prospect of a full movie.

I don't know if I'm interested in their story but I would at least be interested to know more about what they were teasing with the "South Islander" aspect, sort of some interesting racism going on there.

I think I said earlier in the thread that the best thing this movie had going for it was that it was a fraction of the length of their Megaman movie. I had assumed it would be a short, tight film with a real beginning and an end, not a tease for something bigger that they might like to make some other time. Instead it's just like the first 20 minutes of their Megaman film.

[Gaz]

I really don't get what they were trying to do with this. It seemed to take itself ridiculously seriously for a film about a blue hedgehog that runs fast. It wasn't that enjoyable and parts of it were just cringe worthy.

[Wombatwarlord777]

If we're looking at this movie as something that's so bad, it's good, the musical score definitely deserves mention. It sounds exactly like every other overly-dramatic score for bad action movies. Besides, the Sonic OVA had a good pop-inspired soundtrack that felt much more subtle and appropriate.

The hell was Jaleel White thinking? I don't remember him ever sounding that bad on any of the Sonic cartoons.

I kept thinking the same thing. This Sonic definitely sounds more restrained and tired, but I wouldn't think that it's because White is getting older.

[CM August]

I recall hearing he did a note-perfect classic Sonic in the initial readings, but was asked to give a slightly different performance owing to the less cartoony nature of the film.

Still, overall I think White is a champ for being willing, even enthusiastic about taking part in a fan project - I just wish the project itself had been something else.

[Segaholic2]

that shit sucked

[Opa-Opa]

I think a power rangers-style character would actually reflect how ridiculous Eggman is better. A cackling-made Rita Repulsa-type of character would, at the very least, be more fun to watch on screen.

Yes, but not for that ridiculously serious take they were aiming for in this. Of all the ridiculously serious things there, I think the Robotnik was pretty ok, considering the rest was just plain awful.

[Rob-Bert]

Why is it even live-action in the first place? An animated movie, 2D or 3D, would suit Sonic a hell of a lot better.

[Neo]

Yes, but not for that ridiculously serious take they were aiming for in this. Of all the ridiculously serious things there, I think the Robotnik was pretty ok, considering the rest was just plain awful.

Why is it even live-action in the first place? An animated movie, 2D or 3D, would suit Sonic a hell of a lot better.

I just thought about it for a second and having everything BUT Eggman being CGI would make the visuals/character dissonance between him and the rest of the world actually pretty fucking awesome. [This assuming, of course, there were no stupid humans.]

Also guilty admission I thought the E-100 robots were amazing and just creepy enough to feel like a threat

[M.C.Dillinger]

Al, just wow. I'm having trouble thinking of anything nice to say about this movie. Effects look horrible, Sonic looks like an alien monster that needs to be cleansed from the world with fire. The acting is universally bad. even Jaleel White, Whose performance is the only reason any fan would watch this. there also isn't much of a plot to speak of.

That is a common problem with Sonic as a character, I've noticed. He doesn't let much bother him so takes a lot to get drama from Sonic. (assuming you want it.) his arch nemesis simply does something he doesn't want. Eggman does contrast well with Sonic, their opposites like the Joker and Batman. Batman is other villains that represent what he could've been or are subversions of himself. Sonic has been limited to fighting only Eggman (Except in the comics.) for a while, I felt like this is limiting how much of the character can be explored in a story.

I know that's a little off topic. But this is the GHZ, we can't go for two pages without going off-topic anyway.

[Opa-Opa]

Sonic has been limited to fighting only Eggman (Except in the comics.) for a while, I felt like this is limiting how much of the character can be explored in a story.

True. Funny how that's something that kind of never bothered me until now. But that's the case with many main videogame characters, like Megaman and Mario. Even though since SA1 they sometimes go to the "unknown power Eggman can't control" plot, that has Eggman being the villain but ultimately helping them defeat the bigger threat.

Maybe one of those "Sonic Storybook" games had a different villain? I never played Sonic and the Secret Rings or Sonic and the Black Knight.

[Jingles]

Al, just wow.

[Brazillian Cara]

Sonic has been limited to fighting only Eggman (Except in the comics.) for a while, I felt like this is limiting how much of the character can be explored in a story.

True. Funny how that's something that kind of never bothered me until now. But that's the case with many main videogame characters, like Megaman and Mario. Even though since SA1 they sometimes go to the "unknown power Eggman can't control" plot, that has Eggman being the villain but ultimately helping them defeat the bigger threat.

Maybe one of those "Sonic Storybook" games had a different villain? I never played Sonic and the Secret Rings or Sonic and the Black Knight.

Both of them, actually. Eggman didn't even appear in the King Arthur one.
I know it's kind of obvious, but when they try to make Sonic serious, it's basically a poor attempt to make the concept less embarrassing for themselves. Only to make it even more embarrassing for everyone else.