Sonic the Hedgehog 2 inherits the fun-loving DNA of its predecessor, and although it’s far more bloated this time around, its bright spots are just bright enough to keep Sonic fans clamoring for more.
Sonic works (at least on a baseline competency level) where almost every other video game movie franchise fails because of its charming, kinetic central character. Despite the super speed and accompanying energy blasts, Sonic (Ben Schwartz, reprising his role) is just a kid bouncing off the metaphorical walls as much as he is the literal ones, eating chili dogs and trashing the house while his parents are on vacation.
Sure, it doesn’t reach the intrinsic charm and relatability of a Spider-Man, an obvious inspiration. But in fairness, it’s much harder to connect with an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog from outer space than a teenager from Queens.
However, Sonic’s electric chemistry with his audience can only go so far, and the film loses itself in a bid to expand its scope. 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog told a tight, simple story about Sonic trying to find a home and Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik trying to capture and control Sonic’s power.
In contrast, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 throws in a quest to find a legendary artifact of universal power, a cavalcade of new characters (most notably, classic playable characters Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey)), and backstory for Sonic and the newcomers. It’s a lot, and it leads to a ton of plot without much substance.
The film’s unshy about telling you what its themes are (importance of friends and family, responsibility that comes with power), but entire sequences go by that don’t touch on those central pillars at all. The scenes are technically well done in a vacuum, especially the action sequences, but without a connection to the film’s themes, they mostly feel thin and make the runtime feel all of two hours.
For example, there’s an entire wedding subplot that seems to only exist to place Sonic and friends within a stone’s throw of the next plot point, and it soaks up a ton of oxygen for something that doesn’t really advance anything. It’s hard not to wish that subplot was completely scratched in favor of more character moments from Sonic’s foil Knuckles and his admirer Tails, who are both genuinely engaging when the film gives them space to show out.
Flaws and a binary good-or-bad discussion aside, the film is competent enough to give Sonic fans exactly what they want. And apparently, there are a lot of them. Anecdotally, in the screening I attended, there were several rows of dedicated Sonic fans delightfully squealing throughout, especially after a mid-credits scene that teased a looming Sonic foe. Frankly, I didn’t know this niche existed in such a real way, but it speaks to why a third Sonic movie is already greenlit.
And you know what? That’s great! Like many of us, I’m not a big Sonic-Head (or whatever they call themselves), but I count myself among several other dedicated fan bases, and those fan bases take plenty of joy from seeing their favorite characters come to life on the big screen. There are people out there who absolutely adore Sonic and his team of super friends, and now they’ve got their own sustained movie franchise. Sometimes, that’s just as valid a reason as any for a film to exist.
