A Worthy Sequel, Even if it Falls Just Short of its Predecessor

2022, Sonic the Hedgehog became an unexpected critical and box office success. Thanks in part to a brilliant comedic voice performance from Ben Schwartz, a return to form performance from comedy legend Jim Carrey and a love of the video game source material that was evident from the very beginning, all combined for one of the year’s biggest hits. A sequel was immediately pushed for development and while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 certainly ups the ante, it does not manage to outpace its predecessor. While the cast of the original film all return, Idris Elba and Colleen O’Shaughnessey voice new characters Knuckles and Tails respectively. Knuckles is the antithesis of Sonic; he’s serious, gullible and a born fighter while not recognizing that his pain is one that is shared by him and Sonic. Knuckles doesn’t immediately see that he and Sonic are more alike than either would care to admit. Tails, while a welcome addition to Sonic’s group and forces the blue hedgehog to become a mentor, feels more like a fanboy than a hero who’s more than capable of holding his own against Dr. Robotnik.


The stakes are raised from the first film; Dr. Robotnik has returned to Earth to exact on Sonic while partnering up with Knuckles to find The Master Emerald, a giant gem that is said to imbue it wielder with unimaginable power. Following a brief introductory fight to Knuckles, Sonic and Tails journey to Siberia where they locate a compass to find the Emerald. It is here in the second act that film begins to derail. There is an extended dance-off scene in Siberia where Tails and Sonic have to confront a bunch of angry Russians set to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk”. This scene feels too similar to the dance off in Guardians of the Galaxy and could have easily been reworked for Sonic and Tails to sneakily get their information and get out. There is also an entire subplot involving Sonic’s de facto human mom and dad as they travel to Hawaii for a destination wedding involving his “mom’s” sister that turns out to be a sham that could have been eliminated entirely from the runtime. This sequence completely derails the story and by the time Sonic resumes his journey, it is forgotten where he left off in the first place.


The sequel retains the humor from the original film and the addition of Knuckles feels like a natural progression for the series. Tails will hopefully get a heroic upgrade for the eventual third film but he is more of a squeaky wheel in this trio of heroes. The two-hour runtime is a major concern as there are many scenes that could have been edited for time and forces the rushed character development towards the film’s conclusion. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a worthy follow up to an exceptional first outing but comes just short of surpassing it. The credits scene here introduces a new character, Shadow, so hopefully the filmmakers can avoid the inevitable character bloat that plagues film franchises.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Progressive era C. B. J. Snyder for Schools

A biography of school architect C. B. J. Snyder, opens a view onto a lost and glorious world of public education in New York City. Early 20th-century Progressives believed that mass public education could combine democracy and excellence. Their hopes shaped the 408 new schools and additions that Snyder designed during his 1891 to 1922 tenure as New York’s superintendent of school buildings. To a degree, Progressives’ hopes were fulfilled. Some Snyder schools, such as Erasmus Hall and Morris High, would produce long lists of notable alumni despite being neighborhood, not exam schools. Snyder biographer Jean Arrington invites us to consider the contribution that design makes to excellence in education. Three factors accounted for the extravagant scale of Snyder’s school building program. The first two were the revenues pouring into the city treasury and the pressures of surging enrollment. In the current era, New York’s traditional district schools have been losi...
Read more

A Fantastic The Young kids Period 3 Ending Is actually Therefore Divisive

The show's The Young kids period 3 for biggest minutes, scenes, and episodes, however the period ending has divide audience viewpoints. The Young kids period 3 was actually full of interesting Supe activity and stunning minutes, however the last episode left behind audiences divide. The Young kids period 3 exceeded assumptions, along with the show's option handle the superhero category providing engaging unforgettable scenes and personalities. The Amazon.com initial TV show proceeds to become prominent amongst followers that are actually purchased Billy Butcher and the remainder of The Boys' objective towards get down superheroes, consisting of Vought's world-famous team, The 7. The Young kids period 3 remained to concentrate on Butcher's wish towards eliminate Homelander, innovator of The 7, however his implies of doing this remarkably viewed him increase very powers through taking Temp V, a medication that provides individuals Supe capcapacities for 24 hr. Informa...
Read more

It may be tainted, but don’t underestimate the power of brand love

The concept of ‘brand love’ was overused and went out of fashion, it remains an insightful way to consider consumers’ attitudes towards brands. You do realise that this is fantastically untrendy research? I explained to the team from Savanta, when they approached me to give the launch speech for their 2022 Most Loved Brand Award. To top things off, I added, you’ve only gone and split out your findings by segments of the market too. Which is also fantastically uncool. It’s true, is it not? The merest mention of ‘brand love’ elicits a collective groan from the gaggle of opinion leaders that monitor every discussion about marketing. And slicing anything these days by segment opens up the obligatory critique about the pointlessness of segmentation and the reinstalled dominance of mass marketing. It’s a big week for returning shows across the streaming platforms. We have a Season 2, a Season 4, and a Season 9 revving up for release in the coming days, ranging from an A-list workplace co...
Read more