In the end, it doesn’t matter all that much. But having the same director for the sequel as the original can work wonders for character continuity, particularly when the sequel picks up in the hours and days after the first movie concluded. Jeff Fowler helmed Sonic the Hedgehog and the hit was released in February of 2020. Now, he has returned to his directing duties for the aptly titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
The second Sonic movie is one of those sequels where experiencing the original helps the enjoyment factor of the follow-up. But Fowler and his screenwriters—Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington—have done a stellar job of crafting a wildly entertaining sequel that will be enjoyed more so if you have taken in the first film. You won’t be lost if you don’t, but it does help.
Ben Schwartz (Parks & Rec) is back to voice Sonic in the sequel and as we meet the fastest hedgehog in the galaxy he is living with Tom (James Marsden)—the local Montana sheriff who took him in in the first film. Tom is married to Maddie (Tika Sumpter). It appears much of that first film’s discussion about moving to San Francisco has gone right out the window and that’s a good thing. Not necessarily because we have a vested stake in whether this couple stays put or moves. It has everything to do with being able to dive right into the second movie’s plot without, which being a sequel, smartly expands the world and introduces new characters right from the get-go.
As the film commences, we meet Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) exactly where we left him—on the mushroom planet where he is trying—day after day—to come up with the perfect mushroom-based coffee mix. Hint: It’s not going so well. The good bad doctor seems to have had enough of this planet and this situation and as if on cue, a ring appears and out of it steps the one and only Knuckles (Idris Elba). For fans of the SEGA video game, this is manna from heaven. After all, in one of the post-credit scenes from the first Sonic movie, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) appears with hopes of finding Sonic. You know Tails and his double-trouble, flying twin tails will be in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and not just cameo—but play a major role.
Thanks to Knuckles, Dr. Robotnik has returned to earth, determined to find and secure this green gem that has been promised to come with great power and everything that comes along with that. Robotnik doesn’t care what the so-called side-effects are, he hears the word “power” and he’s first in line. With Knuckles by his side, he seeks out and finds his trusty assistant, Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), and the trio is ready to continue Robotnik’s crusade to not only rule earth, but the entire galaxy as well. Knuckles seems to have it out for Sonic, so for our antagonists, this is a win-win.
While Maddie and Tom are in Hawaii for the wedding of her BFF, Wade (Adam Pally of Happy Endings fame) oversees the small northwest town. This is one of those moments that being aware of the first film would help. What he does while Tom is away is extra comical, given what we know about his legal incompetence, many a LOL moment arrives thanks to the fearless comic timing of Pally.
Somehow, Tom and Maddy in Hawaii, Wade in Montana, and Dr. Robotnik and his crew begin at the mushroom planet and all of the above will fascinatingly come together as their fate could not be more connected.
It’s a smart script. Video game movies are notoriously difficult to make well. More importantly, they are incredibly challenging to produce a product that pleases the fans. Somehow Sonic the Hedgehog achieved that and miracles of miracles, Fowler and his team, have crafted a sequel that is even better, more action-packed, more heartwarming, and hilarious than the first film. It’s quite an achievement as I’d say almost 90-percent of video game sequels fall flat on their collective faces.
Not so with Sonic 2 as it does what most sequels do for starters—it raises the stakes—all without forgetting what it was that endeared fans to the first film. There is a love there, that is often unspoken, between Maddy and Tom and Sonic that is downright paternal. That’s hard to fake and there is something innate to the familial chemistry between Marsden, Sumpter, and Schwartz. Even more impressive since the latter recorded all his lines in an audio booth, thousands of miles from where the “action” was being filmed.
Marsden, more often than not, is not tapped to play in cinematic sandboxes that are as big as a video game movie’s sequel. He deserves all the success in the world. The actor is the nicest guy, who works hard at his craft and continually turns in performances that are always firmly in character and grow as the soul does over the course of the narrative. That certainly happens here, especially because all the introductions of the first film are out of the way and now, storytellers can get right to the action and world-building. Part of that is getting to know protagonists that we were introduced to wholeheartedly in the first film. Therefore, Marsden grabs the bull by the horns with his turn as Tom and in many ways, carries the entire film.
Sumpter is her usual awesome self—even if her character is slightly less developed this time around. In the first film, Maddy got a full-on spotlight where how she knows Tom, what she does for a living—all that life stuff, was important. With Sonic the Hedgehog 2, sadly screenwriters have given her not much to do over the arc of the entire film. If there’s a third film—and there is no reason to think audiences will not get one—hopefully the role Maddy plays can be a bigger spoke on the narrative’s wheel.
If one were to go deep on this franchise—and this genre in general—the success of Sonic in these last few films, is quite astonishing. This is a game that is about a uber-speedy hedgehog who collects rings in various landscapes with a rotating cast of characters who either help or hurt Sonic’s success. To be able to weave the abilities that the Hedgehog possesses in the game into a plot and build this world around that and have it not only work but could have easily had you drop your jaw in shock and awe or laughing out loud at the contained silliness that occurs onscreen.
Evidence of that, in one way, has to do with Carrey. As someone who has played the game on a multitude of occasions, it’s extraordinary what the Oscar-nominated comedic actor achieves with his Dr. Robotnik—with an assist from hair, costumes, and make-up. Proof he has grown as an actor and as a comic sometimes occurs within the same scene. Carrey first gained fame by being over-the-top, but at a certain point, one needs to dial it back a bit. Nobody wants to be a one-trick pony.
Within twenty seconds of Carrey appearing onscreen, the viewer does not think for one millisecond that up on the screen is the In Living Color veteran portraying an iconic video game villain. He is Robotnik, and another example that every individual working on Sonic 2 was on the same page and wanted to create something that is quite rare.
That is exactly what they achieved.
Grade: B+