You've read the heading correctly. Out of respect for the makers of the film, this review will NOT feature any major spoiler warning beyond what the audience were already privy to prior to the release of the movie. You want to know the full details of what happens in the film? Go see it yourselves if it is safe in your area to do so. I will, however, write up a spoiler-filled version of this review that will be published after the 8th of April, a full week after the film has released over here in the U.K.
Nonetheless, I was certainly interested in seeing where Jeff Fowler and crew would take this series, especially after they announced that they wouldn't strictly follow the exact canon layout of the story presented in the original games that inspire the stories as told in the movies. And with the surprising success of the first film, both at the box office and with the fans, it was all but guaranteed that a sequel would be in the works. Even now, with this film having just come out, there are already plans for the third movie and who from the games will be featured as part of the main cast, not to mention a spin-off TV series following the adventures of a certain red echidna.
If nothing else, I have to give major respect to Jeff Fowler for how he responded to the criticism of both films during production from the fans. He doesn't dismiss what they say as worthless garbage, nor does he take it too personally to the point where it affects the quality of his work. He takes the criticisms on-board, sees how they could improve the movie, and incorporates the best compromises without sacrificing too much of what makes either film good. And given that he is vocally supportive of the fandom and why they enjoy the franchise, that gives him the edge over, say, the Halo TV series wherein the creators outright admit to have never glanced at any of the games... that's not hyperbolic; that actually happened.
But enough with the build-up; let's get into the core story.
Plot:
After the events of the first movie where Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) sent Dr Robotnik (played by Jim Carrey) on a one-way trip to the mushroom planet and decided to stay with the Wachowski's, he has been taking to the streets as the wannabe vigilante "Blue Justice" (trademark pending). While Tom (played by James Marsden) and Maddie (played by Tika Sumpter) are in Hawaii to attend the wedding of Maddie's sister, Robotnik returns to take revenge on the hedgehog and continue his plans for world domination, accompanied by Knuckles the echidna (voiced by Idris Elba) who wishes to hunt down Sonic in his quest to retrieve the Master Emerald. Thus, Sonic finds himself on yet another adventure, only now he is joined by a twin-tailed super-genius fox named Tails (voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey) as they journey to find the Master Emerald and keep it out of Robotnik's hands due to how powerful that would make the mad scientist.
Pros:
Just like the first film, Jim Carrey absolutely slays it as Dr Robotnik, bringing his signature frenetic energy to the performance and capturing all of the classic traits of the character; narcissistic, power-hungry, deranged, and obsessive with proving his superiority. And seeing him fully embrace the madness and using drones that are more akin to the classic Badniks of the original games was a joy to watch. Carrey's Robotnik is the kind of villain where you can't help but love him purely through the charisma and gravitas of the actor.
Speaking of great performances; Idris Elba as Knuckles! Initially, the announcement of the casting was strange, but the final product pretty much proved how practically perfect it was. This version of Knuckles goes back to basics as a stoned-faced, serious warrior who ends up being manipulated by Robotnik to do his bidding. However, there are several moments where his straight-forward persona actually gives the film it's comedic edge, especially through his interactions with the laid-back, jokey Sonic or the maniacally zany Robotnik. Combine this with his backstory that gives the audience a better understanding of his motivations (more on this in the spoiler-filled review), and Knuckles quickly becomes a major highlight of the movie.
And for the first time since the Adventure games, Tails finally gets to be part of a Sonic story where he isn't useless, a coward, or used for bad comedy/a forced conflict. He is again back to basics as the blue blur's sidekick and eventual best buddy, but the film remembers that Tails is also smart and funny in his own right without having to stand behind Sonic all the time. We see him (and others) use a wide variety of gadgets to aid Sonic in his quest and he provides a new dynamic for the titular character that we couldn't explore in the first film for understandable reasons; this time, we have Tails looking up to Sonic without being a constant fanboy and proving himself as extremely useful, which in turn endears him to us whenever he interacts with Sonic and talks about his past. Tails has always been one of my favourite Sonic characters, so it's great to finally see him in a role that doesn't regress his growth.
Also, he's pretty damn cute at moments.
I also liked the character arc that they gave Sonic in this film, wherein he's still learning how to use his powers more responsibly as well as maturing as an individual through his experiences in the story. He still ultimately makes mistakes, as to be expected of someone who is essentially still a kid at heart, but he learns from them and endeavours to put what he has learned into practice as both a hero and as a friend. This actually works really well as an extension of the previous film, wherein he felt more awkward with his quips due to a lack of social interaction or even having any friends. But now, with the people he's met and the friends he's made, it's the appropriate time for him to learn about how to put them above his own ego.
In general, there also seems to have been an improvement with both the effects and the action in this film. I'll admit that I gave the effects in the first film some slack due to the fact that they had to redesign the protagonists appearance after the major backlash from the fans. However, it was very clear that the effects were somewhat rushed even with the extended release date, though this may have also been because of the studio unfortunately being shut down before the film came out. Thankfully, this film improves on the effects due to a somewhat larger budget and more time to properly develop them. This in turn makes the actions scenes, of which there is plenty more than in the first film, all the more fun as the character designs are great and how they interact with the world around them feels more tangible than just having a cardboard head on a stick for the live-action actors to talk to.
Cons:
For all the credit I can give the human characters for not being anywhere near as annoying or intrusive as other video game adaptations, I've honestly never been a fan of Rachel (played by Natasha Rothwell), Maddie's sister who hates Tom. She was kind of there to act as the expected "doesn't approve of sister's husband for personal reasons" trope and was also used as a source of comedy due to the misfortunes she went through with being tied up in her chair. Unfortunately, they seemed to double down on the character in this film with how it's her wedding that is the main impetus for Tom and Maddie leaving before Robotnik returns, and they continue with her unfathomable hatred for Tom due to her expecting him to ruin her marriage to Derek from "Criminal Minds".
I'm not making that up; look at the cast list.
Frankly, I felt like the subplot with Rachel and her wedding went on for too long and came off as just a form of plot convenience to not have Tom and Maddie around for the stuff involving Robotnik and Knuckles until the end of the second act. I won't fault the actress for this, as she does a good job with the material she is given. And if nothing else, I did get a chuckle out of seeing her and Shemar Moore's interactions during it. It's just that parts of the subplot could've been rewritten to flow more naturally with the script, especially when part of it involves a wedding ring (again, more of this in the spoiler-filled review).
In fact, there are also some other parts of the story that don't flow as well as I think they could have. The overall story itself isn't necessarily badly written, and the general structure of the film is solid enough that I can't find massive hiccups in the narrative. However, the parts where we cut to Hawaii for 5 minutes after at least 15 minutes focused on Sonic's adventure feels a bit jarring whenever they pop up, and they don't really feel all that relevant until the point where the A-plot with Sonic and the B-plot with the humans intersect after about an hour and 10 minutes. It feels more like the humans are more obligated to be included rather than essential to the progression of Sonic's character arc (once again, the spoiler-filled review will have a more detailed breakdown of why I feel this way about the story structure and pacing).
Conclusion:
But regardless of the quality presented with the human sections, this film continues the success of the first film and is generally better due to more time being devoted to the elements necessary for the film to work. And thankfully, it doesn't feel like it's just repeating the same things we had in the first film nor does it feel the need to constantly hit us over the head with pop cultural references to keep the audience engaged with low-hanging fruit for jokes. I still find myself enjoying the characters, being engaged with the lore expansions, and laughing at the moments of comedy that managed to land. And with the inclusion of both Tails and Knuckles, I'm honestly excited and interested to see how the rest of the story goes with this franchise.
Overall rating: 8.5/10 (Highly recommend).
Thanks to everyone for reading; be sure to leave a comment telling me what you think of the movie while keeping the spoilers to a bare minimum. Make sure to share this review on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc), and please give me a follow; my Twitter handle is @MediaHood23, my Instagram is @mediahood23, and my YouTube account is Media Hood Reviews. Also make sure to subscribe and ring the bell to notified of when a video goes up.
But until next time, because there always will be one; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
