It’s definitely a mid movie in terms of writing and comedy (animation shines, but that’s typical for Illumination, barely any good writing ideas but the animators don’t slack off regardless), but it wouldn’t matter, Pitch Meeting nailed it perfectly:
Writer: So they go on Rainbow Road!
Producer: That’s from the game my brother and I used to punch each other over!
Writer: Oh, that’s exactly the reaction I’m looking for in every…single…scene.
Producer: What do you mean?
Writer: Remember Blue Shells?
Producer: I do.
Writer: So…..I just did my job.
Producer: Yay, I remembered the thing I remembered!
(later)
Writer: So what do you think of the movie?
Producer: Well, listen, I recognized a few of the things you mentioned.
Writer: Right.
Producer: And I feel a ton of people will recognize those things too.
Writer: Okay.
Producer: So…that’s really all the effort we need from you, this is going to make a ton of money.
It‘s a serviceable movie, but hardly worth rewatching. The Sonic films I’ll be more likely to revisit as Jim Carrey absolutely owns the role of Robotnik and Idris Elba had a great take on Knuckles (Sonic and Tails were good, but just basic heroes in comparison), and of course Detective Pikachu is great.
Just, for the love of god, do not give Legend of Zelda to Illumination. I imagine it’s unlikely since Illumination handling anything even slightly dark and serious would probably make their entire writing staff’s brains explode*, but still the possibility makes me shudder in fright.
*amusingly, the few times they allow dark humor is also the few times they’re legit funny. The family of robbers who show up for two minutes of The Minions movie are the one good joke in an otherwise bad movie. Secret Life of Pets 1 just had its two leads rip off Toy Story 1, but then you also have Kevin Hart play a psychotic bunny who wants to murder all of humanity and throws sticks of dynamite, now that’s actually amusing. Despicable Me 3 has its villain be a former child star who was fired the second he got his first pimple, like that’s legit funny. When Illumination actually does briefly get dark, weird, or mean-spirited, they get a rare good joke in, but then it’s back to farts, screaming, jokes about butts, and poor attempts at slapstick.