Harry Situation Reviews: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Gotta go fast... again!
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the newest video game movie featuring the return of everyone's favorite blue hedgehog. In this adventure, Sonic is enjoying his time on Earth with his new family, the Wachowskis (James Marsden and Tika Sumpter reprising their roles). But things get complicated when Dr. Robotnik (reprised by Jim Carrey) returns to seek his revenge, but this time he's not alone. On his one quest to vanquish Sonic is the honorable warrior Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba). However, Sonic is not alone in this new battle, aided by his new friend, the ever intelligent Tails the Flying Fox.
I enjoyed the first film, having it be the last film I saw in theaters for a while before lockdown began in 2020 (shit, that feels like a life time ago). I've also mentioned how the character and the games of Sonic the Hedgehog forever hold a special place in my heart. So I definitely was interested in checking out the second film, coming in with low expectations. And if I'm being honest, I think this film far succeeds over its predecessor in becoming the best video game movie ever made.
First positive goes to our three anthropomorphic main characters: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Let's start with Sonic. He's still awesome. The writers once again nailed his personality. He's cocky and free-spirited, and still has a love for chili dogs. But he also knows when to get serious and is willing to do what is right.
Tails is also amazing in this movie. The writers nailed his character and his dynamic with Sonic. These two are not just friends, they're brothers. They have a special bond that has lasted for decades. What makes his character even better is that voice actress Colleen O'Shaughnessey reprises as the voice of Tails, having already voiced the character throughout the franchise.
They also nailed Knuckles as well. I'll admit I was a little sceptic when I first heard Idris Elba was cast as the talking echidna. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Idris Elba. I just thought they casted him because they just needed an excuse to cast a big name actor into this movie. Thankfully Idris Elba nailed it as Knuckles. And Knuckles, in this movie, is awesome.
And of course the other big positive is the main villain, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. Jim Carrey is still an absolute delight here. If you loved him in the last movie you'll love him more in this one. With the announcement that Jim Carrey is retiring from acting, it's hard to imagine that this is going to be his last film. But hey, it's a helluva film to go out on.
The rest of the cast is great too. I love the return of James Marsten and Tika Sumpter. And I love their own dynamic with Sonic. Plus, I loved their screen time. They had the right amount of balance sharing the screen with the animated characters that it didn't feel like they took too much screen time but they weren't completely left out of the movie. It was perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
The visuals in this film look downright amazing. Much better than its predecessor. When the characters are on screen it doesn't look like cartoons phoned into the foreground. They legit look like they are a part of the world. Although I cannot help but think back to how they originally animated Sonic. Remember that nightmare fuel? Ick, think about if they applied that to Knuckles and Tails. Bottom line, the visual effects look much better.
This is also a very funny movie, I have to admit. There were so many jokes that had me laughing pretty hard. They weren't cringey at all. They were legit.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is an absolute blast that I don't have much to complain about. I would say that the only gripe against the movie was that it did feel a little long. I mean this movie was a little over two hours. I felt like it was going to end some time but it wasn't over yet. But honestly if the runtime is the only thing I can think of as a negative that really isn't much. These Sonic the Hedgehog movies are proving to be the best video game movies out there. Honestly this movie is just a ton of fun, and that's all it needs to be. If video game movies start having this much fun then they may have a chance.
Positives:
-Sonic
-Tails
-Knuckles
-Robotnik
-The whole cast
-Better visuals
-Great humor
-Character dynamics
-All out fun
Negatives:
-A bit too long
Final Grade: A
So those are my thoughts on Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? What's your favorite Sonic the Hedgehog game? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more review here on Prose!
Best Quote:
Tails: "You're really heavy."
Knuckles: "That's because I am one million percent muscle."
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