Praise the movie gods! All the blood, sweat and tears that probably went into Sonic's redesign was worth it.

"Sonic The Hedgehog" is hilarious, nostalgic and a lot of fun for the whole family.

For gamers, "Sonic" is one of their most highly-anticipated movies of the year. But it isn't surprising if expectations are low since the Internet bullied Paramount Pictures into redesigning the blue hedgehog to his truer form with larger eyes and not-so-creepy teeth among other facelifts.

Throw away any suspicions and have fun with this film's hilarious script, fantastic visual effects and heart-warming characters.

In the movie, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is a lightning-fast blue hedgehog on the run from creatures looking to steal his power, and he uses golden rings to teleport to different planets. At one point, he settles on Earth where he loves his life even if he feels lonely sometimes. His only friends are small-town cop Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his veterinarian wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter), but technically Sonic watches movies with them from the window without them knowing he's there.

One night his frustration laps around a baseball field cause an electrical surge that shuts down power for the entire Pacific Northwest, drawing attention from government bad guy Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) who wants to dissect Sonic and harness the hedgehog's powers for his weaponized drones. That's when Sonic looks to "doughnut-lord" Tom for help, taking the two on an action-packed journey to California.

So of course if it's a family movie, there needs to be constant action to engage kids. The visual effects in the movie are cool, particularly during X-Men Quicksilver-like scenes when time slows down because Sonic is moving so quickly.

But the movie appeals to older fans and parents with its adult humor. There's one scene in particular when there's a child abuse-slash-kidnapping joke. Yes, a family film takes a stab at dark humor like that. But ... it works. It helps balance out the goofiness of the characters.

Carrey, who stars in his first feature film since 2016, steals the show with his super over-the-top Robotnik. But it fits the character fans have beaten over the years through SEGA's Sonic video game franchise.

Who knows if it'll beat 2019's "Detective Pikachu" as the highest-grossing video game movie, especially since both films share a dark streak of adult humor and story structure. But it deserves some recognition as one of the better video game movies.

The only gripe I have with this movie is that it could use a bit more exposition. It's not really known why Sonic is in danger. Does that mean his power is rare? Who is this owl with him in the beginning?

Plus, it tries too hard to keep up with younger audiences, and it's a pet peeve to see a "trendy" moment date a movie. To be more specific, viewers don't need to see Sonic floss dance two times ... But it's a kids' movie.

Pro tip: Stick around for two must-see post-credits scenes. True Sonic fans will jump out of their seats and scream. Make sure you get to the theater and support this film, and you gotta go fast.

Score: 8/10

See "Sonic The Hedgehog" in theaters on Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14.

Follow Samantha Incorvaia on Twitter at @_SamI520.