Having enjoyed the Sonic the Hedgehog video games throughout the years and also having enjoyed the first film in 2020, I was curious where they would go with a sequel. Now playing in theatres, I would say that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is about just as enjoyable as its predecessor. Everything I liked about the first film is doubled up on here which was a nice treat, but new issues are also present. I don't go into films like this hoping for some masterful piece of filmmaking, but I do question when a creative decision just feels off. Here are my mostly positive thoughts on Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
After being banished to the Mushroom Planet, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) forms a new ally in Knuckles (Idris Elba). Returning to Earth with his new companion, he once again seeks out Sonic. The only addition however is that he wishes to find the chaos emerald, which holds "ultimate power." Sonic (Ben Schwartz) teams up with a new ally of his own in Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) to search for it as well. This film becomes both a treasure hunt and villain showdown, which was fun to see. It doesn't get much simpler in terms of storytelling for a film such as this, but I thought it was well done.
On top of having fun with the story itself, I also found myself impressed with how witty the film was with its dialogue. I laughed at multiple puns and Jim Carrey's portrayal is once again great, if not even better. What did bog the film down though was a portion of the film that took place in Hawai'i. I understand continuing the parent storyline with both James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, but why they go to Hawai'i and why so much time is focused on secondary characters when it ultimately amounts to nothing to move the story forward was beyond me. Sure, these scenes had their moments and I didn't hate them, but they felt out of place for this film. Taking this out would leave no impact and make the film feel much better-paced.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 delivers on all of its promises. It's a film for both kids and adults that doesn't take itself overly seriously (only when it needs to), and is also just a pure blast of energy from start to finish. I never once found myself bored, other than that major story detour, and that's all I really wanted from this sequel. It's bright, vibrant, energetic, and delivers just the right amount of emotion without feeling overdone. The setup for a third film does excite me and I will gladly watch the next instalment. There's nothing all that special about these movies, but I have fun watching them. Especially if you enjoyed the first movie, I recommend checking this one out. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now playing in theatres.
After being banished to the Mushroom Planet, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) forms a new ally in Knuckles (Idris Elba). Returning to Earth with his new companion, he once again seeks out Sonic. The only addition however is that he wishes to find the chaos emerald, which holds "ultimate power." Sonic (Ben Schwartz) teams up with a new ally of his own in Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) to search for it as well. This film becomes both a treasure hunt and villain showdown, which was fun to see. It doesn't get much simpler in terms of storytelling for a film such as this, but I thought it was well done.
On top of having fun with the story itself, I also found myself impressed with how witty the film was with its dialogue. I laughed at multiple puns and Jim Carrey's portrayal is once again great, if not even better. What did bog the film down though was a portion of the film that took place in Hawai'i. I understand continuing the parent storyline with both James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, but why they go to Hawai'i and why so much time is focused on secondary characters when it ultimately amounts to nothing to move the story forward was beyond me. Sure, these scenes had their moments and I didn't hate them, but they felt out of place for this film. Taking this out would leave no impact and make the film feel much better-paced.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 delivers on all of its promises. It's a film for both kids and adults that doesn't take itself overly seriously (only when it needs to), and is also just a pure blast of energy from start to finish. I never once found myself bored, other than that major story detour, and that's all I really wanted from this sequel. It's bright, vibrant, energetic, and delivers just the right amount of emotion without feeling overdone. The setup for a third film does excite me and I will gladly watch the next instalment. There's nothing all that special about these movies, but I have fun watching them. Especially if you enjoyed the first movie, I recommend checking this one out. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now playing in theatres.