Too long?
Not enough Knuckles?
Too much Knuckles??
Generic franchise cash grab or full-throttle family adventure?
The critics have seen the Sonic sequel.
Here's what they're saying.
When fans got their first look at the Sonic the Hedgehog movie back in 2019, there was
an uproar over the blue speedster's design, which tried to make the legendary video game
character look a little too human.
"Uh… meow?"
Paramount quickly rushed to redesign the iconic hedgehog, but it seemed like the project might
have been doomed before its release.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and the film eventually managed to win audiences over,
raking in $319 million worldwide.
It was more than enough for the studio to greenlight a sequel, which started production
in 2021 — and now, it's finally almost here.
The first trailer for the sequel revealed that Sonic is joined by Tails this time around
as they go up against the sinister Dr. Robotnik and his new henchman, Knuckles the echidna.
The first reactions from critics have now arrived online ahead of the movie's April
8th release date, and they seem to be impressed with the sequel... for the most part.
Although the first reviews for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 have featured their fair share of criticism,
it does appear that, for the most part, critics appreciate the sequel for its fun atmosphere
and new characters.
The Radio Times' Patrick Cremona wrote:
"[Ben Schwartz] gives another perky vocal performance in the role, full of warmth and
humor, while Colleen O'Shaughnessey makes a successful transition from video games to
film as Tails."
Meanwhile, GamesRadar's Bradley Russell found Idris Elba's Knuckles to be a worthy addition
to the series.
He wrote:
"The bristling echidna's hard-hitting approach is welcome, providing a far more physical
threat for Sonic here than anything found in the original movie."
However, Russell did also criticize the sequel for being too similar to the first film, writing:
"The story beats here follow the same well-worn path as the 2020 film, with Robotnik's mad
schemes and the power-of-friendship message feeling a touch reheated a second time around."
Meanwhile, Sean Keene of CNet praised the movie for capturing the sense of adventure
fans might remember from their childhoods.
He also singled out the visual effects, adding:
"Every sequence focusing on Sonic and pals is so visually delightful and thoroughly dazzling."
However, not everyone was quite as impressed with the movie.
Writing for Variety, Peter Debruge argued that the sequel "takes what was endearing
about the original [...] and renders it generic in a hurry."
He went on to criticize the movie's long runtime, writing:
"An hour and a half would've been a perfectly fine run time, whereas at two hours and change,
Sonic 2 wears out its welcome well before it turns into yet another phone-it-in franchise
entry..."
The early reactions from critics suggest that Paramount has a success on its hands with
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — although whether it'll beat the original film's box office
haul remains to be seen.
Fans clearly loved the first film, as it has a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so
families may well flock to theaters on opening weekend.
The mostly positive early reactions will also likely reassure the studio that the money
has been a worthy investment.
This will be welcome news to Paramount, of course, who has already given the greenlight
for Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
That announcement arrived back in February 2022, alongside the news that a spin-off series
focused on Idris Elba's Knuckles is also in development for Paramount+.
The live-action show is clearly the first step in expanding the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise,
and it'll be interesting to see whether other characters will get their own shows further
down the line.
Producer Neal H. Moritz spoke to Deadline about the third sequel and the spin-off, saying:
"The sky is truly the limit, and I am immensely proud to be part of creating new Sonic content
for longtime fans as well as introducing Sonic to a new generation."
So where might the third movie go, plot-wise?
Well, there are plenty of other heroes, anti-heroes, and villains in the Sonic world who could
easily feature in the movie, and many of them might even be able to carry their own projects.
But however the franchise plays out in the future, based on the early reviews for Sonic
the Hedgehog 2, it looks like Sonic is here to stay.
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