IR Film Review: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 [Paramount]

The first "Sonic The Hedgehog" needed to set up a universe to play in. However the tone and some of the gags seemed way too childish (though that is the target audience) and Jim Carrey's energy as Dr. Robotnik, though great, took a while to get going. In "Sonic The Hedgehog 2" all bets are off in a way but it is a much easier build. The trailer did a smart thing in almost doing a misdirect. The actual pre-credits sequence is a much better indicator where the sequel is going. It doesn't waste any time at all.

Sonic starts off a little too much but then it is dialed back to a good modulation especially in the way Tails (Fiona O'Shaughnessy) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) work in terms of balance. There are some scenes that are too much padding though. They are there for the kids to laugh at but the 2 hour and 2 minutes run time could likely have been trimmed down to 1 hour and 40 minutes and not lost anything of what the film has. The 1st 2/3rds is actually pretty solid in many ways.

Carrey, with the way he can play the character in this instance, is just gold and knowing how far the line is. The improvs come aplenty and they work around it which is bit harder in a CGI heavy film like this but they adjusted because those two energies need to work for the film to move. While it is not as pinpoint as The Riddler or The Mask, you do see that glimmer and manicness that was his many years ago. Probably takes alot of energy though at this point. The certain settings seem a little posed between the tropics, the ice and the forests but that might have to with scale of the way the scenes and sequences need to look.

The scale of the special effects once it gets going is much more robust and in a way less cartoonish than the first film. But a certain government agency subplot as well as the last 1/3 of the film just becomes bloated (though still entertaining). Fans of the game should be delighted and the film certainly is bigger spectacle. It is also a better film in a way from the first one but also has the advantage again that nothing really is set up. It assumes you have see the first film to have a frame of reference. "Sonic The Hedgehog 2" is afternoon popcorn fare with a message while still knowing its product but stay to watch Jim Carrey who as Eggman literally can out cartoon a cartoon on screen...still. B-

By Tim Wassberg