Sonic Is What Mario Never Could Be

From an entertainment standpoint, video game movies have historically been a decent way to pass the time while you count backwards from ten and wait for the anesthesia to take hold, but that's about it. "Super Mario Brothers" begat "Street Fighter," which dovetailed into "Mortal Kombat," which held the door for the career of Uwe Boll. Somehow, Uwe Boll kept studios distracted long enough for someone to say "we should give 'Mortal Kombat' another try."

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, "Sonic the Hedgehog" came screaming into theaters, unblinkingly positing the question "What if we didn't do a bad job this time?" Audiences found themselves captivated by what, on paper, sounded like the half-conscious ramblings of a sunstroke victim: A bright blue rodent with the voice of Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, gifted with speed beyond comprehension, ran circles around Jim Carrey with the help of the handsome naked cowboy robot from HBO.

If all of that is too much to take in, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that the "Sonic" franchise isn't going anywhere, thanks to its colorful cast of giant-eyed characters and its nigh-unbelievable ability to make any money at the box office in 2020. The good news: Looper's new video series "Okay, So Basically" is here to fill you in on SEGA's attitude-laden speed machine. Where did Sonic come from? Are you remembering that he kissed a human lady a while back correctly or did you mix your meds with laundry soap again? If you're looking for answers, head over to the "Okay So Basically" YouTube or Snapchat channel for the inside skinny on all things spiky azure rat man.