Sonic the Hedgehog comes out tomorrow, February 14, with early showings starting tonight. Reviewers who had access to screenings have already put together their final thoughts on the film, though. It may be cutting it close, but Rotten Tomatoes has put up its Critics Consensus for Sonic the Hedgehog so potential viewers can decide whether they want to see the film. It seems that worries that the film could be a complete disaster were perhaps presumptuous.
Based on 71 professional reviews, Rotten Tomatoes lists Sonic the Hedgehog as having a Fresh Tomatometer rating at 69% positive. Anything above a 60% Fresh rating is considered a good film by Rotten Tomatoes' measurements. It does fall just short of Rotten Tomatoes' "Certified Fresh" rating that's given to movies with 75% or higher Fresh ratings. However, there's certain to be dozens of more reviews coming in over the next week, so it's possible that Sonic the Hedgehog could reach it yet.
Rotten Tomatoes doesn't track how positive of a review any given reviewer provides. It only tracks whether a review is positive or not. A 69% Fresh rating implies most reviewers are Sonic the Hedgehog fans, but doesn't make clear whether viewers thought it was great or just okay.
A common theme in many of the positive reviews is that Sonic the Hedgehog is "sweet," "cheery," and great for the family. The negative reviews give Sonic the Hedgehog much less credit. Criticisms include descriptors like "written by committee," "clunky," and, "a rush job." As Sonic the Hedgehog's producer promised, the film is pleasing fans.
Even Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics" appear to have enjoyed the movie. Of the 20 or so top critic reviews, Sonic the Hedgehog still receives around a 60-65% approval rate. It's a bit lower than the overall Fresh rating, but is still very positive.
Over the past several months its been difficult to imagine Sonic the Hedgehog ever managing a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. After the movie ended up scrapping the CG visuals for Sonic the Hedgehog due to overwhelming criticism, it seemed impossible for the film to pull itself back together. That seemed doubly true after the computer graphics studio that remade Sonic the Hedgehog was closed down, with all of its staff laid off. Nevertheless, Sonic the Hedgehog persisted.
Sonic the Hedgehog releases in theaters on Friday, February 14.