Sonic The Hedgehog 2
After the surprise financial success of 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega must have been under the impression they had tapped into the Disney/Marvel money-making formula. So much so that the newly released sequel (creatively titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2) feels as though it was generated by a bot tasked with writing a Sonic movie after being fed the Marvel movie catalog for reference.
Sonic 2 returns us to the sleepy town of Green Hills. Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is comfortable with his newfound family of Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) but struggles with proving himself as the hero he wants to be. Meanwhile, the nefarious Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) manages to escape his banishment to the Mushroom Planet and team up with the fierce intergalactic warrior Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba), with their quest for the powerful Master Emerald leading them to Sonic. Teaming up with Tails the Fox (Colleen O'Shaughnessey), Sonic must learn the true meaning of heroism to overcome the threat to his new home and family.
The choice to pitch Sonic as a children’s character remains an odd one given his peak nostalgic value as a video game icon firmly rooted in the 90s. Although long-running cartoon versions have sustained him in recent years, appealing to these disparate audiences was a balancing act that Sonic 1 managed to pull off with reasonable aplomb. Exciting and tidily executed action scenes fit well with charismatic and witty performances, derivative story notwithstanding. Striving to do the same, Jeff Fowler falls short of hitting those same high notes. The action fails to capitalise on Sonic’s time-stopping madness as he is hampered down by slower counterparts. The visual effects feel rushed, which is remarkable given the infamous last-minute remodeling of Sonic’s original “uncanny valley” design.
Sonic’s wisecracks become more and more cliche as the film drags on, only drawing the occasional giggle from an audience of mostly primary school children. The addition of series-favourites Knuckles and Tails fails to replace the buddy-cop chemistry of Sonic and Tom. Knuckles, with his meat-headed and over-literal persona, plays as an uninspired version of Drax the Destroyer from Guardians of the Galaxy. This overlays the weary narrative of Macguffin chasing, including tiresome adventure movie tropes of compass finding and tomb raiding. Riddled with continuity error, the story plays at times as a collection of skits rather than a lighthearted children’s movie and squanders opportunity for meaningful punchline.
Indeed, perhaps the most enjoyable scenes come from the return of Natasha Rothwell as Rachel, with a large portion of the film focusing on the trials and tribulations of her attempted wedding to newcomer Randall (Shemar Moore). By the same token, it is hard not to fawn over the pure nostalgia of Jim Carrey simply being Jim Carrey on screen once again, pouring his unique brand of wacky and physical improv comedy into the Eggman once again. If he stays with the character, he may be the only saving grace when Sega and Paramount undoubtedly try to milk Sonic for all he is worth.
