Oh yes. I’m coming for you Sonic. After missing this in theatres, the blue phenom has come home to Paramount Plus. Join me for another Quality check.
Solid description of the Paramount logo. Female narrator.
A nice description of the SEGA logo.
Opening Credits. We’re in Japan. We’re in Japan with ethnically nondescript security guards who are eating, and monitoring something. I’m sure none of these characters matter. There’s a black hedgehog with a red stripe in the tank. Sonic fans know, but I’m OK with not having him named. The build up is real. It is earned here. The fingers of a young girl pick a guitar. From where? I’m in a security room where they are watching over a black hedgehog that has been in a tank for 50 years. where is this girl? Is she in with the guards? Is she in the tank room? is she omnipresent? God? Is that you? Sometimes, just an indication of something like “elsewhere” signifies this girl is not in the same location, which is the only one given so far. She must be nearby, because she wakes up “black hedgehog” (who I promise will gain a name). There’s what I assume is a dream sequence between the hedgehog and the girl, running down a hallway, but the hog is still in the tank. Again, you could be a bit clearer.
Kyle, one of the guards, figures out the system is being hacked. I know this movie is primarily for kids, so we’ll take a lot of leaps together. A whole bunch of guards are outside, and run in with energy rifles. the hog is still in the tank, though I think these guards are about to know who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.The hog dies, then his eyes predictably burst open, and he punches out of the tank. Exciting times.the punch was well described.
Now, we’re getting a description of… Shadow. this is Shadow. He will be called Shadow. He hasn’t been yet, but we are getting a decent description of what he wears so the only thing making him different from Sonic isn’t just his coloring. Shadow can teleport, and in a well described sequence, takes out all the guards. Shadow blows out the wall with a fireball. We’re told that across a body of water is a large city, and Shadow starts to run across the water, staying on top. As Deadpool might suggest, Shadow is SEGA Jesus. Lots of strong description around Shadow in the opening sequence.
title. Now we’re in a forest. Tails, Knuckles, and Sonic show up, named immediately, due to having been in previous films, though each had a sliver of description about them in case you decided “I think I’l start with the third film in the franchise.” Wade is there too. The big three are planning to race. They launch into a well described race sequence. Sonic realizes Tails and Knuckles were holograms, and they just needed to get Sonic away to celebrate Bea Arthur day, or Birthday.
Sonic later finds his old cave, while walking with Tom. A decent description of the contents. Shadow is in a city, where he realizes he’s been trapped for 50 years. More agents show up, and Shadow just wants to be left alone. It was a quick interjection, but I didn’t spot any problems in the AD. We cut back to Knuckles and Tails. The whole family sits around a campfire and celebrates peace. At this point,if you decided to jump in on film 3, you’d be pretty lost, because this film is written as if you’ve seen the first two. So many callbacks in the script, with little explanation, and characters who just exist with our SEGA characters. God help people who jump in on sequels first.
The peace is interrupted by the government. the government needs Team Sonic in Japan. Of course they do.Tails is wearing a helmet. The gang is talking strategy. They jump out, and the sequence where they freefall was well described.
they land, surrounded by wreckage and rubble. I realize, I don’t know what time of day it is. I mean, they were presumably in America, and are now in Japan. Is it the same time? It is a legit question, because Tokyo is probably 7 or 8 hours behind them. So, while it could be daylight in both places, it might also not be. Food for thought. Knuckles catches an armored car that was flying at him. The three heroes turn to see Shadow standing on top of a burning tank. What an epic visualization. Thanks. How to show your new character is not to be trifled with? put them on top of a burning tank, implying they just destroyed it.Shadow glowers. Tails mentions that Sonic and Shadow look alike. There’s a lot of talking, then Knuckles, itching for a fight charges Shadow. Shadow catches his punch, and beats the crap out of Knuckles in a well described sequence where he uses his teleportation powers. Shadow then fights Sonic and Tails, pretty easily. Shadow steals a motorcycle and tells Sonic not to follow. When Shadow got on the bike, I immediately had the urge to watch Akira. I’m thinking Japan + Animation + Motorcycle= Akira. Sonic predictably chases the motorcycle. Sonic fights Shadow while he’s on the bike, in a street race sequence that is pretty cool. I liked the reference to him doing his little blue spin thing, and then flying through the open windows of a truck. I’m sure that looked cool. It sounded cool. That is what audio description is supposed to do, make it cool for both the blind and sighted. They teleport into the sky… with the motorcycle? I guess. This sequence gets nuts as Shadow ca really get this bike to go up things a bike can’t go up. Again, it is for kids, so we are taking leaps. I get it. Shadow and Sonic finally collide in a moment that is so powerful it knocks out power to all of Tokyo. Sonic comes to, and finds himself handcuffed so he can’t follow wherever Shadow went. But, here comes Tails and Knuckles! They need a place to regroup, and Tails has an idea.
They go to a colorful restaurant. I guess the power is back on? And, this is in a part Shadow didn’t destroy? It’s a “Chow Garden”, which means people are dressed up I guess, so these three blend in? Weird. They are joined by the leader of GUn, who now has to explain who Shadow is. He officially uses the name Shadow. Then, he explains Shadows backstory from 50 years ago. I feel a flashback coming. He talks over a flashback that shows/explains that Shadow crash landed in Oklahoma, and scientists immediately tried to experiment on him, and use his “chaos energy”. Bad things happened, and then Shadow was put into stasis. The End. The Chow Garden suddenly goes dark. Damn those rolling blackouts. Three dancing Chows (WHAT IS A CHOW?) start singing I Want You back (Jackson 5) in Japanese. I have realized I don’t understand this Chow garden at all. I thought it was like a furry thing, but I guess a chow is a specific thing. Egg shaped drones float outside (because we all knew Jim Carrey was going to come back for this at some point). Tails says “but Robotnik is supposed to be dead!” And here comes a motorcycle. This rider isn’t Shadow, and destroys the drones. Walters (the head of GUN) is seemingly mortally wounded, and gives something to Sonic. We never learn who the new rider is during this scene. I’m not lucky enough for it to be Stockard Channing from the Knuckles show, so my bet is it being Carrey. Walters gives Sonic the key, and then “goes limp”. It’s a kids film. “he dies” is a lot for the young ones, even if no kid will ever ask for an Agent Walters toy. The female GUn agent from earlier, Rockwell, arrives, but Team Sonic has left, and she immediately looks for the launch key. When it isn’t there, and Team Sonic is gone, she assumes they took it for malevolent reasons. Team Sonic is running wearing Chow heads. tails wonders why they are running from the good guys. Team Sonic sees the masked rider and pursue him down the streets. I guess they tossed the heads?
Solid Tokyo Drift joke. The rider is Agent Stone. Lame reveal. Stone is here to prove Robotnik didn’t set Shadow free. Robotnik is watching a telenovela in one of those sad defeated villain moments. His room is full of trash. this scene serves to show us that Robotnik has hit rock bottom, isn’t a threat, and has lost his mind. He even has a potbelly. His hair and mustache are overgrown. Technically, you would have needed to have seen a previous Sonic film to know what he’s supposed to look like. Team Sonic stares, and Robotnik isn’t happy he has guests.This is where Stone reveals to all that someone is using Robotnik’s tech. So, the enemy of my enemy type thing. Robotnik gets to work tracing his egg babies while Tails states the obvious that Team Sonic and Robotnik share an enemy. then, predictably, Team Sonic joins forces with Robotnik, who looks like hell, so we now need a well described sequence to make him look semi-normal again. One problem is he’s too fat to fit into his old costume, so we get a solid joke at Elvis’s expense.
Elsewhere, there’s another GUn facility, where Shadow is breaking in.He picks up a dusty roller skate, looking wistful. Now another flashback. A preteen girl wears the skates, probably the same one from earlier. There are boxes that say “Maria’s stuff”, so I assume her name is Maria. She rolls past some scientists.She’s the professor’s granddaughter. Restricted area be damned! Flashback Walters lets her skate by… literally.Her name is Maria, and she wants to know where her room is. Maria wanders around a restricted area easily, finding Shadow, who is already in his tank. Shadows is awake and scowls at Maria, who thinks he’s just having fun, so she plays with him a bit.Maria draws on the tank (this is a kids movie) and it makes her laugh, but Shadow is still sad.Maria touches the glass, and so does Shadow. Then, within this flashback, we begin a montage. The montage is a long sequence of Maria and shadow (out of the tank) having fun together. She can tell he’s not happy, and tries to cheer him up, taking him all over the facility. The montage is well done. No notes.
Maria and Shadow look at the stars and have some deep thoughts. Shadow is afraid he is a monster, Maria calls him a friend. Awwwwwwwww. In the Present, we get Shadow exploring the rest of the abandoned facility. Good description of various rooms.The Professor shows up, not Maria, and there’s some past Shadow is upset about that they share. Something happened to Maria. We don’t know what.
Team Sonic arrives. Knuckles hilariously punches in a thick door. It sounds like Carey is also The Professor. The Professor acknowledges that Team Sonic and Robotnik have arrived. Agent Stone is here too. They split up and check different hallways.
Knuckles is by himself, and Shadow finds him first. Presumably taking him out. Stone is with Tails. Shadow finds them. Sonic and Robotnik find living quarters. Sonic finds Shadows tank, and Shadow attacks him. Robotnik finds his egg drones, and The professor finds him. The audio description points out that The Professor and Robotnik look alike. They are both Jim Carrey. The Professor is Robotnik’s grandfather, meaning MAria would be his sister. Professor gives exposition on how this could happen. And a solid joke about being in a movie played by the same actor. These two are bonding. Robotnik wonders where he’s been, Professor has more to tell.
Shadow has Team Sonic trapped when they notice there are two Robotnik’s now. Professor makes a joke about “unsolicited exposition”. He then reveals his evil plot. Robotnik, professor, and Stone leave with Shadow. Sonic tries to woo Shadow to the good side. Shadow creates a mini-black hole. Team Sonic uses a ring to teleport away from the building that collapses into the black hole. Professor and Robotnik are happy they “destroyed Team Sonic”, and take some time to “bond”. They have a long montage, very well described with lots of specifics, where the two Robotnik’s do a lot of weird bonding things. Stone is feeling left out.
Finally, back with Tom (James Marsden) and the other humans, Team Sonic returns. They recruit the humans to join them. Go get Adam Pally too! Come on! Sonic discusses a plan, but Tails has a better one. Sonic asks if Tom Cruise can do this. LOL. They use the phrase “going in blind”. That’s why I started using it. I’m actually doing that.
The next scene, the bad guys are at the GUN facility. Shadow wants to go in and smash everything. The two Robotnik’s head off, leaving Shadow with Stone. Team Sonic + humans are ready to break in. They left Adam Pally’s Wimple behind. The humans turn into other humans. You would need to see the previous films for any of this to make sense. The humans in disguise get inside. Actual Rockwell shows up, but they somehow aren’t found out. Tails types a key on his laptop? We’re gonna need to come back to that. the Robotnik’s have entered the chat. LOL. Shadow is watching that crappy telenovela. Tails flushes the mech holding Stone and Shadow. Robotnik’s walk through the lasers. they literally have a silly dance party down this laser hallway. the audio description is really good here.
Sonic heads in. Tails catches Sonic and helps him through the closing shield. Rockwell captures Sonic. Most of Team Sonic is captured, except Knuclkes. Plus, Rockwell has the Robotnik’s. Sonic summons Knuckles. A big fight involving the loss of gravity takes place. As well described as possible. This whole crazy scene has a lot going on. Rockwell runs into Walters as Tom who was in a hologram. Shadow sees Tom in disguise, and attacks Tom, taking the key card. Sonic rushes to help Tom. Tom is out cold. Shadow remembers Maria being in a pile of rubble. Shadow is having thoughts. Shadow teleports the Professor, Robotnik, and himself to the McGuffin, I mean giant gun.
We check up on Stone, for some reason. He’s alive. And still unimportant. Stone tries to convince Robotnik that the professor is an even worse guy than him. Robotnik fires Stone. Something starts to rise.A massive domed machine. We’re in London, by the way. This is how you increase worldwide box office. Tokyo and London. The giant cannon is launched into the sky where it blocks the sun. Tom is in an ambulance, still not OK. Sonic looks sad. They bring up the master emerald. Sonic is ready to use it. No one messes with Tom. Tails and Knuckles try and stop Sonic, who is consumed by rage.
Sonic has to steal the emerald from Wade. Adam Pally is back. Sonic easily steals the emerald. Cities around the world are shown, as the giant GUn is floating dangerously in space. Shadow wonders if this is what MAria would have wanted. The Professor reminds Shadow what they took from them. We get a flashback as the Professor tries to escape with MAria and Shadow. There’s an explosion, and Shadow notices Professor leaning over a dead Maria. Shadow cries. Shadow is consumed by energy. In the present, Shadow powers up the gun with chaos energy. The Professor reveals his plan is to kill earth, and themselves, which is where he loses Robotnik. The Professor says “you’re no Maria.” In 10 minutes, everyone will die. Shadow will have justice. Sonic turns gold and punches through the spaceship, knocking Shadow out of it. Sonic is back to normal, as he drops the emerald. Shadow now has the emerald, and glows gold, fighting Sonic. Another well described fight sequence commences, s these two travel around the world fighting.
Back in the space station, Robotnik tries to thwart his grandfather. Mustaches are pulled. Green Lantern jokes are dropped. Sonic and Knuckles are still fighting. Shadow says Tom’s name, and Sonic super punches Shadow, and now he’s Gold again. Sonic decides to spare Shadow. Shadow remembers looking at the stars with Maria. Shadow only knows pain. Shadow softens as a character. Now they realize they have to stop the cannon.They take each others hands. They both take golden form, and launch into space. The Professor is beating his grandson. Robotnik and professor are still at odds. The two both have new suits. The Professor ends up losing his mustache. Another crazy fight as Team Sonic approaches. Professor sends drones to fight Shadow and Sonic. Another well described fight sequence. The Professor ejects his grandson into space. Tails saves Robotnik, and brings him back. The Professor gets pushed into a chamber and is vaporized. Robotnik helps Team Sonic destroy the cannon. The cannon starts up (we know earth isn’t going to blow up). We check on Stone, and Tom and Mattie. Everyone on earth looks worried as Team Shadow/Sonic/Tails/Robotnik are trying to stop the laser. Shadow and Sonic are trying to block the beam as Robotnik turns the cannon.The beam eventually fires, but it misses the earth, and hits the moon. Sonic falls to the earth. Knuckles has a portal ring so Tails can save Sonic. Shadow teleports to Robotnik. Robotnik tells him what will happen when the station explodes. Shadow and Robotnik work to move the space station away. there’s a bit of dubbing as Robotnik speaks in Spanish.
the following is a long, well described sequence of Shadow and Robotnik working to stop the cannon. Robotnik radios Stone from space. He apologizes to Stone, and calls him a friend. Little flashbacks of Shadow and Maria. The space cannon explodes. Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles are safe on the ground. Sonic apologizes to his friends. We see Stone, for one last time. Later, Team Sonic, or now just Team, is back with Tom and Maddie. Team is going to race again. this is how the movie ends. Credits.
Mid-Credits Sequence. Sonic runs into a blue robotic hedgehog. More robots show up. A large pink hammer introduces a new pink hedgehog.
So, they leve it with Robotnik and Shadow as maybe dead? Oh, a post credits sequence shows at least Shadow got out. I’m willing to bet he saved Robotnik.
Narrated By Tansy Alexander
Produced By: Icon Group
Oh hey! It is that relatively new group that also did Gladiator 2. Time for a breakdown. I know a lot of this is stream of consciousness, and not all audio description related.
So, as I break down the grade this time, a friend suggested I come up with parameters. So, here we go.
Quality Of Character Description: Sure, there’s a lack of any acknowledgement really of a diverse cast, but this is also the third film, and even the way the film is written, it expects you to have seen another Sonic film. With that, they did a good job of describing the new characters, and even adding some description for existing ones. You shouldn’t have to describe Sonic in the third film of his own franchise, but there was a little there.
Score: 9/10
Quality Of Location Description: There was a lot to appreciate. The abandoned facility was well done. Actually, GUn facilities made more sense than anything else. The other locations didn’t fully get the richness. While Robotnik’s lair was littered with trash, we didn’t get a great description of his broader facilities. Also, where was Tails on his laptop? And the interior of the space ship could have been better.
Score: 8/10
Quality Of Genre Specific Description: So, this is a kids film, not an adult film. therefore, word choices need to be understood by kids. I noticed characters weren’t never listed as dead, even when an adult would realize they were. They crafted audio description good for little ears. No big words. It is animation hybrid, but you wouldn’t get anything from the description. Nothing really to let anyone know they are animated, or how they are drawn. Not that I expected much.Where this soars was in the action and science fiction elements. the action sequences were fantastic, and the montages were well done. A couple of quick location change acknowledgements might have helped, but this film has a lot of ground to cover, and it deserves praise.
Grade: 9/10
Quality Of Sound Mixing: Excellent. I never heard any ducking, and I could understand all of the description.
Grade: 10/10
Quality Of Narator: I love Tansy. Do I think a more engaging narrator exists for a family film, one that would keep the core demographic of kids engaged? Yes. Otherwise, she’s flawless. the only reason I have her at a 9 here is because if I’m being totally honest, there are narrators better suited for family films.
Grade: 9/10
Did It Bridge The Gap?- Yes. This brought me to a franchise where I felt the action, I had a ton of fun, and I really enjoyed the sequel. I talked mostly about the film, because I found so little problems with the script. There really isn’t much I could change, just little things.
Final Grades:
Fresh: Film Grade: A-, Audio Description Grade: A-
Congrats to Icon Group. Thanks for making a solid track.
