Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is an inherently weird film, expanding the scope and cast of the titular blue speedster's world. With a returning cast and crew clearly emboldened by the success of the first film, the sequel improves on the original in almost every way. While the overall plotting might still be its weak link, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 proves to be a kinetic and enjoyable film.
Picking up less than a year after the events of the previous film, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) has adjusted fully to living with his adopted "friends" Teddy (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). While contemplating his potential destiny as a hero, Sonic finds himself set upon by a returned Doctor Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his newfound ally Knuckles (Idris Elba). Searching for the Master Emerald that Sonic's previous guardian Longclaw (Donna Jay Fulks) had taken from his tribe, Knuckles quickly engages Sonic in combat. Luckily, Sonic is saved by an intergalactic fanboy named Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey), who works with him to find the Master Emerald before Robotnik and Knuckles can.
The actual plot of the film doesn't really matter, as the movie itself seems to gloss over major revelations and plot beats with efficiency. The moments when the film has to slow down and dole out exposition are among the worst, highlighting how weird and inconsistent the world around Sonic and his newfound friends and enemies really is. Unlike the first film, which was grounded by a smaller scope and suffered for it, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 goes for broke with a sense of kinetic energy that largely distracts from that aspect -- and it works. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a far more confident and bizarre film. Director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller (joined by John Whittington) return from the first film to deliver a more satisfying take on the character, one that embraces what makes Sonic so enduring.
Recasting Sonic as a happy-go-lucky pre-teen with some serious issues to work out, the film has a great deal of fun in just letting the character go wild. Sonic gets a montage where he retrofits a house into a '90s kid's ultimate dream, gets into a dance-off, snowboards an avalanche, ruins a wedding, and generally causes chaos wherever he goes. It's all handled with a clear sense of timing and comedy that benefits Schwartz's performance, and the colorful palette and clean motion make for an entertaining time with the character.
Schwartz finds a strong foil in Elba's Knuckles, who ends up more or less becoming the franchises' answer to Drax from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. O'Shaughnessey reprises her role as Tails from the games and does well with the rest of the cast (if slightly let down by the more simplistic beats of the script). Both Jim Carrey and Lee Majdoub are clearly having a blast as Robotnik and his minion, Stone. Even Mardsen, Sumpter, and especially Natasha Rothwell as Maddie's sister Rachel make more out of their largely one-note roles, infusing their bizarre subplot with enough humanity and humor to keep the film chugging along at a solid pace.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 isn't perfect, and all the franchise-building, plot-heavy sequences halt the film's otherwise breezy pacing. However, like the games the characters are based on, it's hard not to smile when Sonic shifts into an over-active and silly version of super-speed and starts exploding robots. A marked improvement on a wonky predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a fun ride.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 sprints into theaters on April 8.