Knuckles (2024) User Reviews

Nowhere near its potential

[deniz-34548 · 7/10 · 26 April 2024]

The title says 'Knuckles' but it's more about Wade than Knuckles. I'm gonna be honest, I don't think anyone cares about Wade. I think people are watching the show because they want to see Knuckles, not Wade.

The CGI and action scenes are awesome, but the story is awful. The show is enjoyable, but it could have been more. Its potential was totally wasted, and I'm really disappointed about that.

I know I've been kinda negative, but the show is not bad by any means. It's enjoyable. So, if you want to turn off your brain and just have fun, this show is totally for you.

I hope they will do justice to Sonic 3 and don't do the same mistakes they did in this show.

The title is kind of deceiving.

[heartofdorkness0818 · 7/10 · 30 April 2024]

A better title would have been "Wade Whipple with occasional appearances by his friend Knuckles".

Not to say that it is a bad show. I actually liked a lot of of it and when Knuckles does appear he is pretty great. But, that has everything to do with Idris Elba because that dude is awesome. The guest stars are mostly good. My personal favorite was Julian Barratt of "The Mighty Boosh". However, Adam Pally, who is really the star of the show, kind of wears on you. I am all for the loveable lover, I am one myself, but after awhile his antics wear thin. There is a family subplot that was resolved in a pretty obvious way, but I still had fun with the show.

We tried to watch but...

[MattsChristina · 5/10 · 28 April 2024]

We were actually looking forward to this series. Me, my husband, and the kids really enjoyed both recent Sonic movies. We saw both in the theater. So when we saw this was coming out, we were looking forward to the release.

Okay, let's be fair, the good stuff first. It's clean and appropriate for children, other than no one dying violence. I always appreciate family entertainment because I like it too. CGI is fabulous. The episodes look visually well made. Love the soundtrack.

Now the bad. It's boring. We made it through the first 3 episodes before we unanimously decided to stop watching. The story just wasn't interesting. The acting is not real good either, that was bothering me. We are not planning to finish watching the series.

Should be called Wade Whipple featuring Knuckles

[robotsfromspace · 6/10 · 2 May 2024]

... or something to that effect. The show focuses squarely on Adam Pally's Wade character and occasionally features a story line of Knuckles being hunted.

The show can't seem to decide what it is. It has a lot of nostalgic references and throw backs that will appeal to the adult crowd and go over the heads of any kids trying to get into it. It also relies heavily on essentially extended cameos from Cary Elwes, Paul Scheer, Christopher Lloyd, Kid Cudi, etc. And can't seem to get the full effect of what they could've gotten if they'd just written a solid story arc around one antagonist.

The biggest takeaway here is that Knuckles is WAY under utilized (especially for a show called Knuckles) and the relationship between Knuckles and Wade is under developed and wasted considering how many episodes are in the series. Although Pally once again plays his typical man-child character who can't seem to grow up, the back and forth bantering between him and a fish-out-of-water serious Knuckles is funny and adorable. But sadly the show chooses to focus on Wade almost exclusively. It's a big miss because the best scenes are the ones with Knuckles interacting with the people around him, not just Wade. His scenes with Wendy (played by Stockard Channing) are great and funny, as are basically any scene of Knuckles having to simply be Knuckles in this new world around him.

Knuckles' Own Series (But Not Really)

[TheMysteriousReviewer · 6/10 · 28 April 2024]

Knuckles is a type of series that is more of a promotion for Sonic The Hedgehog 3. I'll say that there are some redeemable things it got right such as great visuals, enjoyable action scenes and good acting. But I feel that the story for this miniseries relies more on Wade than giving Knuckles a story arc, which can sometimes make it sound like a generic bowling story and that Knuckles himself can often be treated more of a side character. I think this series will be a lot more suitable for those that are huge fans of the Sonic films. However I know that not everyone has Paramount Plus, so you probably won't miss much from it. Considering we are getting another Sonic movie right at the end of this year, maybe I can look at this series as a side project and would just save the real fun for it. Maybe Paramount Plus will do more of this in the future with other characters having their own series perhaps after the events of the third film seeing the direction how the franchise will probably go. As this series has given Knuckles his own arc after the events of the second film, at least it tried.

Good but not enough Knuckles

[abrahamparedes · 7/10 · 27 April 2024]

Just finished watching this show yesterday night. I gotta say it was good. But Knuckles didn't appear a lot. The show mostly focused on Wade when the show is literally called KNUCKLES. Now this is probably because it would've costed a lot of money to put more knuckles into the show but I think Knuckles had more screen time in the Sonic The hedgehog 2 movie and that's just bad.

The writing was also kinda bland and wasn't really anything to write home about.

The show is enjoyable but episode 4 and especially 5 was really more focused on Wade than Knuckles.

Episode 5 was my least favorite. It focused too much on Wade's relationship with his father, and Knuckles barely appeared.

The rest of the episodes were fine and I personally liked episode 1 and 6 best. Overall the show is good but it could've done more like reveal more of Knuckles' past life before entering Earth.

Great CGI, fun, but poor dialogue drags it down

[adamkjohnson-89254 · 3/10 · 26 April 2024]

This show is stuck in this awkward spot where it looks great, but the show's reluctance to have any mature moments drag it down. Adults aren't allowed to be adults, and every line has me waiting to groan at a punchline. The villains are used for gags that ruin any sense of intimidation they could otherwise have had. The show has its great moments - the expressiveness of the characters is very fun to watch - but it's overshadowed by a reluctance to take itself seriously or respect its characters. The show focuses far more on Wade than the titular character, action scenes are inconsistent with how they use their powers and technology. While there are high points, overall it's generally disappointing.

Shocked by the negativity!

[UniqueParticle · 9/10 · 28 April 2024]

This hits the spot and maybe meant not to be taken too seriously. I love the soundtrack a lot, the humor, wild action, and epic entertainment vibes packed in! I can't believe this got so much hate in the last couple days since release I mean there's a little bit of ridiculousness but overall it's well made all around. Knuckles (Idris Elba) is so great and I really appreciate the fun vibes it's so enriching of heartwarming nature; to me the crew behind everything perfected it. Adam Polly is wonderful in anything as well, I genuinely don't understand the the hate this got it's a pure blast in the bulk of it.

Knot Bad, But Could've Been Better

[bazmitch23 · 6/10 · 27 April 2024]

Yeah, this is more the Wade Wipple show instead of Knuckles, but once the Echidna is on screen, it's gold. Idris Elba is spot on making this character take himself very seriously, which leads to some great comedy moments in episode 1. But the scenes with Wade, his family and the bowling tournament made it look like you're watching something else.

The sister character, Wanda is just too psychotoic to be in a Sonic show. SHE STABS HER BROTHER IN THE ARM WITH A FORK! Also she doesn't get punished for her behaviour. This scene got the show a 12 rating in the UK, also what if kids try to copy that scene?

Cary Elwes has fun playing the narcissist bowling champion, I thought the cup of tea in the bowling ball was funny, though.

Overall, an average show. Hopefully Sonic 3 will be better. Hopefully no one gets stabbed in the arm next time.

The series is not from Knucles, but from the uninteresting idiot Wade!

[marcosfelipef · 2/10 · 27 April 2024]

Total rubbish, seriously they made Knuckles a supporting character in the series itself? Even worse, with totally uninteresting supporting characters, Wade is a forced character with no charisma, I paid to see a Knuckles series and I get that. The films had a very palatable childish humor but this series borders on humor for a 3 year old baby.

It was supposed to be a series deepening the character of Knuckles with the incredible voice of Idris Elba but they had the audacity to leave him as secondary. Total waste of character, don't waste your time watching if you're a fan of the games and even the movies.

Absolutely off the wall and BRILLIANT

[clsjessicawilde · 10/10 · 26 April 2024]

Literally everything you love about the movies and more! I went into this loving the first two movies and was pleasantly surprised it was way more than I thought it would be! The opening set up is great as it switches tracks from Sonic and Tails to Knuckles and Wade. And Wade just steals the show! In a shockingly GOOD way. Dont get me wrong Knuckles is still a great lead and partner but Wades goofy character and humor adds such a contrasting balance. It's absolutely brilliant in every way. The middle episodes are so off the wall and so completely different than what you'd expect. And it puts this show so far above and beyond everything else! I honestly thought it would be a cliche odd buddy cop comedy with the big bad man wants knuckles power and blah blah 6 episodes of chasing scenes. SNORE! Its the complete opposite! And its so fresh and original and SO much fun to watch! The main bad guy hardly makes an appearance which is just done in a fantastic smart way! AMAZING cast of characters each adding their own brilliance on screen. Cant wait to rewatch the series several times! Can only hope Paramount rethinks their original plan and adds more seasons!!! 11/10 MUST WATCH!

May Not Be As Good As The Movies, But Still Entertaining

[jeremycrimsonfox · 6/10 · 28 April 2024]

The Sonic the Hedgehog movies is a hot movies, and with the third one on its way, Paramount and Sega bring us Knuckles, a six episode miniseries released on Paramount+

After the events of the second movie, Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) is having a hard time adjusting to living a normal life, being raised to be a warrior. After he is grounded by Maddie for his warrior shenanigans, the ghost of Chief Pachacamac (voiced by Christopher Lloyd), he is given the task of training Wade Whipple in the way of the echidna warrior, as he plans to compete in a bowling championship in Reno, Nevada. However, the two are now in a misadventure, as two rogue G. U. N. Agents (played by Alice Tregonning and Scott Mescudi, the latter known for singing The Stars in the Sky in the second movie's sountrack as Kid Cudi), are hunting Knuckles for a man known only as The Buyer (played by Rory McCann), a former associate of Dr. Robotnik's who is seeking Knuckles for his power.

Watching this, I can say this show is okay, but not perfect. The miniseries seems to be rehashing the buddy road trip ideas seen in the first Sonic movie, only with Knuckles and Wade in place of Sonic and Tom. Also, despite being named Knuckles, the story sadly has Wade and his family taking center stage, as the story is based around Wade's passion for bowling, and his family, which includes Wanda, his sister from the FBI (played by Edi Patterson), mother Wendy (played by Stockard Channing), and father Pete (played by Cary Elwes). However, they do manage to bring in Tika Sumpter back to reprise her role as Maddie Wachowski, and Ben Swartz and Colleen O'Shaughnessy reprise their roles as the voices of Sonic and Tails (even though they appear as guests in the first episode).

Throughout the six episodes, they have managed to put in easter eggs to the Sonic games like they did in the movies, and the story is kind of interesting, but it suffers from having too much drama and not much action, but I guess it works somewhat, as the show does focus on Wade, a character who was a supporting role in the movies, and gives him his time to shine in what is otherwise an okay underdog story where he is given advice from a red echidna. Mostly for Sonic fans and those who want more Sonic and have trouble waiting for the third movie's release.

Bowling for Wade and a bit of screentime for his sidekick Knuckles

[tomsly-40015 · 7/10 · 29 April 2024]

This miniseries is actually quite entertaining and funny - especially the interaction between the two agents is hilarious. The series initially seems like a typical buddy comedy, in the style of Dumb and Dumber, The Heat, Hot Fuzz or other films of this kind. Especially in episodes 1-3 you get the feeling that the duo Knuckles/Wade are coming together to pursue a common goal. Wade is the slacker and Knuckles is the tough one who tries to teach him the importance of competition and warrior honor.

But as many commentators have already noted: In a series about Knuckles, Knuckles actually has very little screen time and becomes a mere sidekick to Wade - especially in episodes 4-6. Actually, it's a series about Wade Whipple and not about Knuckles. The focus is on Wade's daddy issues and a bowling tournament with which Wade wants to prove himself to his father. In addition, a forgettable villain and his henchmen hunt Knuckles to seize his power for something he wants to sell - basically, the motivation plays no role at all. The two storylines are pretty disconnected from each other and you get the feeling that you are actually watching two series. A quite extensive one about Wade and a very short one about Knuckles. At the end, for example, Knuckles sits in his hotel room most of the time and is not seen. Maybe they wanted to save on expensive CGI animations.

I would have expected more of a student vs mentor thing from this series. Funnily enough, a scene from Karate Kid is shown in the opening credits. But that is exactly what is missing from the series. Apart from a bit of pep talk, there is no training at all. Knuckles has nothing to do with the actual bowling tournament. He does not take part in it, and Knuckles does not get Wade physically fit either. He does not even sit in the audience.

The ending is also pretty rushed. The villain is defeated and that's it. What Knuckles does after that remains unclear. Is he now part of the Whipple family? What happened to Wade? What happened to the two agents who are now stranded on the mushroom planet?

Also annoying: the omnipresent product placements. From Doritos to Lays, Spotify or ESPN... Speaking of ESPN: The two sports commentators are hilarious. "Reno, the Las Vegas for losers".

Knuckles doesn't quite live up to the Sonic movies, but it is entertaining and worth a watch

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 18 May 2024]

My daughter and I recently finished watching Knuckles (2024) on Paramount+. The storyline follows Knuckles living with Sonic and searching for purpose. He encounters an apprentice who misses his father, who abandoned him as a child. Knuckles helps this young man become a warrior and achieve his goals. Meanwhile, there are those looking to capture Knuckles and steal his powers.

This series was co-created by Toby Ascher and John Whittington, who also wrote the Sonic movies together. It stars Idris Elba (Thor), Adam Pally (Iron Man 3), Kid Cudi (X), Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), and Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso).

This was a bit of an uneven series with some aspects I liked more than others. Every single scene with Knuckles is fantastic; his dialogue is well-written and even better delivered. He kept me chuckling throughout the series. However, I can't say I loved the premise or the main character, both of which were a bit annoying. Despite this, there are some worthwhile lessons learned. Kid Cudi was a solid and fun villain-great role for him to land. There are two standout episodes in this series: the rock opera episode and the final episode, both of which are 10/10 and very well done.

In conclusion, Knuckles doesn't quite live up to the Sonic movies, but it is entertaining and worth a watch. I would score this a 6.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Knuckles more knuckless

[Moviemaniac30 · 6/10 · 19 May 2024]

Why do you want a show about Knuckles? Well to see Knuckles kicking ass!

But thats not what this show is.

This is the Wade show a character so annoying you will pray for ir to shut up. Thats the biggest downfall of it and unfortunately thats more than half off the show Wade on a road trip to beat his dad on a bowling tournament.

Whenever knuckles is around the show is good and funny but that's about 15% of it.

The worst part it's the advertisment it's basically the first episode the one without Wade after that prepare yourselfs it's a snooze fest until the last episode where you finally get what you want Knuckles breafly.

Knuckles as character destroyed

[voldemarssmelens · 3/10 · 27 April 2024]

Sad addition to sonic universe. Comedy is quite bad in general. Knuckles keeps his warrior attitude, but that's it, nothing more. After first episode he is mostly childish sidekick to Wade.

Whole thing is like bad Home alone copy. Maybe even more cheesy. Story line is so boring and has no meaning or development at all. Villains are also so dumb as they can be, on one point they are secret agents with next gen technologies on next they can't even get rid of one man who does literally nothing to fight them.

I don't understand why not to use comics as base to create already proven characters and world around them. Would not recommend to any sonic fun, only good thing is CGI in this show.

Nice show, nice CGI..

[jelena-42031 · 10/10 · 26 April 2024]

Nice show, nice CGI, story is ok. Knuckles when his fighting is the shows best moment.

The episodes are short, but sweet. There is no need for season 2. Nice break between the movies.

Other characters are kind of boring, but can be funny in some moments. Needed more Knuckles in the show, and less jokes. I wanted a more serious tone to the series.

It is really a 8/10, but I give it a 10 because of what the show was meant to be and because what the two movies before the show were. The show is a nice break, and nothing more than that.

Plot could have been more comolex but it is ok for a streaming event.

Quite good fun

[Grimrikk · 7/10 · 27 April 2024]

I didn't know this series was even coming out before it popped up on the streaming service, it was a pleasant to see it there a few days ago.

Pro's:

Idris Elba makes Knuckles stand out like he did in the previous Sonic film, he's got a perfect voice for the character and sounds like he is really enjoying it.

Adam Philly also put in a good performance as Wade, he plays one of those love-able but not confident people really well.

I would have liked to see more Knuckles in the show as a lot of the story is about Wade, though a good amount of time is also spent on their burgeoning friendship so that's alright.

The rest of the cast also put in a good show, as well as Cary Elwes who I didn't expect to see pop up. The same goes for Julian Barratt who I know from The Mighty Boosh.

The VFX was also top notch and nothing felt out of place and the sound design was decent as well.

### Cons:

The few cons that would have earned it an 8 were just not having enough Knuckles in it. It could also have done with the tightening of the pacing. Especially the last episode. I felt like that one was too short and didn't show enough of the fight with the bad dude.

The last nit-pick I have is that the ending is very similar to the end of Sonics' first movie.

Whoever Green Lit This Garbage Should Be Permanently Banned from the Film Industry

[Hifihedgehog · 1/10 · 27 April 2024]

Let me just say it how it is: the Knuckles series is even worse than Sonic '06, and that is ironic since one of the episodes (which for some insane reason is a musical!) is called the flames of disaster, and that is the most fitting description of this whole bizarre escapade. Not convinced? Let me put it to you this way: if you ever had a fever dream of a story as cringeworthy as the first Sonic movie's infamous ugly Sonic CGI model, ladies and gentlemen, this is exhibit A. In particular, the middle two third and fourth episodes are the worst episodes I have ever seen in television history, and the outer episodes feature uninspired forgettable knockoff characters of the main cast and villains with zero development or speakable impact to this new Sonic movie universe.

For diehard fans wondering if they should risk their brain cells to uncover some cool Easter egg or game-changing reveal, sorry chief but nothing here but empty item monitors. I have taken one for the team and I commend to you this advice to look elsewhere, anywhere, to scratch your entertainment itch, but not here. That assessment takes some doing too as I have watched literally 10,000s of television episodes spanning the 1950s through today and I can only speak of a handful of series that are this pitiful and I honestly can't think of one right now after recovering from this poorly contrived mess because it is that bad.

Take everything that you love and enjoy about Sonic the Hedgehog and everything that makes a thrilling and compelling story period, and now throw that all away in favor of this amateur movie night attempt meets the worst kind of fan fiction this side of Green Hill, and that is the Knuckles series in a nutshell. Sad, right? I have honestly seen far superior work come out of film festivals and university film projects than this mind bleach. In an ideal world, what should have happened was this miniseries would have provided some relevant backstory and expansive world-building to set the stage, boost the hype, and raise the stakes for the third Sonic movie.

In reality, we got a poor excuse of a television series, let alone treatment on the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, that will make you feel like you wasted a couple hours of your life. Do yourself a favor and watch any other media in the Sonic franchise because once you go this low, anything will rise above the ashes of this dumpster fire.

A good warm-up series before Sonic 3 comes out in theatres.

[Jake231098 · 8/10 · 12 May 2024]

Well this was an unexpected addition to the wish list of titles I'd got planned for my reviews, but I say it's a welcome one as I used to be a BIG fan of everything Sonic-related growing up.

And sure, I may not be a gamer nowadays as I've grown out from playing my consoles but that hasn't stopped me from looking back on all the stuff I enjoyed playing as a kid and embracing all the recent video game adaptations we've been getting over the past few years.

With the third Sonic film due to hit the big screens in December and with the recent release of this new mini-series featuring our favourite hot-headed echidna - Knuckles - I figured I may as well check this show out, see what all the talk's about.

Now I must add; if you haven't watched Sonic the Hedgehog 2 before jumping straight into this series, I highly recommend that you do as you probably won't understand the context otherwise. But for those of you who have seen this - and spoiler alert for those who haven't - after having defeated Robotnik in the previous film with some help from his friends, our titular character, Knuckles, is struggling to adjust to his new life in Green Hills due to his warrior-like lifestyle and eventually he teams up with Wade Whipple. Now in case you forgot about this guy, he's the deputy sheriff in Green Hills and a friend of the Wachowskis.

But wait, there's more! While the two embark on their journey to Reno for the bowling tournament where Wade's father will be competing, they are being pursued by two corrupt agents hired by a former subordinate of Robotnik.

And now to state the obvious... the main reason people really dislike this show would be due to it being more focused on the human characters and less so on the Sonic characters... but in all honesty, Adam Pally is hilarious in this role! Seriously, the dude even has movie posters, a cardboard cut-out and a TMNT bed cover in his room. He's a nerd, like me!

Do I consider this the best show of the year so far? Not really. I mean, I have added X-Men '97 to my watchlist as a show I'm planning to binge once its first season has finished, so do keep a look out for that on my page. Putting that aside, don't let the negative reviews stop you from checking out this Knuckles series. If you don't like the show at all, that's fine. It goes to show how our tastes can differ and I respect that.

If you've been a Sonic fan for as long as I have, I'm sure you (and maybe your kids) can find some enjoyment from watching all six episodes.

Eveything involving Knuckles was great, the theme was great but the rest felt rushed

[ross-williams-84969 · 6/10 · 28 April 2024]

I believe the above says it all!

Knuckles has a presence in the first 3 eps. Budget gets blown & then they spend the rest of the show trying to hide that.

Theme tune is great.

Wade is incredibly annoying & his mug simply infuriated me the further the show went on.

I did not want to say aloud as I did not want to poo poo my nephews viewing experience.

My nephew who is 13 BTW & loves all things Sonic then commented on the above unprompted, so that validated my thoughts.

The end was awfully abrupt too, it felt 2 episodes short but what we had with Knuckles was really good & if they look to build on that aspect I belive a second season would be a great deal better.

Wade show

[hexsayeed · 4/10 · 26 April 2024]

This show isnt really a knuckles show. Wade and his storyline takes center stage, with knuckles being a side character at best. Some episodes literally being only 5 minutes screentime and a few lines of dialogue. In honestly I expect there to be a youtube video titled "Knuckles but only when knuckles is there" and with a length of about 30 minutes at most. The man Villain is laughable as there is no real reason for him to be a villain and after knuckles and have only one scene with Knuckles only to end in 5 minutes. The show is more the "Wade show" and happens to be in the sonic movie universe.

Plot is anything to write home about and nor do I expect it to be, but in Sonic 2 they seperated the human characters from sonic and friends, making the film all the better, the show focuses too much on the humans and fails to explore the named character, thus pushing him aside.

Great Dream Sequence

[Redbird382 · 7/10 · 27 April 2024]

I'm not sure what to do with or say about this strange conglomeration of scenes. I just witnessed Wade steal a bounty hunter's pony tail and motorcycle after what just might be the best terrible dream sequence of all time.

The dream sequence felt like a low quality rip off of that Shia LaBeouf video, but, while it does not have the same level of quality, the Knuckles' dream sequence and ensuing duel are highly entertaining. Admittedly, I have not watched all of the show up to this point, but if it is up to this level, then the rest of the show is most assuredly worth watching. Even if it is for those scenes alone, I am glad to have watched the show.

60% - It's alright for what it's trying to be

[ironbrandon · 6/10 · 28 April 2024]

There's a lot I like and a lot I don't, it's just above average. I can only suggest it if you're a Sonic the Hedgehog fan in dire need of more movie Sonic content, or if you're okay with watching a Knuckles show that primarily features a human character barely related to him.

If you don't care about Wade and can wait for Sonic 3 to release, you might as well just skip it. It's not bad, it just drags on for so long on characters and scenes I just don't care about. I also really didn't like Wade's sister, Mild Spoilers: she's an adult women who works at the FBI who also acts like a child.

Again, I personally enjoyed it (for the most part), but I might've enjoyed it more without ads of CGI nightmare fuel Dora the Explorer and live-action The Loud House every ten to fifteen minutes on Paramount+, and also Wade's sister being deleted from existence.

A great addition to the Sonic universe

[AgentPhoenixxx · 7/10 · 29 April 2024]

Knuckles is a spin-off show about Knuckles training the police officer Wade. Despite the name, Knuckles is really a show focused on Wade, while this may be disappointing, Wade's character arc is unexpectedly pretty great.

The story is pretty simple, it's about a bowling tournament and some cookie cutter villains who want Knuckles' power. The characters are super fun and the exposition is great. The dialogue is corny quite frequently but this is mostly for humor. Visually it looks pretty good for a show relying so much on CGI but there's a few odd animated expressions here and there. The soundtrack relies heavily on older songs and this combined with the humor and camera work give it a retro vibe.

If you don't mind the bait and switch, the show is really fun and we still get to see plenty of Knuckles.