‘How dare you attack me in my hour of sorrow…‘
The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie had some nice moments but felt more interested in winning new admirers rather than keeping the legacy fans happy. As a huge Sonic devotee in my childhood, I went into Sonic the Hedgehog ready for some sweet, sweet nostalgia. I was to be disappointed, but there were green shoots of hope for this sequel. Well, director Jeff Fowler has taken those green shoots and nurtured them into beautiful blossoming flowers. This is that rarest of things, a sequel that is better than the original in every conceivable way…
Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is back. But now he brings with him a red anthropomorphic echidna named Knuckles (Idris Elba) for the ride. Meanwhile, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is still on Earth doing his best Batman impression (or ‘Blue Justice’ as he himself puts it). As well as the introduction of Knuckles, we also see the first proper appearance of Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and the return of likeable everyman Tom Wachowski (James Marsden).
This time, Fowler has dug deep into Sonic mythology and the inimitable gameplay to produce a film packed full of Easter eggs for long time fans. It helps that everything here looks fantastic, more than matching the beautiful and iconic graphics of the original games. There are nods to the powers that various characters hold, as well as imitations of actual moments of gameplay. Rather than proving a distraction, these moments absolutely add to the sense of spectacle created by Fowler and his crew.
Carrey is not an actor I’m particularly fond of, but this is his best performance in years. Fully committed, self-referential and pleasingly unhinged, Carrey embodies Robotnik in a way that gives the rest of the film meaning. Without a formidable foe to clash with, Sonic is just a fast, blue hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ticks all the boxes. Kids will love it. ’90s survivors like me will love it. And it sets things up nicely for a third sequel. An unqualified success.