However, it is both used within the first five minutes and is the main theme of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". The film comes two years after the first film in the video game adaptation franchise and sees Jeff Fowler return as director. Pat Casey and Josh Miller also return with John Whittington as credited screenwriters.
Following the events of the first film, the film follows Sonic living with his new family, Tom and Maddie the Wachowskis. He is running fast, eating chilli dog and trying to be the hero. But the dastardly Dr. Robotnik returns with the help of Knuckles the Echidna, who seeks Sonic to find the mighty Master Emerald. Accompanied by his new fox friend Miles "Tales" Prover, Sonic must race against the bad guys to stop them from obtaining the Master Emerald before they can use it for evil.
Like its video game counterparts, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" serves as a bigger and better sequel to the first film. It naturally fits its characters, mythology and scale together to make a fun and entertaining film.
Everyone from the first film reprises their roles, including Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, James Marsden as Tom, and Tika Sumpter as Maddie. They all fit into their roles comfortably, as they not only embody their characters more, but are not afraid to go all out and wacky with their performances. Overall, they fit the wild nature of the film.
This is especially true for Jim Carrey, who did the first film. He has magnified it even more in this film and it does a good job of making him an even zanier and unsung villain. He twirls his game's precise mustache, while dreaming big how he can destroy Sonic. It is an animated performance that rivals real animated characters.
Talking about, the two main Sonic characters have been roped in in this film along with Tails and Knuckles. Tales is voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessy, the lead voice actor for Tales in recent games and TV shows. It's pleasant to listen to her because she plays a character she's voiced over the years, and she portrays Telles' wit and child-like wonder well.
On the villainous side, Knuckles is voiced by Idris Elba, and he perfectly portrays the red echidna. That gives her an obedient and powerful voice that shows off her strength, while giving her just the right amount of silliness to fit her character.
Along with the voices, one of the strengths of the film are the characters. With some enhancements to the returning characters, the film captures the Sonic characters and their traits incredibly well, making them feel accurate to the game and show, while still making them fresh for the film. , especially their overall design. Knowing his strength, Sonic is young and cocky. Tails is smart and capable, but a child nonetheless. The knuckles are strong and powerful, but also a bit dumb.
It's surprisingly refreshing to see these characters not only in the film, but also represent the franchise well. Sports fans will definitely be able to see this film as a love letter to the franchise, especially with all the references to the games. There are poses, jokes, costumes, props, and video game titles scattered throughout the movie that never seem out of place. This is one of the strengths of the first film, which is enhanced in this one, as both films have a precise understanding of the game and the culture around them (hence the meme in the title).
Although the references to the games work, some of the other jokes and references fall a little flat. Other than a few actor-specific jokes that are funny, most pop-culture jokes are obvious and check the box to mention things that are popular. Along with that, there are some lines and jokes that are quite risqué, in part because of their execution and their content.
These moments don't kill the pace of the film, but they awkwardly stick around before the film moves on. The same goes for clunky exposition, which is delivered at such a fast pace that it blurs out information quickly. But it's extremely on the nose, almost as if they don't know how to put the necessary information elsewhere.
Luckily, this only happens twice. While those elements feel forced, much of the rest of the film flows well, with the characters, story, jokes and scale rising naturally over the course of the film. There are many plot points, lines of dialogue, and jokes that have been setup and paid off, most of which create some of the best laughs in the film.
It includes a topic of showing the way to others, whether in a truly globetrotting quest for emeralds or a bunch of wingmen to find friends and always have your back. It's about recognizing the people around you who support you and stick by them, no matter what crazy adventure is going on.
It's not the darkest or most original theme, but it's dealt with and decently made throughout the film, so it gets a pass.
Overall, the script of the film is excellent despite some bitter lines of dialogue. But its structure, payoff, and understanding of the characters and mythology of the film's universe elevate the film where it otherwise shouldn't.
As with other technical aspects of film, they are all useful in the sense that they give the film style without being overly flashy. Camera work is solid with some interesting movements and shots. Editing keeps the film flowing. The score is good, but the soundtrack has been curated to match the tone of the film. If anything, CGI can be a bit awkward at times (both for the models and what they interact with) but it's passable if you're not focused too much on it.
"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" is a surprisingly good sequel. It takes the best parts of the first film and interprets them while fixing some of its worst parts. It's bigger and better in almost every way, without doing too much at once.
There's been a lot of talk lately about video game adaptations and one that breaks the curse of them all being awesome. Along with "Detective Pikachu," I believe it to be the best video game adaptation ever. It's far better than "Uncharted" and "Mortal Kombat," which aren't that hard to do anyway.
Not only does it capture the fun qualities and characteristics of the original games, but it translates them well into the film. The film shows that it knows how these characters and the world work and how it is brought into film. In that sense, it's quite a cool experience to see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles together in a movie that's as weird as the game itself.
But it is still a good film. Fans should find a lot to love in this movie because it's crafted for them, but it's also accessible to kids and casual moviegoers who may not have played the Sonic game before. It's a gripping, fast-paced movie about a blue elephant who can run fast, and knuckles. What more could anyone want?