Why the Sonic and Robotnik Rivalry Has Lived On
Sonic and Robotnik is one of the most enduring rivalries in gaming. Mario and Bowser are the obvious comparison, but the Italian plumber’s clash with Bowser feels more like a love-hate relationship. They constantly get sideways to go go-karting, play tennis, play golf, play… well, just about any sport, really, or even just swing. Robotnik and Sonic have been involved in these kinds of spin-offs from time to time (Team Sonic Racing, for one), but the rivalry has always seemed fiercer, more competitive, more mean-spirited, especially on Robotnik’s side. With the movie Sonic the Hedgehog and its recent sequel, this rivalry has successfully made the leap to the big screen.
Part of the reason this jump managed to stick the landing is the chemistry between Robotnik actor Jim Carrey and Sonic actor Ben Schwartz. Both are comedians loaded with improv, and as Agent Stone actor Lee Majdoub told us earlier this year, Carrey would throw in plenty of variations on the lines Schwartz could answer, which means these Quick call-and-response comedy styles could be maintained even without the two actors on set together. Stone himself plays a part in why the chemistry works so well – it humanizes Robotnik, but also acts as a foil for him. Robotnik is still the villain, but with Stone by his side, there’s a touch of sympathy too.
That Sonic doesn’t want to beat Robotnik, only stop him, is also essential. It is not a rivalry fueled by hatred or animosity, but an unwavering necessity on both sides. It’s thanks to this dynamic that Knuckles is able to have such an effective intro, as well as why we speculated about the future of the SCU (i.e. Sonic Cinematic Universe).
It also helps that Schwartz is a big fan of video games himself. While many video game movies only take a handful of imagery and general iconography from the films they adapt, Sonic has always felt like Sonic. The plots are new, but the characters are exactly as they should be – even the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 poster was a deep reference to the original Sonic 2 box art. favorite, Schwartz dodged the easy Green Hill Zone option to say “In Sonic Mania, there’s this amazing cinematic world, or zone, that I love so much. I found it so interesting, and I know I do movies, so maybe that’s why, but I think they did a good job.” There was a similar enthusiastic and corny response to his favorite gaming reference in the movie itself, where he describes Tails’ tail helicopter flight system.
Video games are full of rivalries that fuel our heroes, and platformers might be the most rivalry-fueled genre. There are rarely heroes without villains to get in their way. But even in such a cluttered field, the Blue Blur and the Eggman stand out as one of the most endearing, and one of the most enduring.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is available to download and preserve June 15 and on 4K UHD+ Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD August 8, from Paramount Pictures