Who is ready for what might be the best video game adaptation movie of all time?
That bar is certainly not high. There have been endless trash adaptations of great video games from directors like Uwe Ball and Paul W.S. Anderson. There are few films that have brought joy or fun as well. Not going to lie…I can endlessly quote the 90s Mortal Kombat. That film is not great, but it has so much fun with it. But the less said about the computer effects the better. Christopher Lambert was also wildly miscast but he turned out to be so much fun. But there have been a few adaptations recently with Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog. The best attempt of all is 100% Werewolves Within which is loosely a video game, to begin with. But one film coming your way is going to change the game…Sonic the Hedgehog 2!
How does director Jeff Fowler build off the first film?
There was plenty of set-up in the first film that needed to lay the groundwork for the franchise with Sonic’s origin, all the human characters, and how Robotnik became his big bad. This time around, we can just get right into the fun! We see a great otherworldly action sequence with the abandoned Robotnik. The human characters (mostly) all go to Hawaii leaving Sonic to a big action-filled adventure featuring new fan-favorite characters like Knuckles and Tails. Robotnik and Knuckles team up to find Master Emerald and only Sonic and Tails are there to stop them. Throw in tons of Easter eggs from the games and this is a wonderful love letter to the fans. The action is fun and vibrant, and the characters are so true to themselves.
But does everything in this screenplay deliver?
First off, this is a two-hour film that did not need to be. There is a substantial section at a Hawaiian wedding that takes away all the momentum and distracts from the fun that the film was already having. There are a few gags and sequences that feel like weak threads swinging for the kids out there. Besides those, there is plenty of great pacing and high-energy fun that maximizes some fun puns, clever references, and a general load of fun. The game characters are fully realized and bring the wonderful spirit of the series. But the human characters are underutilized and are just plain distracting.
But what are the real gems of the film?
This cast. The real MVP like last time is Jim Carrey’s Robotnik. This is top-tier Carrey’s work straight out of the 90s.
It is still shocking that he still has that energy in him to put on such a silly and fun spectacle.
I was originally skeptical of Ben Schwartz’s casting, but he is the perfect combination of humor, endearing, and confidence. He plays off all the jokes including the terribly bad puns throughout the film with ease and confidence that had me laughing the whole time. Colleen O’Shaughnessy was the right choice to bring Tails to life after her great work in some of the video games. Idris Elba was inspired by casting for Knuckles who is tough and gruff while being incredibly noble. The human characters and the actors who play them are great but feel like they could easily be removed from the film.
Is this the video game movie we were waiting for?
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a perfect way to start off the spring movie season.
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This is not a great one but it is so much fun you can easily get by the excess plot lines and familiar narrative plotting. You know exactly where this zany adventure is going. But do you know what? This is so much fun and brings the spirit of Sonic to life. The tease for the next one is just as exciting too.
