Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (PG)

Sonic the blue hedgehog lives in Green Hills with sheriff Tom Wachowski and his veterinarian wife Maddie, blissfully unaware that Dr Ivo Robotnik is about the wreak havoc again. The deranged scientist seeks a powerful emerald and joins forces with Knuckles the red echidna to unearth the gem. Thankfully, Sonic also has a new ally, flying fox Tails, and they take on the might of Robotnik and his mechanised army while Tom and Maddie are away in Hawaii for a wedding.

LondonNet Film Review

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (PG) Film Review from LondonNet

The turbo-charged blue hedgehog from the Sega video game franchise lives to spin another day in a rambunctious sequel, helmed by returning director Jeff Fowler, which delivers comparable thrills and spills to its 2020 predecessor. Calibrated to appeal to young audiences with breathless action sequences, broad physical humour and the rubber-faced tomfoolery of Jim Carrey as deranged arch-villain Dr Ivo Robotnik, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 follows the Marvel Cinematic Universe template with the introduction of the shadowy Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.), which protects Earth from extra-terrestrial threats, and a big reveal nestled in the end credits…

The original video game was released more than 30 years ago so there is a rich seam of intellectual property to mine. A third film is already in development along with a spin-off feature for Knuckles, the red echidna assassin voiced with growling intent by Idris Elba, who is determined to honour the memory of his late father – a pleasing parallel to Sonic’s loss of a mother-figure in the first film. Ben Schwartz continues to infuse the title character with childlike exuberance but Carrey inevitably steals every scene with his outlandish theatrics, aided by voluminous face fur. “Papa’s got a brand new ‘stache!” he guffaws in between sips of latte with steamed Austrian goat’s milk courtesy of a sycophantic sidekick (Lee Majdoub).

After 243 days in “portobello purgatory” on the Mushroom Planet, Dr Robotnik successfully harnesses the power of a discarded blue hedgehog quill to send a distress signal across the universe. Knuckles answers that plea and join forces with Robotnik to locate the Master Emerald – an ancient power source once guarded by Sonic’s owl mentor, Longclaw (Donna Jay Fulk). Owls and echidnas have been at war for centuries. “Like Vin Diesel and The Rock,” cheekily quips Robotnik, referencing the long-running public feud between Fast & Furious co-stars. The quest for the gem leads to Earth where Sonic (Ben Schwartz) lives in Green Hills with sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter).

While his surrogate parents are away in Hawaii for the wedding of Maddie’s sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell), Robotnik and Knuckles decimate the Wachowskis’ home searching for the fabled emerald. Sonic vows to defeat the echidna assassin and Robotnik’s mechanised army aided by a new ally: flying fox Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), teased briefly at the conclusion of the first film.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 ups the action ante with a snowboarding sequence that pokes fun at the MCU and a final showdown against a gargantuan version of an automaton from the video games. A flimsy plot cannot sustain the two-hour running time but Carrey is an endless power source of unbridled impish delight.

– Jo Planter