Film Review: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (2022): Video Game Characters are Better Developed in Fun Movie Sequel

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Review

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington and starring Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, Lee Majdoub, Ted Barba, Alex Bogomolov, Joel Hyrland, Andrew Kyrzyk, Vladimir Raiman, Vladimir Ruzich and Anna Tenney.

Let me make it clear that I thought Howard the Duck was a better film than the original Sonic the Hedgehog movie from 2020. I had low expectations for the new addition to the Sonic franchise but was curious to see how the follow-up film would come together bringing in a couple of more characters from the Sega videogame on which it was based. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is not only immensely entertaining, it’s enormously energetic and competently made. This sequel movie also downplays the annoying qualities that Jim Carrey’s villainous character possessed in the first film. Fans of the first movie and the video games series are in for a treat.

As the film begins, Jim Carrey’s evil character, Dr. Ivo Robotnik finds himself trying to escape isolation on a mushroom island planet. In a hilarious opening scene, Sonic (voice of Ben Schwartz) is fighting crime and getting into mischief. He dreams of becoming a true “blue” superhero. The story kicks into gear, however, when Sonic is left home alone with his pet dog because his human owners, Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) are off to Maddie’s sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell)’s wedding. Sonic starts living it up dancing to the fun song, “Here Comes the Hotstepper,” and making a mess in the house until Robotnik shows up with a red echidna called Knuckles (voiced by the always dependable Idris Elba) who is also ready to defeat Sonic to fulfill his own wicked schemes.

Coming to save the day is Tails (voice of Colleen O’Shaughnessey), a cool fox with two tails, hence his name. Tails, who drives a cop car in one of the film’s best scenes, is very cute and awfully entertaining to watch, even more so than Sonic. Sonic is the most problematic aspect of the film since he is whiny and constantly delivers corny jokes. This problem manifested itself in the first picture, but the new film is saved by Tails and Knuckles who add very distinct charisma to the movie. Knuckles doesn’t know the reasons behind everything he does yet his line presentation (voiced seriously by Elba) comes across as rather humorous making the film all the more entertaining to watch.

Shemar Moore’s casting in the film as an undercover agent named Randall is an interesting choice. Anyone who knows Moore from his heroic television work on action shows could probably guess from the beginning of the film that his character (who is the man that is engaged to Rachel) has a secret agenda. Yet, Moore has fun with the part and the audience enjoys his presence in the film as a result. Natasha Rothwell nearly steals the movie when she learns of Randall’s true identity and has a fit which causes her to go buck wild in a hysterical sequence.

Not every character works. A baddie/coffee shop worker named Stone played by Lee Majdoub feels like an afterthought and seems like a cheaper way to fill time than by giving Jim Carrey (who sports a horrible moustache in the film) more screen time. Carrey himself, however, is less annoying than he was the last time he played the role. I didn’t mind Carrey as the chief bad guy as he and his sidekick, Knuckles, try to conquer the world.

There are some well-done action sequences, particularly a snow-laced one straight out of the video game. However, Marsden’s character is really underused here and was used to better effect the last time he played the part in the first movie. Never mind, though, because the two new non-human video game characters steal the show.

It may sound like I have some complaints with Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but I really enjoyed it overall. There are sweet messages about family, friendship and teamwork with one of the bad guys in the picture turning good by film’s end making it a movie with a nice message for kids.

Lastly, the polished technical aspects of the new sequel and inside jokes are an added bonus. For example, the guy who runs the coffee shop displays an “A” grade in his store window when he wants business and when he closes for privacy, changes the sign to a “F-” rating to keep customers away. While Sonic the Hedgehog 2 doesn’t deserve either of those grades, it comes in with a solid “B.” Kudos to Elba and O’Shaughnessey for their adorably effective voice work. Even when Elba is being bad, you can’t help but love Knuckles. Whether you love or hate Knuckles, you’ll have a great time watching this new inspired sequel.

Rating: 7.5/10

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