ok i watched it and i've concluded that it was cheaper to hire one martial arts actor than it was to hire two. likewise, it frees space on the game cartridge to reuse the same sprite for every blue sphere. we can probably establish that the lack of individuality was a budget/resource constraint rather than some kind of metaphor

the difference between jet li and sonic is that sonic turns his facsimiles red, while jet li kills his, which turns them blue. sonic gives life to these soulless spheres, while jet li takes life away.

also i activated my screensaver accidentally while watching and thought it was a special effect in the film