In just two years, the speedy little hedgehog rolls his way into cinemas again! Jeff Fowler is once more in the director’s chair after a first installment that I found to be a charming family film that was quite satisfying, despite the internet storm that preceded it. All flaws considered, it was a good time. It was one in the line of movies that may be putting this video game adaptation curse to an end. So with such a short turn around - and also a recently announced third movie and Paramount+ series - I was a little interested to see how this sequel would play out. Turns out, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a worthy follow up to the first; however it doesn’t do much to improve on its formula, and while at times it shows its self awareness, there are other times where it's totally oblivious.

 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has Sonic on the search for the Chaos Emerald as Doctor Robotnik returns with the help of Knuckles; a significantly strong foe to our blue lead. Sonic isn’t without help either, this sequel introduces Tails to tag along to help Sonic on his journey to find the mythic emerald. Meanwhile, Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) go to Hawaii for Maddies’ sister’s wedding. The cast proves to be solid yet again with Ben Schwartz being a really great fit for Sonic, perhaps more comfortable as the character than he was in the first one. There’s also Colleen O'Shaughnessey and Idris Elba joining the voice cast through Tails and Knuckles, who are quite good in their roles as well. The rest of the cast is fine, but I’m not sure if I’m on board with what Jim Carrey is doing here. I don’t think the film understands what makes Jim Carrey such a great comedic actor on film, and this film just kind of has him saying awkward lines while just having a funny mustache. Unfortunately, a funny mustache is just not enough for me.

 

I honestly quite wasn’t on board with the film at first; I felt its use of licensed songs were distracting, and a majority of the jokes just weren’t landing. The writing was inoffensive however. Nothing that made me roll my eyes or groan, but only when the script reached the halfway point do I feel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 finally gets into its stride. The story becomes more interesting, and the humor starts to finally work, though the needle drops still feel a bit obvious. At the end of the day, it gets to be just as satisfying as the first one; flaws and all. Also, with the announced 3rd movie and the Paramount+ series, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 closes with a promising future for the franchise.