I remember back when I was around 10 I saw this movie on VHS at my local Fred Myers and being the huge sonic fan I was (and still to this day is) I bought it and I loved it through voices and all and I dunno if I followed the plot that well either. Now years later, I get my hands on the DVD with the Japanese sub and now heres where my real opinion of the movie comes in.
The plot is actually really clever, as far as a 60 minute movie goes. Eggman comes to Sonic and Tails for help. He's been kicked out of his home by a monster known as Black Eggman (metal Robotnick or something in English). Why should Sonic care? The generator powering Eggman's city is about to explode putting all of Planet Freedom in danger and everyone is counting on him. The whole trip seems like its from a Sonic video game itself and things get really heated up when Sonic and Tails face Black Eggman in a deserted city. When things look bad, the two get a helping hand from Knuckles and a well animated battle takes place what with great action (how they take out Black Eggman was pretty cool) and some nice humor (After taunting Black Eggman, Sonic and tails begin to leave him until he reveals a pair of metal wings and rocket jets, getting ready to run them down. Their expressions are great and how they both say the exact same thing "Noooo waaaayyy..." always cracks me up.) But Sonic soon has to fight something much more dangerous than Black Eggman, or anything Eggman has ever cooked up. A robot that not only looks like Sonic but thinks like Sonic, acts like Sonic, and fights like Sonic takes on the his perfect match, the fastest thing alive.
I remember the days of Sonic CD and boy oh boy did I love that intro. Never got to see the ending until Sonic Mega Collection. It was these two videos that opened my eyes to what the blue hedgehog can do. Never slowed down, thinking on his feet, looking cool all the while. The animators, as probably most of you know, where behind this. Compared to todays standards the animation might seem dated, but it still works nicely The voice overs in Japanese are done real nicely. Sonic has a tough voice with a bit of sarcasm thrown in there. Tails sounds more like a female, but in turn sounds younger and his voice is much more tolerable than the English. Knuckles sounds tough but in a way friendly. Eggman sounds good, though he sounds more goofy than serious usually. Supporting characters have fitting voices as well.
I will be honest, I haven't heard the movie in English in years so I can't compare ^^; The music deserves to be put on CD, nothing seems out of place really and the main theme of the movie, Look Alike, is done very nicely.
As for my rating I'm taking one point off for some dated animation and another point for the English dub over. At least they didn't edit anything and the dialogue is pretty much the same in either one.
Recommended to Sonic fans, highly recommend Japanese dub. 8/10 I have heard some complaints about this movie that have to do with this film being to different from the cartoons of the early 90's, like being set on Planet Freedom and not Mobius. The game is based off of Sonic CD and from what I can tell the the writers used most of the ideas from the game for the movie (Metal Sonic *of course*, time warps, and the areas in the movie reminded me of the game as well.) This Sonic world was made in Japan so it has nothing to do with the cartoons and comics of America. At least I don't think Mobius was the planet they used in Japan.
Comparing them seems a little unfair in my eyes. And don't give me a hard time if I'm wrong.
