TL;DR – A film that hits pretty much the same as the first, but I am not sure the first film was good enough to rest on your laurels    

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid to see this film

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Review –

The first Sonic the Hedgehog film was one of those moments where you could tell that there was a good movie and idea out there, but that it had been so cluttered that it was hard to find. To let a spoiler out of the bag, I do think the sequel improves in some areas. However, on the whole, what we get here is more of the same than any actual development.

So to set the scene, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) has been living with Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter) for a while now, but secretly at night, he goes out to Seattle to try and fight crime. Tom is concerned that he is not mature enough for that, but as a test of faith, he leaves Sonic home alone while they go to Hawaii for the wedding of Maddie’s sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell) to her new beau Randall (Shemar Moore). It is all going fine, but for the fact that on the Mushroom Planet, Doctor Robotnik (Jim Carrey) found a way to send a pulse into space, which summoned the Echidna with the fists and a feud with Sonic, Knuckles (Idris Elba) to the planet.

First, let us look at the strengths of the film. After the disaster that was the first film’s production, it was good to see them take lessons from that in the design of Sonic, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles. Their interactions were one of the highlights of the film. Indeed a lot of the banter in this film is excellent. There were also a lot of moments that were fine, like the dance-off and a bride spurned. Probably the best part of the film was the cast’s commitment to their roles. Jim Carrey is playing a blend of Robotnik from the first film and where he ends in the video games. Also, James Marsden is just so endearing in this film, and I am glad he is finally not playing the partner that gets dumped.

Where the film does not work as well is in the structure of the story. It is a race to a secret temple that only has two stops. It is just a bit underwhelming. There are also characters like Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) and Randall that felt underused. Also, while I liked the central narrative of a family is what you make of it. Unfortunately, it felt more of an afterthought than the central part of the narrative.

In the end, do we recommend Sonic the Hedgehog 2? Well? Look, it is a perfectly fine film. Just … look, the cast and animation are at such a high level. I just wish the story would also be up to the same level, and unfortunately, it is not. If you liked Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I would also recommend to you, Detective Pikachu.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Directed by –     Jeff Fowler
Story by – Pat Casey & Josh Miller
Screenplay by – Pat Casey, Josh Miller & John Whittington
Based on – Sonic the Hedgehog by Sega
Music by – Tom Holkenborg
Cinematography by – Brandon Trost
Edited by – Jim May
Production/Distribution Companies – Sega Sammy Group, Original Film, Marza Animation Planet, Blur Studio & Paramount Pictures
Starring – Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Donna Jay Fulks, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Lee Majdoub, Tom Butler & Melody Nosipho Niemann    
Rating – Australia: PG; Canada: PG; Germany: 6; New Zealand: PG; United Kingdom: PG; United States: PG