Reel Thoughts: ‘Knuckles’ comes out swinging

Knuckles is often overshadowed by Sonic, so this series is a good chance for people to familiarize themselves with the famous echidna.

May 9, 2024

Between his video games, movies and toys, Sonic the Hedgehog is quite a recognizable character. Following the success of his movie in 2020 and its sequel in 2022, Paramount made a spinoff television series for Sonic’s rival-turned-friend Knuckles. This six-episode miniseries was an opportunity for the far-less-recognizable Knuckles to shine. The six-episode miniseries mostly succeeded but had some noticeable flaws.

“Knuckles” follows the titular echidna, voiced by Idris Elba as he trains Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) — a side character in the Sonic movies — to be a warrior. Wade is an excellent foil for Knuckles as the pair learn from each other and grow throughout the series. Knuckles’ steely attitude stands in stark contrast to Wade’s goofiness. The two characters are each likable and easy to root for, which is necessary for good protagonists.

These characters are also well-acted, which brings their conflicts to life. In particular, the stellar voice acting of Idris Elba helps Knuckles feel real and brings a broad range of emotions to the table, like the grief he felt after losing his tribe or his uncertainty about his place on Earth. Knuckles is animated quite well, but the voicework from Elba brings him to life far more than the computer graphics do.

Nevertheless, the importance of the animation should not be overlooked. The seamless animation mixed with live-action footage from the Sonic movies is back for the show, and the results are great. Knuckles, Sonic (Ben Schwartz), and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) all look so good they could trick some people into thinking they were real creatures. This is all the more impressive when considering the fact that the actors would have had to perform without the main character of the show on stage because he would be added digitally afterward.

The strong visuals also extend to well-choreographed action sequences. One highlight is a scene that sees Knuckles and Wade’s mom fight off bounty hunters as the camera pans in circles around the dinner table.

Unfortunately, these action sequences are bogged down by the show’s biggest problem — its underwhelming villains. Kid Cudi makes an appearance as Agent Mason, one of the main villains, but he and his partner Agent Willoughby (Ellie Taylor) are not the slightest bit compelling.

The Buyer (Rory McCann) is the real main villain of the series, but besides the fact that he used to work for Doctor Robotnik, the villain from the Sonic movies, the audience does not learn much about him. The best villains are ones where the writers show you why they are evil as opposed to telling you they are evil. The problem is that the writers neither show nor tell the audience why any of the villains in “Knuckles” are evil.

Also, it is clear that some corners were cut in the development of “Knuckles” to save money. Tom Wachowski is noticeably absent from the series and is explained to be on vacation, yet this is likely because Paramount did not want to pay James Marsden for an appearance.

Additionally, there is not much dialogue for Sonic or Tails in the show, and the voice lines that are included might have been just unused lines from the movies to save money on voice work. These aren’t major issues, but it is disappointing to see this, as it weakens the beginning of the series, where more time with Sonic or Tom would have helped get the story started.

Nevertheless, corners were certainly not cut when it came to the music of the show. There are numerous famous licensed ’80s songs such as “The Warrior” by Scandal and “Holding Out For a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. Despite not being set in the ’80s, the show benefits from the flair these songs bring.

“Knuckles” as a buddy comedy may not be quite as funny as the Sonic movies it hails from, but it compensates with a heartfelt story that touches on deep emotional themes. Wade and Knuckles are an excellent pair of protagonists who are buoyed by strong acting but lack any compelling villains to fight. While “Knuckles” has its problems, it does a great job of building excitement for the third Sonic movie, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which is set to be released this December.

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