‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Races to Recycle Itself With Familiar Antics 

Alci Rengifo

Superhero movies get plenty of flak for being factory products, but nothing defines the term more than adapting a Sega video game. How much you love old-school videogames may just determine the level of enjoyment you’ll find in “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” which feels like a preprogrammed arcade experience. It zooms from one level of the plot to the next, without adding anything new to the idea of watching a CGI blue hedgehog crack a few one-liners before annoying his arch nemesis. When the first “Sonic the Hedgehog” premiered in 2020, right before the pandemic, it became a big hit with its zany spirit. It managed to be a bit more loyal to its gaming origins than the average adaptation. The sequel is bigger but not as funny. A few good jokes do land, while the rest is heavily recycled.

When last we left the Sonicverse, his great enemy, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), was exiled in the Mushroom Planet. That’s precisely where he still resides at the beginning of this chapter. A portal opens and he is found by Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba), a red version of Sonic’s alien species. Unlike Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles talks like he wants to audition for “Gladiator 2.” Robotnik seeks his chance in this new ally to get his revenge on Sonic and the humans who banished him. Back in Green Hills, Montana, the blue speedster has been busy sneaking out of the house at night to fight crime in the big city. This worries his human caretakers, Tom (James Marsden) and wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter). Both are trusting Sonic with taking care of the house while they travel to Hawaii for the wedding of Maddie’s sister, Rachel (Natasha Rothwell). Tom also worries Sonic has no friends, which will soon change when another furry alien, Tails the Fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), drops in just as Robotnik destructively announces his return.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is the equivalent of a mass-produced toy or snack. Because the first movie was a hit, this one repeats the formula while trying to expand the premise. What that really means is director Jeff Fowler finding ways to throw in more Sonic characters fans of the game will recognize. This doesn’t necessarily mean they will work in terms of a movie, just as momentarily entertaining gags. You can take Knuckles out of the plot itself and be amused by Idris Elba’s skillfully funny performance. He gives Knuckles the tone of an ancient warrior who speaks and talks in old codes, can’t comprehend what “fun” means and takes everything as literally as Dave Bautista in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” His main power is that, like Sonic, he can run really fast, with the added touch of throwing big punches with his white-gloved fists. Tails the Fox is meant to compliment Sonic’s teenage attitude, providing him with an equally adolescent buddy who has been a fan ever since their planet tracked one of his antics in the first movie. Tails tends to be crafty with computers but nothing else.

Surprisingly, the humans outdo the aliens on the humor scoreboard. The gags are much funnier at Rachel’s wedding. She still holds a grudge against Tom for having to leave her tied up during all the chaos of the first movie. Her fiancé, Randall (Shemar Moore) is a total alpha who plays volleyball with his pack of bros, or as he calls them, “my squad.” How Sonic eventually crashes the wedding and interrupts the ring ceremony provides the kind of slapstick humor much of the rest of the movie lacks. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter is a fun pair as they try to enjoy the party, while hoping Rachel can bury the hatchet. Even Jim Carrey doesn’t dominate the screen like in the last entry, where he stole the show with his maniacal Robotnick. He’s so good we want more of him than of Knuckles. Carrey never has a standout scene like his chair-swirling number to the Poppy Family’s “Where Evil Grows” in “Sonic the Hedgehog.” 

Fans who really just want to see these characters on a big screen might be satisfied with the rest of the plot, which involves Robotnick desperate to grab an ancient green emerald players will remember from the game, containing great power, etc. The best Robotnik can come up with in terms of grand schemes is to build a giant robot monstrosity which he can control from the inside. So he basically just stomps around Green Hills while Knuckles dukes it out with Sonic and the gang. Plenty of ‘90s hip-hop graces the soundtrack as well as millennial and Gen X jokes. Robotnik even throws a Trump reference in for good measure. It all leads up to the expected big clash at the end with CGI explosions, the big robot causing apocalyptic mayhem in Montana and Sonic nearly facing doom under a giant steel foot. This is entertainment too light for actual death, so after the villain is defeated new friendships are made. Lest we forget this is an era of franchises imitating each other, there is a mid-credits bonus scene that will inspire major cheers from longtime Sonic fans with its big revelation of who is summoned for the next entry. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” may deliver a quick fix for fans happy to see the blue alien hedgehog in anything, but for the non-fan the ride lacks real kick.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” releases April 8 in theaters nationwide.