The impact of coronavirus has been significant in the film industry with theatres shutting from pretty much the end of January. As a result, few films have been released at the start of this new decade. But that by no means excludes what was fortunate enough to get released from getting some praise. And what bigger praise than me, a computing student with no real film skills, awarding such films some fake Academy Awards. Apologies if you don’t agree with my choices, I really had to scrape the bottom of the barrel here, like three films came out in cinemas this year. And no, I will not be accepting criticism at this time.
Sonic The Hedgehog
My love for the new sonic movie is no surprise, but me choosing it for the best picture most likely is. Yes, it had an advantage due to it being up against so few other movies but even without COVID and other movies releasing as intended, this film still would have ranked high on my list. Why? Because it surprised me. With all the initial controversy around the film, poor CGI, and a rocky production as well as it being a video game film, I went in expecting a disaster. But instead, we got one of the most influential movies of the decade, impressive as this came out only two months into it. The cast works brilliantly together with excellent chemistry and fun dialogue. The story is fast past and keeps you engaged from start to finish and most importantly it goes above and beyond to respect its source material.
Jeff Fowler – Sonic The Hedgehog
A masterpiece like Sonic The Hedgehog would not have been possible with the man at the helm, Director Jeff Fowler. Despite severe criticism and backlash from the first trailer, Fowler managed to become the underdog and against all odds make a film that didn’t actually suck. This is a testament to his skills as a director as most others tend to struggle at making a famous video game title into a critically successful movie. And yes, in my eyes 64% on Rotten Tomatoes counts as critically successful. Well done Jeff Fowler, you surprised us all.
Ben Schwartz - Sonic The Hedgehog
Never before has a voice actor been nominated for an Oscar. Much like horror and comedy, the Academy Awards for whatever reason seem to turn their nose up at awarding these talented people the credit they truly deserve. That ends today with Ben Schwartz's portrayal of the titular character of Sonic in Sonic The Hedgehog. The energetic way he delivers his lines matches the character's personality perfectly, making this unrealistic character more believable and a lot of fun to watch. I can think of no better person for this role than Schwarz and he blew it out of the park with this performance.
Donna Jay - Sonic The Hedgehog
One of the very few weak points in Sonic The Hedgehog I am afraid to say is the lack of women due to it mainly following male characters. I for one truly hope they improve this for the sequel because if they do, we may potentially have the recipe for a Godfather Part 2 level of quality. Despite this, I did feel that the performances that we did get were truly magnificent, even with so few lines of dialogue. At the start of the film, we are introduced to a baby sonic and his parental figure Longclaw, a badass owl voiced by Donna Jay. Despite her few lines, Jay gives a marvelous performance that expertly builds on the relationship between sonic and Longclaw and instantly hope for both of their wellbeings. Being able to this with so little screen time is a testament to her acting capabilities.
Jim Carrey - Sonic The Hedgehog
Jim Carrey’s performance in Sonic The Hedgehog is by far my favourite part of this film as it is him returning to what he does best: over the top comedy. And I am there for it from start to finish, inject it right into my veins. His role as Dr Robotnik/Eggman is reminiscent of previous roles in Ace Ventura or The Mask and is so much fun to watch. And for as brilliant an actor like Jim Carrey it is shameful that he hasn’t even been nominated for an Oscar yet even for his more serious roles where he got golden globe awards. So its time the academy awards did the right thing for once.
Colleen O’Shaugnessey - Sonic the Hedgehog
Colleen O’Shaugnessey had only one line of dialogue as Tails in a teaser at the end of the film but boy did she do it right. I think she deserves an award for a similar reason to Ben Schwartz, O’Shaugnessey manages to perfectly embody this character in the real world. The voice and tone are the perfect match for the character model and is exactly what you would expect the character to sound like. Yes, it was a small role but it is a taster for what is to come and I for one am very excited to see what they do next
Sonic the Hedgehog
The first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog seemed to paint this film as a complete disaster, mostly due to the design for Sonic (why did they give him teeth??). But then the studio actually listened to fans and went back and changed into a much closer depiction of the comic book character. And I think it looks remarkable and as realistic as you can get for a blue hedgehog with superspeed in the real world. For this reason, I think the film should deserve the award as while is certainly isn’t as flashy as a Star Wars blockbuster, it shows how improvements to the effects can elevate a film so much higher.
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