In the summer of 1991, SEGA and creator Yuji Naka unleashed a phenomenon upon the video gaming world, with varying degrees of success. 31 years later, and a successful movie released in 2020, the Blue Blur returns to the cinema screens in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The first movie was an enjoyable family film, with some decent comedic moments and great performances from the cast. Does Sonic the Hedgehog 2 manage to up the stakes and top the original?
Set shortly after the events of the first movie, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), as well as human characters Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter) have made a home for themselves, with Sonic spending his night’s travelling to nearby Seattle to tackle bad guys using his trademark super speed and cocky attitude, with varying degrees of success. However, with the return of the evil Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) from the Mushroom Planet alongside new antagonist Knuckles (Idris Elba), Sonic is forced to team up with the new addition to the cast Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) to help track down and locate an ancient mystical power before the antagonists do.
Fans of the video games will get massive hits of nostalgia with the sheer amount of references to SEGA’s original trilogy of Mega Drive games, but this will also delight kids who have grown up with the animated Sonic adventures. But that’s not to say there isn’t plenty to offer for the adults in the audience as well, with some very close to the mark jokes and dialogue that will completely bypass the younger audience members.
The pacing of the film ensures that there aren’t many wasted scenes, and barely suffers from issues with a slowing second act that sequel movies often struggle with. There are only a couple of scenes that could have either been trimmed or cut, which shows an excellent grip on the source material and familiarity that director Jeff Fowler and screenwriters Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington have become accustomed to.
Each cast member is on top form, with a big standout player this time around again being Jim Carrey, channeling the inner chaos of his earlier film roles to guide Robotnik more towards the maniacal and evil genius that has been depicted through the history of the character. Colleen O’Shaughnessey also perfectly encapsulates and manifests a vision of Tails that is almost identical to the source material, as Sonic’s best friend and technological wizard.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a perfect family film and an excellent follow up to the original. It manages to raise the stakes naturally without forgetting about the heart and comedic moments that made the first movie so enjoyable.
