SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 by Urizon

 

 I don’t think I could have ever guessed that Sonic the Hedgehog would be a top contender for having the best video game movie, yet here we are. Like, how crazy is that? A franchise that hasn’t managed to release a good game in ages, manages to release two excellent films. I honestly love it.

   Sonic the Hedgehog 2 sees Doctor Ivo Robotnik return to Earth with the help of a new friend, Knuckles the Echidna. The two are after a mystical item called the chaos emerald, a jewel that has the power to destroy anything in its holder’s path. Sonic and his new friend Tails must team up to try to put a stop to Robotnik’s evil scheme and get to the emerald first.

   This movie very much takes inspiration from many different Sonic games, including Sonic 3 and Sonic Heroes, and boy do I love it. I feel like I’m going to say that I love this movie a lot. To be fair, it was great. Honestly, while I have seen quite a few great movies this year, this was probably the most fun I have had watching a movie in a while. Between how well it was done, and the nostalgia, I couldn’t help but smile the whole movie.

   I think one or the major factors that make this series great is how the directors truly care about what the fans think. They listened to people being mad about the original design of Sonic in the first movie, so they changed it. They heard that people wanted the chaos emerald to be a more accurate size, so they fixed it. They listened to people’s complaints about the first film and improved upon those things. It is so nice to see directors actually care about what people want. Really it is almost sad at how rare that is now with movies.

   Another great thing is just how great of a job the cast did and how the characters were portrayed. Ben Schwartz felt a lot more natural as Sonic in this. I think he did a great job in the first one, but just something felt a little off to me. His performance in this was definitely better. I truly bought the more emotional moments and it was nice seeing Sonic evolve, ultimately realizing that he is still just a kid and has to learn responsibility. His friendship with Tails was excellently portrayed and was one of my favorite parts of the movie.

   Colleen O’Shaughnessey is playing Tails, as she has done since 2014, I believe. It goes without saying that she does an amazing job. That was a given though. Apparently some people have complained about her performance and said it was too childish or something? She has voiced the characters for years and did an amazing job, and that continues with this. Plus, Tails is a child. He came to find Sonic to warn him of danger, but to also meet his hero. I was happy to see him have a pretty major role in this movie. He added a lot of heart to it as well.

   Do I even need to say that Jim Carey did an excellent job as Robotnik? I think that goes without saying. It is a bit of a shame that this may be his last role, as he announced that he might possibly retire, but I understand his reasoning. Unfortunately, that means we might not get a Robotnik in Sonic 3, but I’m sure they will make things work. I could argue that some of his lines could be a bit cringey, with some references that will be outdated in the near future, if aren’t already outdated. Though, I think that all still fits with the character and makes it work even more. I’m also honestly impressed at how funny, yet sort of intimidating be could be.

   My favorite character, in this movie and in the games, still has to be Knuckles. Idris Elba nails the role, playing a slightly stupid, but well-meaning character. Knuckles has never really been a bad guy. He is basically a himbo. All brawn, no brains, but overall kind. Not really a spoiler as it is obvious, but Knuckles is being manipulated by Robotnik. Knuckles wants to take up the job of protecting the emerald, while Robotnik wants it for world domination. I feel bad for him, as Knuckles just wants friends, but because he isn’t the smartest, he gets manipulated easily. That being said, the pure power that Knuckles has and the dry humor from him really helped elevate him further into the position of my favorite character. I am very hyped for the Knuckles show that is apparently coming out.

   I think if I had to complain about much, it would be the human story. If you noticed, I haven’t really talked about really anything in regards to the human characters in the movie. That’s just because there really isn’t much that is interesting. It isn’t necessarily a bad plot, with Tom and Maddie having to go to a wedding and it all sort of ends up tying into the main plot, but it is ultimately just the weakest part of the movie in my opinion. Like I said, it wasn’t bad. I didn’t hate it or anything, just constantly found myself wishing they would switch the focus back to Sonic and the others.

   I could say that at times the CGI was also a little rough, but honestly, it is a kid’s movie at the end of the day. On top of that, the story was good enough that I could easily look past it. For the most part it looked good anyway. I imagine most of the budget went into the models for the main characters, so to have some backgrounds and scenery be a bit rough, I can forgive it.

   One thing this made me think though is how I’m even more unsure of how the Super Mario movie is going to be. Sonic was able to be translated to film partly because the games have evolved drastically over time. While they certainly haven’t been all so great, they have gone from 2d platformers, to games that are a bit more story driven. We get cutscenes that show off the character’s personalities and show some development for them, it makes things a little easier with transitioning to film. With Mario, the games have evolved, but we still haven’t gotten much of any of the characters personalities. Mario goes after Bowser to save Peach. Peach usually gets relegated to just being the girl. Luigi gets a bit of personality depending on the game, but it varies. I just don’t know how they are going to bring those characters to life on the big screen when it feels like there is so little there.

   There should probably be more to say about this movie, other than me saying it is absolutely wonderful, but I want to do my best to not spoil anything. Oh boy is it hard though, especially after that mid credits’ scene. For the moment though, I will leave things at that. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a fun, adventurous ride for people that are both familiar to the games and those that have only gotten into the series because of the first film. It provides plenty of comedy for people of all ages and gives a genuinely fun, thoughtful story. I would say that if you are a fan of the first film or of the video games but have been hesitant to give these movies a shot, you’ve gotta go fast and check this one out. You will probably be surprised at how good this one turned out. I know I was.