With the success of the first "Sonic the Hedgehog," it came as no surprise that Paramount
quickly greenlighted a second film. Now that it's here, critics have started to weigh in.
Here's what Rotten Tomatoes reviews are saying about Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Following its theatrical debut in January of 2020, the first "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie
ended up becoming the highest-grossing film adapted from a video game of all time. It was
hardly a shock, then, when its producers at Paramount publicly announced that they
had begun work on a second "Sonic" movie shortly after the premiere of the first.
Now that the second movie is here, reviews have begun surfacing online. On the whole, opinions
are mixed, suggesting that, while existing "Sonic" fans can expect more of what they liked about the
first "Sonic" movie, it's less essential viewing for those with no interest in the
famous video game mascot. Here's what some of the reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes have to say.
"A quick stretch, a little snack, and here we go."
Time Out reviewer Olly Richards awarded "Sonic the Hedgehog 2"
a total of two stars out of five. He wrote,
"Most of the cast work hard to sell a script peppered with fart jokes
and uninspired set pieces, but it's so chaotically plotted that it quickly becomes exhausting."
In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge was similarly critical of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2,"
singling out its two-hour runtime as feeling overly long,
and accusing Paramount of rushing the movie's production. According to Debruge,
"'Sonic 2' wears out its welcome well before it turns into yet
another phone-it-in franchise entry."
Comparatively, author Carlos Aguilar felt more positive about the film,
as reflected in his review for The Wrap. He wrote,
"Proof that one can elevate a mostly disposable franchise investing in the casting and screenplay,
'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' doesn't harbor any illusions of being a beacon of cinema,
but within its department as 'the harmless option for family viewing
during Spring Break,' it offers enough surprises to be more pleasant than unbearable."
Like plenty of other aspects of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," opinions about its cast
range from outright praise to slight condemnation. That said, even some reviewers that had expressed
a negative opinion about the movie as a whole had kind things to say about some of its cast members.
In a moderately positive review of the film for The Hollywood Reporter,
Justin Lowe singled out both Jim Carrey's performance as the villainous Dr. Robotnik
and Ben Schwartz as the titular Sonic. He explained his opinion by saying,
"Carrey relies on an array of facial tics (enhanced by an outsized mustache)
and erratic body language characteristic of the expertly timed physical humor
that he's perfected over a series of similarly outlandish comedic roles.
Meanwhile, Schwartz nails the animated hedgehog's snarky, impudent attitude and unrestrained thirst
for thrills, even if Sonic's frequently frantic tone grows increasingly wearying."
In The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey praised Schwartz's enthusiasm for
portraying Sonic while criticizing Carrey's performance. She explained,
"He stands around trying to turn bits of exposition into
jokes by gurning and over-enunciating every line."
Olly Richards, meanwhile, spoke more positively about the cast in his review for Time Out,
praising Schwartz, Carrey, James Marsden, and Tika Sumpter alike. In his opinion,
"The MVP, however, is Natasha Rothwell as Maddie's sister, Rachel,
whose role is beefed up from the first film."
Another key component of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" that divided reviewers is its script.
Overall, some reviews singled out its writing as one of the film's strong suits,
while others shared pointed critiques of its screenplay.
"You are terrible at this!"
"Your negative attitude is not helping."
For Variety, Peter Debruge praised the "Sonic 2" screenwriting team's ability to adapt the
plot of a video game into a film-ready story. However, he also described the sequel as taking
"What was endearing about the original — in a word,
personality — and render[ing] it generic in a hurry."
In his review for THR, Justin Lowe highlighted how the film's formulaic
structure results in a rapid-fire series of big action sequences. In his opinion,
"These sequences sometimes underline the reliance on too much over-the-top
cartoonish action, with borderline bonkers plot developments breathlessly deployed at
a clip recalling the movie's video game origins."
The Wrap reviewer Carlos Aguilar, meanwhile, was kinder to the "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" script,
though he repeatedly noted that it never transcends the fact that it's in service
of financial return above all else. Compared to the first film, Aguilar described "Sonic 2" as
"A similarly enjoyable cash cow with some welcomed,
if far from revolutionary, idiosyncrasy."
Fans can judge for themselves when they head
to their favorite theater to watch "Sonic the Hedgehog 2."
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