Okay, you all knew this was coming. Let's get this out of the way.
I thought the original Sonic film was... okay. Not spectacular, not awful. It suffered greatly from too many human characters, too little originality, too much product placement, and too many fart jokes. I gave it a B-, which in my newer review scale equates to about a 50 out of 10.
I went into Sonic 2 expecting either more of the same or worse. I was NOT excited.
Annnnnnnnnnnd.....
It is a marked improvement on the first movie in ALMOST every aspect.
To start with, my biggest complaint about the movie was that it was a fantasy-character-on-earth plot. It still is, but due to the new adventure theme with Sonic travelling on a quest, it actually opens things up a bit and allows for him to be in more.... Sonic-y environments, like snowboarding down a mountain with an avalanche or running through a temple with traps. All the action is still on Earth, but at LEAST they opened up to having more fantasy-style settings and action pieces.
The action is SPECTACULAR when it gets to it. Of particular highlights are the final Sonic vs. Knuckles brawl and the big final battle. Everything you hoped for in a Sonic fight? It HAPPENS in that final battle.
There is FAR less product placement and it is FAR less obtrusive, to the point that I didn't really notice it much at all. No awkward, stilted conversations about Olive Garden and Zillow in this movie. That said.... There are MORE fart jokes. *Facepalms.* I cannot forgive fart jokes.
The other big complaint was the human characters. They're back in this film but... They're ALSO less obtrusive. I'd even go as far to say that Tom and Maddie Wachowski are... likable in this movie. *Gags and spits, unable to believe she admitted it.* They actually won me over a bit. THAT SAID....
EVERY time the plot shifts to feature SOLELY human characters (who aren't Robotnik), the movie comes to a SCREECHING halt like it hit a friggin' brick wall. Tense action scenes are interrupted for schtick and slapstick and REALLY bad comedy starring the human cast. It REALLY screws up the pacing of the film and hurts it in the long run.
The plot is far more original, and the action scenes more inspired than last time. No ripping off Flash or Quicksilver; they actually have an action director willing to do his OWN work this time. The first 20-30 minutes of the film are bogged down by gratuitous pointless scenes meant to pad out the runtime of the film, sadly. Particularly egregious are the "Sonic home alone" scene (which at LEAST doesn't do a Risky Business joke?) and the Dance Battle scene (which goes on three times longer than it should have).
Tails is fucking adorable. If you want more cogent or relevant commentary, sorry. Can't help you.
The main plot MacGuffin (which you KNOW what it is, even without me spoiling it) comes right the eff out of nowhere. It was never mentioned in the last movie, and suddenly all the characters are discussing it like it was a thing that they all knew about all along. A bit jarring.
The movie still is filled chock full of in-jokes and blink-and-you'll-miss-it references; though I spotted a lot less of them in this one. It probably would take a frame-by-frame in more watchthroughs to catch a lot of them.
[SOMETHING THAT COULD BE CONSTRUED AS A SPOILER, DESPITE BEING CRYPTIC BELOW THIS LINE. SKIP AHEAD A PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT A POSSIBLE HINT FOR A PLOT ELEMENT]
I will say, the movie DEFINITELY takes a subtle shot at Fleetway, which you'll only get if you're in the fandom and know what it's referencing.
[END OF POTENTIALLY SPOILERY CONTENT.]
And yes, Jim Carrey is JUST as fucking insane and batshit in this film as he was in the first. The new Robotnik costumes and designs are spectacular, and he doesn't just chew the scenery; he sautees it with butter and garlic and THOROUGHLY devours every INCH of it. As with the previous film, your eyes are on him and ONLY him every time he's on screen. It's SPECTACULAR.
So... I've rambled on a bit. What did I think about it as a whole? It was SIGNIFICANTLY improved on the first movie. It wasn't perfect (not by a long shot), but it shows that there IS potentially a future to the franchise.
Skye's Final Verdict: Sonic 2 - 75 out of 10. It's still far from perfect, but it goes out of its way to fix a LOT of what kept the first movie from being as good as it should have been. And with Sonic 3 AND a Knuckles film ahead, I suppose I'd better stop looking at these films with a sense of dread, and actually get excited, if this is the trend going forward.
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2 years, 1 month ago
08 Apr 2022 04:34 CEST
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