Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Starring: Ben Schwartz (voice), James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba (voice), Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub, Shemar Moore, Colleen O'Shaughnessey (voice), Tom Butler, Donna Jay Fulks (voice)
Directed by: Jeff Fowler
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Sonic (Ben Schwartz) must once again fight to save the world when Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns to Earth with a powerful new ally, Knuckles (Idris Elba).

Review:

Tim: It's fairly impressive that director Jeff Fowler not only delivered a crowd-pleasing success with Sonic the Hedgehog, but he did it again here with the sequel. We now have two solid Sonic movies in the world and I couldn't be happier. Yes, these films do occasionally skew a bit young, but that's okay- there's enough here that young viewers and old(er) viewers (like me) will find enough to enjoy. I thought this film built nicely upon the first movie while continuing the themes and stories from that one. That's one of the film's biggest successes- it doesn't feel like a typical sequel (just do the same thing but bigger!). While some of that is true- this movie is arguably bigger and it does include more characters, it feels like a natural extension of the story. I give the script and the writers a ton of credit for delivering a film that is bigger, yes, but very much in line with the original. These two movies work closely together to tell one larger compelling story.

I thought the film did a nice job of continuing the jokes and gags from the first one without being beholden to them. This movie doesn't just recycle the same jokes (although yes, there are quite a few callbacks). It helps that the film introduces two new characters, which changes the dynamics of the film and helps make it feel distinct and different from the original. The movie still has that same brand of humor and Fowler directs it with a wink, delivering high energy zaniness that is fun to watch on screen.

The film is served well by introducing two classic and instantly iconic characters. Tails was always my favorite from the Sonic games and he's excellent here. He's Sonic's trusty sidekick, a gadget-building friend who is called upon to act more bravely than he feels. I loved the inclusion of Tails and the new dynamic of Sonic having a friend of his own. Knuckles was a fantastic addition, too. He makes a fantastic foil to Sonic and Idris Elba does incredible work voicing him. He's formidable and it was entertaining to see Sonic battle someone like himself, instead of the human Robotnik. These two characters were brilliantly portrayed and it certainly drives the story and the film forward.

The returning cast is all important, too. Ben Schwartz is once again entertaining as Sonic. I felt even more comfortable with his voice this second go-around. I had a blast watching James Marsden in his role again- it's smaller in this one, but it roots the movie in some amount of realism. Tika Sumpter had a larger role in this film, which was good. Natasha Rothwell is still a bit over-the-top, but she did create a few humorous situations. Adam Pally added a funny supporting role and Lee Majdoub is still an unsung hero in this franchise. And then, there's Jim Carrey. Carrey was the MVP of the first film and while he somewhat takes a backseat to the animated characters, there's no change in the impact he makes on the film. His wonderfully over-the-top performance is a highlight of the film. He sells it so well that Robotnik is just such an incredible villain. He's the perfect bad guy for a kids movie- just menacing enough so that Robotnik isn't liked, but silly enough that kids aren't intimidated by him. Carrey's manic energy is essential for this film.

I love that the movie pulled in iconic moments from the video game series. The two standouts for me are the snowboarding scene and the airplane one. The snowboarding sequence is one of the highlights of the film- an exciting, intense, visually spectacular sequence that I could watch again and again. It combines action with humor and it's this franchise at its best. The visuals of Tails flying the plane with Sonic on the wings is fantastic, too. It really looked incredible as this tiny plane took on Robotnik's humongous robot built in his own image. The action in this film really worked well and the visuals supported that. There's a lot of strong moments in this film and these are two of them.

I really did enjoy Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It's actually probably slightly better than the original, although I couldn't quite give it that extra .5. It possibly deserved it, though. There's still some limitations in the script and too many "funny" moments that don't connect. But still, Fowler delivers a bigger and (arguably) better sequel here. Also, personal note- my 7 year-old son really wanted to go see this in theaters with his friend. So, we watched the original together and he went to see it. He loved this movie. He was so excited when it came to streaming and we watched it together. So, solid, entertaining movie and one I enjoyed experiencing with my boy. I'm pretty excited about the next one!

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokemon Detective Pikachu