‘The light shines, even though the star is gone...’
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hit that sweet spot between nostalgia, art, commerce and mass appeal. It was funny enough and unique enough to attract a new audience, but it had enough thoughtful and effective nods to the video games to keep old fucks like me happy. I loved it. Can the addition of one or two new characters improve on what felt like the best possible version of a Sonic movie? Predictably, the answer is no…
Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is living in harmony with Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). Everything is going swell until a powerful alien hedgehog named Shadow (Keanu Reeves) is awakened from a 50 year slumber and sets out to wreak vengeance on those who imprisoned him five decades before. Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is back, and because Carrey just cannot help himself, he also appears as Dr. Robotnik’s devious uncle, Gerald. Elsewhere, Idris Elba’s Knuckles features more prominently, having appeared only at the conclusion of the previous entry.
While there are some good moments within this third entry, Schwartz continues to do great work as the titular hedgehog and no project is damaged by the inclusion of Keanu Reeves, the jokes are starting to feel a little stale and repetitive at this point, and predictably, Carrey’s portrayal of the good doctor tips over into being annoying here. Appearing as two characters is a typically Carrey manoeuvre and it offers very little here.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was a surprise smash success, and while money will always dictate that a successful sequel only leads to more sequels, the previous entry should have been the final one. Predictably, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is due out in 2027. Sigh.
