Sonic 2: Lightning Fast (2022) movie review

Has “Sonic. Fast As Lightning”, created two years ago, surpassed the Hollywood average? No way, in his average performance he rushed at superhuman speed. However, the numbers don’t lie, and since in this industry, accounting beats art, a previously unattainable $340 million box office income, prompting Paramount Pictures policymakers to film a continuation of The Adventures of the Blue Hedgehog first hand. From Japanese video games. Effect? As a revival of ’90s pop culture nostalgia, “Sonic 2” makes you shrug your shoulders at best. As a show for the whole family, it would be a little better, provided that it gives fun mainly to preschoolers, as a cinema based on the most predictable and quickly forgotten by lightning.

When we last saw Sonic (Ben Schwartz), he’s got a roof over his head and a foster family. However, a teenager has her rights, and super speed obligates. So the space animal sneaks in at night to deal with crime, have a little entertainment, and at the same time have fun in the glow of glory. However, as the superhero in his performance resembles a shocking comedy of errors, he will face a lesson in fate and a severe test of maturity. Chance will come when the adults go out for the weekend, and alone at home Sonic will open the door for the pizza delivery guy… who turns out to be thirsty for revenge, Dr. Worker (Jim Carrey, perhaps the last time on the big screen). The length of the mustache and the craziness in the eyes of a genius man wouldn’t make any difference to a hedgehog, but, he, it’s not the enemy alone! Knuckles (in Idris Elba’s voice), red as flame, for change, a porcupine-like alien with heavy fists, heavier dispositions and murderous ambitions, does not foretell an easy journey. And yes: this time it’s not just about revenge, but without any exaggeration, about power over the world.

In the film Jeff Fowler, plot points are identified with the health of the primates, who tries hard not to go beyond the school curriculum, but even the fake basis is incomprehensible to him so that he does not have to make mistakes in reporting the material. It’s a standard yawn on the set of Sonic 2: Find minions, get magical artifacts, and stop the bad guys from destroying the world. In the ideological layer, we have morals aimed at the younger ones: train friendship, learn cooperation, temper your ego, but don’t forget to be yourself.

These two layers lack a mortar capable of smoothing specific, ideological protrusions. For example, evolving family dynamics are disturbed when the increasing relationship between father and son is told like a romantic comedy. The main plot of the intergalactic conflict is accompanied by a funny but unnecessary two-hour comedy relationship. The energy of Natasha Rothwell, known from “White Lotus”, is excellent here, but with jokes about removing hair from intimate places, she broke up with another film. It does not always correspond to the familial character of the whole – it is presented – without even drawing attention, and directly in the dialogues of the title character – references to the successful films of the past decades. Soundtracks from the early ’80s and ’90s also dampened the nostalgia of parents and Generation X players. I think focusing on this strategy in the first place often leaves audiences several years away.

However, the childish tone, simple manners, logical inaccuracies (forgetting the supernatural powers of individual characters is a hallmark of this series) and lazy imitation of story solutions leave no illusions: novice viewers should have the best fun with Sonik. The comic gives the story an insane pace, the number of explosions on screen is correct, Jim Carrey’s arsenal of purrs, unpredictable karmas and tics don’t diminish, and effective scenery at various latitudes and altitudes forces animators and their digital heroes to perform even more acrobatics. The entire movie feels like a series of races, crashes, and explosive waves of energy, rather than an emotionally energizing journey. No revolution, but do we go to the cinema with our family after the revolutions?