A few years ago, when the first trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog film adaptation went viral for all the wrong reasons, there was talk about how the film was going to be given a facelift to improve the look of its hero. I, at the time, wrote an article basically broadcasting the film’s imminent failure and no matter how much the effects were re-worked, the movie was still basically doomed.

That was six years ago, and given what has transpired since then, I feel I should start by saying this.

Oops.

Fast forward a few years and the Sonic film franchise has taken off running. We’re on the road to the 4th movie, and the series has already attracted numerous talents like Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba to play some of the series iconic fur balls. The films have all preformed well at the box office, and more than that, they have managed to attract some decent critical acclaim. How, I ask you, how could this scholarly whisperer of the cinematic arts have gotten it so wrong?

The simple truth is no matter how well you know film, you can never predict where culture is going to go.

Now there wasn’t a complete lack of precedent for my dismissal of the franchise. Sonic as an IP was really struggling at the time, having become something of a punchline in the previous years. Surely a film adaptation at this point was not only a bad choice, but more like a last desperate grasp at relevance. And of course the movie ended up being part of a renaissance for the series, arguably being one of the primary reasons it is now back in the public’s good graces. Now, I, as of yet, haven’t seen the first film in the now lucrative franchise. I have, however, seen Sonic 2 and 3; the 3rd one I even took the time to see in the theater.

And you know what? It was pretty damn good. It could be argued that each Sonic movie has been better than the last, with the third one, at least for me, being a series highlight. Whether or not Sonic 4 continues that trend is yet to be seen, but given that Kristen Bell is playing Amy Rose, so far we seem in good hands.

Another fact is, despite claims of impartiality, all people who write about art will bring their own experiences into the mix. The Sonic franchise and I have a complicated relationship, so I didn’t go into that piece free of bias. We see that happen a lot of times with critics. Siskel and Ebert famously despised slasher films in the 1980s, many of which are now regarded as genre classics. Pauline Kael, a beloved if odd critic, hated a lot of mainstream movies and expressed disdain for casts that predominantly featured teens and kids. Those biases inevitably found their way into their works, often despite the merits of what the critics were watching.

And well, that’s what happened here too. The Sonic series has achieved massive critical and commercial success, standing tall as a perfect example of a cinematic adaptation of a game done right. It manages to be light and fun while also managing to fit in some moments of weight and heart. When I went to see Sonic 3 in the theater, it was well packed. Now grosses don’t necessarily determine value. I’m looking at you Bay-Formers. But Sonic has done well for himself and his pals, netting $319,715,683 in worldwide receipts on his first movie, and more than that, netting more on each film, with 2 and 3 filling enough seats to earn $405,421,518 and $492,162,604 respectively, for a total gross of over a billion dollars worldwide. Not bad for a cartoon rodent.

In 1984, Roger Ebert said he was depressed that such a piece of trash like Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter had made such a killing (pun intended) and lamented that the films were garbage. But I’m going to do my level best not to do that. Why? Because my approach is a bit different than Ebert’s. It’s true I have my favorites and my biases. But to me it’s more interesting to figure out why something is popular and whether it has longevity as opposed to trying to deny something its place in the popular culture. Did you know I’m not a terribly big fan of The Exorcist, for instance? I’d much rather join Jason at Camp Crystal Lake personally. But I don’t go out of my way to say Exorcist is overrated and that its fans are wrong. No, because quite frankly that is a waste of my time. Instead, I simply say the film wasn’t for me, but still try to view it as objectively as possible. Would I list Exorcist as a favorite of mine? As of now, no. But would I call it one of the greatest horror films of all time? Absolutely. Just because I didn’t enjoy it, who am I to deny its impact?

And yet when I gave the Sonic films a chance, I did enjoy them. As mentioned before, I did go to see the third film in theaters. With Sonic Adventure 2 remaining one of the most played games of my youth, there were a lot of moments that, no lie, really hit that nostalgia button. From seeing Shadow the Hedgehog on the big screen to hearing the classic Live & Learn from the second game, it brought me back to those years as a young teen trying to figure out life, and a game that came along and said you can just be you. There were even some moments that got me a little teary-eyed when it came to Shadow’s friendship with the late Maria Robotnik. Rather than be outraged by the success of the films, instead it motivated me to give them another look, and there’s a lot about these movies to love.

But here’s the thing. Even if I didn’t like these films a lot, what difference would that make for their success? We often as filmgoers find ourselves defensive about what we love, needing to validate it and its legacy in some way. And critics and essayists are often villains in the conversation of film, dismissing merits of many great works based on personal taste and grievance. The greatest critic of all is time. Despite what critics have said about films upon their releases, they can never stop a story from lasting through the years. Siskel and Ebert couldn’t stop Friday the 13th. Pauline Keal couldn’t stop Back to the Future. And it seems that I couldn’t stop Sonic the Hedgehog. Good art has a tendency to last, to be found and discovered, to be cherished and remembered. If the success of these flicks is any indication, I think the blue blur has found a welcome home in cinema.