My Movie Review on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Plus, a Bonus) · 1:23am Sep 11th, 2023
Greetings and salutations, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2".
Here's the rundown of this sequel:
Nearly a year after defeating Dr. Robotnik, and after officially making himself at home in Green Hills, Montana, Sonic the Hedgehog decides to take his residency on Earth to the next level by becoming a superhero. The only problem is, his efforts have bee met with little success.
However, while Tom and Maddie Wachowski are out of town, a vengeful Dr. Robotnik returns to Earth. And this time, he's allied himself with an anthropomorphic echidna warrior named Knuckles, who believes that Sonic is the key to finding the mystical Master Emerald. In another unexpected turn of events, Sonic finds his own new ally in the form of an anthropomorphic yellow-orange fox named Miles "Tails" Power, who can fly using his twin-tails and is great at inventing gadgets.
With the help of Tails, can Sonic find the Master Emerald before Robotnik and Knuckles? Or will the entire universe be doomed?
Over two years ago, I made my analysis of the first "Sonic the Hedgehog" film from 2020, and I rated it 4½ out of 5 stars. Now, I can finally make a review on the film's sequel and put an end to the wait for it.
As with many other sequels, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" was one that I've been wanting to review for quite a while, but I ultimately saved it for later because there were other movies I was more interested in checking out. Since my list of things to review has lessened, I was able to turn my full-on attention to this sequel and focus on making my analysis of it.
The very first time I saw this sequel was while it was available to watch for free via Amazon Prime, which was right after I did a rewatch of the first movie. But, in preparation for reviewing it, I watched this sequel two more times recently just to get my brain going for making my critique, mainly because I wanted to be absolutely certain on what I thought of it.
So, what do I think of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" in words? Especially after seeing it three times this year?
Well, just like with its predecessor, I didn't think this sequel was 100% perfect. There were a couple things that I couldn't help but take issue with, which is what I'll be starting this review off with.
Similar to the first film, there are some cuss words in this sequel that I believe were inappropriate for a PG-rated film. I mean, the cussing wasn't recurring, and I liked that some of them were made into puns, but still...why incorporate the cuss words to begin with?
Other than that, I also felt creeped out by the parts displaying Agent Stone's admiration for Dr. Robotnik, such as when he was making pictures revolving around Robotnik on the cream of lattes. I couldn't tell whether that meant Stone had some sort of crush on Robotnik or just looked up to him like a teen idol, although I do remember that there are minions of bad guys who idolize their employers so much they consider a life without them to be meaningless; even despite the verbal or physical abuse. Still, weren't there any ways to depict that with Agent Stone that wouldn't come across as creepy?
Outside of these nitpicks, though, I'm proud to say that "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" was an amazing sequel. A rollicking great time too!
For instance, the direction by Jeff Fowler, the story by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, and the screenplay by them and John Whittington, were positively delightful.
When it came to making this sequel a continuation, Fowler and the writers excellently took advantage of certain plot threads left from the first movie. They answered questions that served as a great basis for this chapter, and the world-building and mythology-delving helped the story be both larger in scale and intriguing. The themes and morals about friendship and family were well-done too; and I thought the film team did a terrific job teaching that younger generations should always enjoy their youthful days while they can but still take the time to mature and be more responsible.
On top of this, the jokes throughout the movie were hysterical to watch. Some of the gags may be a little long, but the comedy overall had an innocence that made them too irresistible not to laugh at. One of my favorite moments was when Sonic and Tails had the dance fight with the Siberian dancing champion, because it was both hilarious and further developed the story. The film had an incredibly vast amount of heart and emotion as well, which were particularly generated by the positive character bonds.
The special effects were as spectacular as ever, if I may add.
Just like in the first movie, the CGI used to create Sonic himself was amazing. He mixed in perfectly with the live-action settings, and the effects team kept his design faithful to the games while adding a genuine sense of realism. These sentiments were also why I enjoyed their work in creating Tails and Knuckles, although I adored how they helped the two characters stand apart from Sonic and each other. In this case, both Tails and Knuckles appeared to have completely different styles to their looks and how they were created.
Along with this, the outer space sequences and mushroom planet setting were astounding to look at. I literally felt like I was actually in those places, and there weren't any signs of them being created by computer either. Plus, the CGI used to create Robotnik's giant robot was mind-blowing, and not just because of how realistic it seemed. The robot's movements accurately matched Robotnik's as he was controlling the enormous machine, and it makes me wonder if Jim Carrey provided motion capture reference to give this aspect a greater sense of authenticity.
The music by Tom Holkenborg was magnificent as well.
Returning from composing the first film, Holkenborg created a score that had a cinematic and emotional quality while still feeling like the kind a Sonic movie would have. The most interesting thing about his music in this sequel, though, is that Holkenborg managed to completely differentiate his soundtrack from the previous film's score, and he clearly pushed himself into going bigger and deeper in the endeavor. In addition, Holkenborg's song choices for this sequel were pleasurable, especially the usage of "Uptown Funk" during the dance fight.
Finally, the performances of the cast, characters, and character development were splendid.
In terms of the live-action performances and human characters, I thought that they were all amazing in their own way. James Marsden & Tika Sumpter were awesome in their reprisals of Tom & Maddie Wachowski, and their characters were as well-developed and lovable as ever. Plus, Randall Handel proved to be a welcoming and three-dimensional new addition to the series, and Shemar Moore portrayed the character perfectly. As for Rachel...well, she's still not one of my favorite characters, but at least she actually had development in this sequel compared to the previous movie; and Natasha Rothwell gave an excellent reprisal as the character.
Of course, if I were to choose who gave the best live-action performance in this sequel, it'd be Jim Carrey in his reprisal as Dr. Robotnik. I loved how Carrey retained Robotnik's wacky sense of humor and eccentricity while making him even more intimidating and sinister, and he was clearly giving his all in the process. Robotnik himself had dynamic development throughout the movie, and he was practically at the height of his role as a supervillain.
Whether Robotnik will return in the upcoming 3rd film is something I don't know, especially considering Jim Carrey's current hiatus/possible retirement from acting, but...I think the 2nd movie provided the perfect conclusion for Robotnik's overall character arc. I'm not gonna give any spoilers, but I will say that there are some aspects of this sequel that seemed to give the right leeway for ending Robotnik's story, particularly for if the filmmakers ultimately decide to move on with another villain from the Sonic archives.
As for the vocal performances and CGI characters, I thought that they were remarkable.
Ben Schwartz was wonderful in his reprisal of Sonic the Hedgehog, providing a performance that made his character funny, lovable, and three-dimensional from the inside-out. Likewise, with every piece of dialogue and vocal projection, Idris Elba brilliantly captured Knuckles the Echidna as an emotionally-hardened and broken individual; one who is secretly just very lost and misguided. And, Colleen O'Shaughnessey gave an astounding performance as Tails, beautifully capturing Tails' personality and innocence to a tee.
Wanna know the best part about Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles?
All three of them had stupendous character developments throughout the story. They grew in ways that I never expected, and I was constantly enraptured by their focuses and loving them no matter what.
In conclusion, despite the flaws I mentioned at the beginning, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" was an enjoyable and worthy successor of the original film from 2020. It takes Sonic and company to the next level in all the right ways, the humor and performances were top-notch, everything!
So, I rate "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" 4½ out of 5 stars.
Before I conclude this post, I'd like to share with you guys a new original painting I made a while back:
So, what do you guys think? Of this review? And the painting?
This movie is a shining example of how sequels should be handled.
Have you done a review of Everything, Everywhere, All At Once?
5746070
Not really. Although, that movie is among the many that I have the least interest in checking out and making a critique of.
5746075
Any particular reason why? But fair
I gave this film 5 out of 5 stars.
I found this film enjoyable. Awesome to have Tails in it of course, and perfect for making Robotnik presumed dead, no confirmation in case he would return, but possible in case he doesn't return due to Jim Carrey retiring. Shadow is going to be in the third next year, not sure whether he will be main villain or team up with Sonic to stop another like Metal Sonic or someone.
5746076
I’d rather not say. But, from a trailer I watched of the film just now, it seems too weird and creepy for me even by Multiverse story standards.
Heh... I would love to see ya link the review to of course The Blue EM2. ^^
Anyways... naturally in my words for the 2nd Sonic Movie: So much more action packed than the first one.
That was the entire point. Agent Stone is supposed to have an unhealthy obsession with Robotnik.
5746085
Eh it can be at times, but overall its a heartfelt movie about the generation divide between parents and their children and trying to heal that
5746100
I can see that now. I just felt…weirded out by that aspect.
5746108
I see.
I'd also like to see what you consider 'cuss words'. I didn't notice anything particularly objectionable (though that could be a cultural difference as the UK is generally more relaxed when it comes to cursing casually).
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IMDb normally lists the usage of cuss words out at their “Parents’ Guide” section. I hope that helps.
5746195
Just gave it a glance. Again, that might be down to a cultural difference between the UK and US.
5746197
Of course.
One of those sequels that is not only better than the first film in every way but one of those movies that set the standard of how Video Game movies should be. One that respects the source material that stays true to it and how to not have it overshadow the script.