Sonic the Hedgehog 2

This sequel’s increased focus on the animated characters means that it feels like it’s missing some of the (more human-based) comedy that made the first film so much fun. That said, the younger target audience are likely to enjoy it, and there’s still enough humour to keep the grown-ups mildly amused.

Premise: When Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns to Earth and allies himself with Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba), Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) has to team up with Tails, a fox who can fly with his two tails, in a race to find the Master Emerald. Meanwhile, Tom and Maddie Wachowski (James Marsden and Tika Sumpter) travel to Hawaii for Rachel’s (Natasha Rothwell) wedding.

Review:

I went into the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie in 2020 with very low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised by it. The human cast, in particular James Marsden and Jim Carrey, were clearly having fun playing larger-than-life characters, and the odd-couple buddy comedy dynamic between the animated Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and James Marsden’s small-town sheriff worked well.

Unfortunately, the human cast take more of a backseat in this sequel, with James Marsden in particular being side-lined for most of the first half of the movie. Jim Carrey is still front-and-centre playing Dr Robotnik like a more caffeinated version of his Riddler from Batman Forever – which is still a lot of fun – but even he has to share most of his scenes in this film with the new animated character Knuckles. Voiced by the always reliable Idris Elba, Knuckles is a very two-dimensional character that doesn’t really get much to do until the final act (although he does become a lot more entertaining at that late stage).

“…picks up in the second half when the human cast get more involved…”

Meanwhile, Sonic is separated from James Marsden’s Tom for the majority of the film, teaming up instead with the second new animated character, Tails. Tails is more of a slightly annoying sidekick/plot device than he is a real character, and the chemistry between Sonic and Tails has none of the humour or entertainment value that the relationship between Tom and Sonic in the first film had. And as for the “plot”, it really is just a basic fetch-quest, where there aren’t even any real puzzles or challenges to overcome in order to collect each item.

If the first half of the film is disappointing, it does pick up in the second half, largely because that’s when the human cast get more involved. The subplot involving Tom and Maddie travelling to Hawaii for Rachel’s wedding is initially just an excuse to get those characters out of the way, but eventually, Tom and Maddie become more involved in the main plot. In the second half, Natasha Rothwell is arguable the film’s comedy MVP as she gets to play up Rachel’s exasperation at the disruption of her wedding to the hunky Randall, played by Shemar Moore.

“…adults who aren’t looking to entertain younger viewers may want to skip this one…”

So whereas my expectations for the first film were low and so it pleasantly surprised me, I was expecting that this sequel would be as much fan as the original – and so when my higher expectations weren't met, I was certainly initially disappointed by the first half of the film. But the second half of the film is saved by the comedy brought by the human cast, and overall, there are certainly worse children’s films out there.

And ultimately, I’m not the film’s target audience, and my children enjoyed it, which is perhaps all that really matters. But adults who aren’t looking to entertain younger viewers may want to skip this one.