By Noah Lynch
Originally Published in Lancaster Bible College's Focus NewsPaper on March 4, 2020.
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie is out and is doing well. However, it probably would not have done quite as well if its director, Jeff Fowler, did not take constructive criticism from Sonic’s fans. This acceptance of and need for constructive criticism is something we, Lancaster Bible College students, can learn, too.
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie released its first trailer back in April 2019, and it was not received well. This was due to Sonic looking very much unlike how he looked in the video games. The fans expressed their displeasure and pointed out that Sonic did not look like the Sonic they knew and loved.
In response to the criticism, Fowler, the director of the film, tweeted out that they were going to change the film to accommodate the criticism.
“Thank you for the support,” Fowler said. “The message is loud and clear… you aren’t happy with the design & you want changes.”
Fowler promised that the studio was committed to make Sonic the best that he could be. On November 12, 2019, the studio dropped a trailer that showed off Sonic’s redesign. The design was much less creepy than the previous design, and even better, Sonic looked like the Sonic that fans were familiar with.
Fans responded positively to the new design. “Y’all nailed it,” said a person on Twitter in response to the trailer with the redesign. “I am excited for this movie!!”
In order to accommodate the fans’ wishes, the studio had to push back the movie to February 14, 2020 to give the designers time to fix Sonic. Additionally, the redesign cost the studio $5 million. Yet, the movie is currently the highest-grossing video-game based movie of all time.
But this success would never have happened if the studio and Fowler had not taken the constructive criticism from the fans. The studio could have been obstinate with their original design and told the fans they were wrong. However, the studio listened to the constructive criticism and fixed Sonic based on the critic’s suggestions.
What can be said for our life as Christian students at Lancaster Bible College? Do we accept constructive criticism, whether it is from the Holy Spirit or from the Writing Center?
Often, we go and are encouraged to go to the Writing Center to get our papers checked. It can be difficult to hear the criticisms of our paper, but the Ally Center members are giving us the advice we need to help get a better grade. If we want a good grade, we will think about and make the changes the Writing Center mentors suggest.
It is the same with the Holy Spirit, except it is more serious. During our walk with Christ, the Holy Spirit will point out sins and problems in our lives that we need to fix. Often, those problems and sins are ones we want to hold on to.
However, we need to be willing to comply with the Holy Spirit if we want to grow in our love and relationship with God. The Holy Spirit is giving us constructive criticism for how to improve our lives, and we should listen to him.
Similar to how Fowler and the Sonic the Hedgehog studio took the constructive criticism of the fans, we students at LBC should be willing to accept constructive criticism from our mentors, instructors and teachers.
But, most importantly, as Christians we need to be open to the Holy Spirit’s cleansing of our hearts as he makes us more like Jesus.
For more information on Sonic’s redesign, see:
Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/sYVY_ZKwaxU
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