Film Review: “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” Is Consistently Entertaining

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Jeff Fowler, 2022) 3 out of 4 stars.

Jeff Fowler continues to bring the action-packed fun with the sequel to his 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film, and in the wondrous spirit of its predecessor, lives up to the franchise’s excitement, adventure, and family-friendly tone that made the first movie such a success. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will most assuredly be a crowd-pleasing narrative, with a simple-enough plot to keep the kids invested and enough adult humor to keep the parents and video-game nerds alike quite satisfied. While it may not attempt to reach any particular social impact, the film has an awareness of its audience and aims to please.

In the sequel, Dr. Robotnik (aka “Eggman,” played once again by the hilarious Jim Carey) is back, and unites with a powerful echidna named Knuckles (Idris Elba, The Suicide Squad) to finally defeat Sonic (Ben Schwartz, returning in the lead) and rule the Earth … or in this case the universe! But Sonic has a new ally, a flying fox named Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), along with his trusty companion Tom/Donut Lord (James Marsden, also returning). But can Sonic and his friends stop Robotnik from obtaining the Chaos Emerald and gaining absolute power over the known world?

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 fully embraces its content, doubling up on characters, story points, and aesthetics from the video game to bring the franchise’s iconic moments to the big screen. Most sequel installments naturally try to raise the stakes, action, and, if done tastefully, more character development, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 certainly delivers the first two, with a bit of a loosely written character arc for Sonic as he journeys from being a boy to a hero. Sonic and his pals (and opponents) look terrific, and the visuals offer one enthralling sequence after another, broken up by fun comedic punches from the human characters.

Sonic’s return to the big screen follows a more-than-effective formula, seen in most of today’s action/comedy superhero films, that weaves a solid narrative that is easy to follow and filled with good-versus-evil moments. While certain scenes seem to slow the film down a bit (a bad outcome for a film about a superfast hedgehog), and offer very little other than a few laughs, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 should become the blockbuster of the month. It will no doubt fill the audience seats and give viewers a joyride of a time.

Adam Vaughn

Adam Vaughn is a graduate of the Film & Moving Image program at Stevenson University, with a focus in Cinematography and Production. He also has a minor in Theater and Media Performance. Adam works as a freelance photographer and videographer, focusing his craft on creating compelling photographic and cinematic imagery. Adam is excited to join the Film Festival Today team and explore the world of cinema and visual arts.