Knuckles is the first attempt to expand the celebrated Sonic the Hedgehog movies beyond their central trilogy. Moving the anthropomorphic action to the small screen changes little for the franchise. Knuckles is entertaining, but its concessions to the kid-friendly format and insistence on human drama keep it from feeling particularly transcendent. Knuckles wins his latest confrontation, but he isn't breaking any new ground.
Screenwriter John Whittington is the head writer on Knuckles, while Toby Ascher serves as showrunner. Whittington is best known for his work on The Lego Batman Movie and DC's League of Super-Pets. He previously stepped into the franchise when he co-wrote Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Ascher produced the previous Sonic films and specials, along with the Mark Wahlberg vehicle Spenser Confidential.
Knuckles finds the eponymous echidna struggling to find his place in his new world. The series opens with his rigorous training regiment, which feels like a handmade platformer level in the first unsubtle reference. Knuckles earns the ire of Tikka Sumpter's Maddie Wachowski, his new de facto mom, and earns a speech from Ben Schwartz's Sonic. The Blue Blur counsels Knuckles on learning to live without a fight, but the lesson won't sink in. Instead, Knuckles receives a message from the ghost of his mentor, Pachacamac, encouraging him to find a student and pass on his warrior ways. Knuckles selects Adam Pally's Wade Whipple, the deputy sheriff who provided easy comic relief in the first two films. With a newfound purpose, Knuckles seeks to teach Wade to stand up for himself and finally face his absentee father. Their cross-country journey takes several detours as Knuckles evades Ellie Taylor and Kid Cudi's renegade G.U.N. Agents. Somewhere in the shadows, Rory McCann prepares to wield Knuckles' power to fill Robotnik's place. It's an unfocused mess with several highs and lows.
The Sonic the Hedgehog movies struggle to allocate their time properly. Like a Kaiju movie, the script divides its narrative between the creatures fans love and the humans that focus groups believe they'd find more relatable. The universal complaint is that no one cares about characters like Tom and Maddie. Their dynamic with Sonic is critical to the narrative, but very few viewers care what these people are up to when the hedgehog isn't around. This poses several concerns for the filmmakers. The humans often move the plot forward, if only because many creators don't trust audiences to read emotions from non-human characters. They ground the story in understandable stakes. They're also a lot cheaper to focus on, as every VFX-driven Sonic shot takes countless hours of hard work. Sonic the Hedgehog allowed its human characters to develop alongside Sonic. Sonic 2 split its action between the stuff fans wanted and the bizarre fake wedding subplot, only tying the two together for a few minutes before the third act. Knuckles is the worst example to date, as the title character appears in less than half of the show.
The lack of screen time is only part of the problem. Knuckles does very little to move the plot along in his series. This is Wade's story. Knuckles' main utility in the story is fighting the two enemy agents who only appear to hunt him down. He throws down in action scenes and delivers the occasional punchline, but he's a secondary character in his self-titled story. Idris Elba remains excellent in the role, channeling the comedic overconfidence and charisma that make Knuckles lovable. The road trip elements are the selling point. Knuckles learns about his new home, while Wade learns to fight. This develops into a prolonged stop at Wade's childhood home, where Knuckles learns a lot about traditional Jewish dining rituals and Pretty Woman. Knuckles shines in bizarre moments and action set pieces. A budget rock opera in the fourth episode, featuring a perplexing reference to Sonic '06, shines as a standout moment. Both fight scenes between Knuckles and his empowered GUN agent enemies feel surprisingly well executed. These excellent moments elevate an otherwise bland exploration of Wade Whipple's daddy issues.
Knuckles is squarely aimed at a young audience. That's true of Marvel movies or Star Wars, but many examples have enough going on to keep mature viewers engaged. As a piece of children's entertainment, Knuckles may struggle to keep attention. It's hard to imagine a seven-year-old sitting with wrapped attention during the many long-winded bowling scenes. The constant references to classic films, American Gladiators, and music from between 30 and 40 years ago can't help. They will, however, likely love the first episode. The debut outing might be the show's best. Jeff Fowler of Sonic and Sonic 2 fame directed "The Warrior," which captures everything fans wanted from a Knuckles show. It only occasionally recaptures that glory.
Knuckles is ultimately harmless, but it's considerably less than the sum of its parts. Fans will undoubtedly treasure every moment they get with Idris Elba's performance, as well they should. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the series struggles to deliver anything satisfying. Watch this for another quick burst of Knuckles, or perhaps to see Cary Elwes have some fun, but don't expect anything jaw-dropping. Knuckles is a proud warrior, but his series still needs some training to reach his level.
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