IT is probably not worth rushing at super speed to see Sonic the Hedgehog.

But if you are looking for a bit of family fun – which also offers a little nostalgia for anyone who grew up with the Sega Mega Drive in the 1990s – then you cannot go wrong with Jeff Fowler’s quirky big screen adaption of the video games.

The Illinois director reimagines the Sega mascot as a mysterious and powerful young alien who has to abandon his world of loop-the-loop obstacle courses when he comes under attack.

Glittering gold rings give the ‘blue blur’ the ability to travel between worlds and he finds himself in the sleepy town of Green Hills, Montana.

Sonic keeps himself hidden from view but trouble soon follows when his super speed creates a power surge which is investigated by the unhinged military consultant Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

Meanwhile, town cop Tom Wachowski’s plans to move to San Francisco Police Department for a new challenge with his veterinarian wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) are disrupted when he finds the lightning-quick hedgehog in his garage.

What follows is a sort of a cross between fish out of water comedy, buddy movie and cat and mouse chase.

Parks and Recreation’s Ben Schwartz makes Sonic instantly loveable with his quick witted charm as voice actor.

But Carrey steals the show as Dr Robotnik who brilliantly walks a line between sinister and silly.

The rubber-faced 58-year-old still has the crazy energy of the roles that made him in his early days like Ace Ventura and The Mask.

And Robotnik’s relentless winged and wheeled robotic creations offer a visual feast pursuing Sonic at every turn.

A particularly enjoyable and stylish action sequence in a bar that slow down time to a crawl also adds to the mayhem.

James Marsden is a little forgettable though as everyman Tom Wachowski who helps Sonic to retrieve his lost gold rings needed to escape his archvillain.

Sonic the Hedgehog is perfect for young kids but there is little in the way of surprises or twists and turns to raise the pulse of parents who have been brought along for the ride.

It also lacks any Disney Pixar-style deeper meaning or sentimentality but when it is this fast and fun it is just best to go with turbo-charged flow.

Game on.

RATING: 5.5/10

DAVID MORGAN