Sonic 2 Accelerates All The Way
Right before Covid altered our lives, we were blessed with one very successful video game-based movie, Sonic the Hedgehog. It had a rough start prior to release with a design for Sonic that fans found less than savory. After it was released with the revised look, the movie was a hit with special thanks to Jim Carey as the titular villain, Dr. Robotnik. The sequel released this April which introduced Sonic’s most well-known buddies, Miles “Tails” Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna. Created by Paramount, and directed by Jeff Fowler, did the sequel find the way, or did it lose all its rings and fall from grace?
Did fans have to essentially bully Paramount into fixing Tails and Knuckles’ design like they did for Sonic? Thankfully not! As soon as the trailers dropped, their design followed the same style as Sonic's and it was also great how they gave Knuckles the same, yet larger, body structure. I still preferred the smoother, sleeker look Sega has in their games where the fur doesn't stand up, but I understand the choice as it blends a bit better with the human characters. The effects and animation of the characters were fairly true to the games with Sonic’s blue energy streak trailing behind when he runs, followed by Knuckles’ corresponding red streak.
For the plot, it follows a combination of Sega’s Sonic 2 and 3 games. While Sonic 2 introduced us to Tails, the chaos emeralds, and special features, such as Dr. Robotnik's EggRobo; Sonic 3 introduced Knuckles as well as the Master Emerald. This movie found a way to include all these entities and did it very well as none of them were rushed or underdeveloped. Seeing the way Knuckles was pitted against Sonic was also similar to how he was in Sonic 3, but with a twist that I actually preferred. Sonic's main struggle throughout the movie was realizing that with his great power, came great responsibility and how he had to find his moment to be a hero. The movie works with the story, and this version of Sonic is more than just an origin story, it’s a glimpse into him becoming what he was meant to be, a guardian of sorts for the earth.
Ben Schwarz returns as Sonic, and while he’s still not one of my favorite voice actors for the blue hedgehog, he does a fantastic job voicing his quirks, and carefree persona. Jim Carrey is still an absolute joy to watch as Robotnik. He even went bald, going full character, looking more evil than ever. It's a role no one imagined him in, but he pulls it off so amazingly well. He's hilarious, threatening, and just brings back memories of simpler times when he starred in “The Mask”, “Ace Ventura” and DC Comics comedic and dangerous villain, The Riddler. The plot also does something different and cool with Robotnik that the games never did with him. Of course, there wasn't quite a line for me that beats “Oh, give me a BIG, FAT, BREAK!” from the first film.
Colleen O' Shaunessey is the sole actor from the games, returning as Tails. If I had to guess the reason for this, perhaps it’s due to Tails being the closest character to the game’s counterpart, or there was no one else they envisioned as Tails other than Colleen. Knuckles, portrayed by actor Idris Elba, is hands down, my favorite voice actor for Knuckles since Sonic Adventure 2’s voice actor Scott Dreier. You take Knuckles much more seriously as he sounds like he's from a warrior tribe, while still maintaining that “gullible and naive” side to him.
Tom and Maddie Wachowski, played by James Marsden and Tika Sumpter has Tom being less of a sidekick, and more of a friendly mentor/parental figure to the hedgehog, teaching him about what it means to be a hero instead of a blue streaked vigilante. Maddie is good as secondary support for Sonic, and while James is becoming more like Sonic's dad, Maddie is, of course, functioning more like his mom. Neither of them had as much screen time as they did in the first movie, but it allowed them to remain relevant as they, followed by Maddie’s sister, Rachel (performed by Natasha Rothwell), played a pivotal role in the movie’s wedding scene with Shemar Moore helping and loving along the way. While it is was funny giving the other characters things to do, it did temporarily, make me forget that I'm watching a movie about a Blue Hedgehog. My favorite human and original character was Dr. Robotnik's sidekick, Stone, played by Lee Majdoub. He’s hilarious as his obsession with the doctor undoubtedly is one of the funniest elements in the film. You can't help but feel bad for him because he lives to please Robotnik yet doesn't get the same respect as his idol.
L to R : Shemar Moore - James Marsden - Tika Sumpter - Natasha Rothwell
There were only a couple things that stood out. As a huge Sonic fan (since 5 years old), what would've enhanced the movie greatly is if they used some songs from the games. The only songs they've really used was an orchestral version of Green Hill Zone in the first movie, an orchestral remix of Emerald Hill (only in the teaser for this movie), and some notes from the “drowning” theme where Sonic is underwater clinging for dear life. Love or hate Sonic's games, they usually have fantastic music and they had multiple opportunities to use some great game tracks, even if they were arrangements. Maybe this is their try out period, as they’re getting ready for the third installment. If it was a matter of licensing for the game’s music, I honestly doubt one of Robotnik's boss themes or “Live and Learn” would cost more to use than a Bruno Mars track. The lack of the game’s theme music didn’t hurt the movie, it's just a shame to think what could've been if they utilized them.
There were also a few parts of the movie that felt a bit dragged out. One scene was where Sonic and Tails are searching for the Master Emerald and wind up at the cabin where they have to do a Russian dance off. Cute? Yes, but it overstayed its welcome after 5 minutes. While it was supposed to be a bonding moment for the two creatures, there could've been other instances in the film for them to build their friendship.
Sonic 2, overall, surpasses the original and is one of the best video game to movie adaptations made. It's entertaining, adds some new lore and interpretations, and provides some great fanservice. It's great to see Sonic, Tails, and my favorite, Knuckles, come together on the big screen and dominate a superhero-based movie environment. Word of advice, make sure to stay for the mid credit scenes. This extra scene has me already hyped for the next sequel than I was for this film. While the old slogan “Sega does what Nintendon't” may not apply to video games currently, it now applies to movies as Sega is demonstrating that they are still relevant despite their withdrawal from the arcade and console scene.
Final Score: 8.5/10
