REVIEW: Sonic 2 has more action and jokes than the first

If we stop to think, adapt Sonic to the format live action had everything to go wrong. After all, it is an extremely cartoonish character opposite real actors on Earth. In addition, it was the adaptation of a game, which in itself, made the mission more difficult. But despite all that, Sonic: The Movie, launched in 2020, achieved relative success, so much so that for some — including those who write to you — it is the best movie adaptation of games. Behold, two years later, its sequel arrives, Sonic 2: the movie, promising to expand on the mythology of pop culture's most beloved hedgehog. Did he manage to be as good as the first one?

Plot

The narrative follows our hedgehog with his family in Seattle. Sonic always likes to play superhero, but in the end, he ends up helping a little more than he hinders. However, even with his parents getting worried, our hedgehog is still doing good.

It all starts when his parents travel to Maddie's sister's wedding in Hawaii and he is alone with the dog at home. But the fun life goes down the drain when Knuckles arrives and, with him, returns the almighty and most feared: Robotnik.

road map

Paramount's work with Sonic in the movies, led by the director Jeff Fowler, is to please the children's audience, but never forgetting the fans of the games, especially the first three games in the franchise. Going against other adaptations, such as the disastrous Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, the character's mythology merges with an unprecedented story. That is, although there are references, they are not what drive the films.

And this becomes clearer in the sequel, which raises the bar on adventure and action scenes, even though it's mostly a comedy film. It is worth noting the addition of John Whittington (LEGO Batman), which joins Pat Casey e Josh Miller, responsible for the script of the first film. Although the trio's job is essentially to continue with the successes of the previous film, in Sonic 2 there is an exploration of the universe of the speedy hedgehog in games, and, of course, the greater on-screen interaction of the title character with new characters in computer graphics. (Tails and Knuckles).

Actuations

Before getting into the merits of the performances, it is important to mention that the session I saw in the press booth was dubbed. That is, some performances can be evaluated in different ways in the original audio. That said, the dubbing work remains as good as the first feature. Manolo Rey seems more comfortable playing Sonic, just like Tata Guarnieri manages to deliver all the madness of the acting of Jim Carrey like Dr. Robotnik.

Speaking of the antagonist, he is the biggest highlight among the human characters in the film, who manages to be so verbose in his speeches and caricature in his body acting, which seems as cartoonish as the characters in computer graphics with whom he plays for most of the time. time.

Now, returning to the dubbing, another highlight goes to the timing comic of Karen Ramalho when playing Rachel, the sister of Maddie Wachowski. Although she is a supporting actor, some of the best comedy moments in the feature are carried out by the character.

Now both Maddie (Tika Sumpter), and Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), are more faded in the feature. They don't have a narrative arc, they only appear in small scenes. On the other hand, they are important characters for the development of the protagonist, representing the father and mother figures of a Sonic still a child.

More action and adventure

While the sequel wins in jokes and comedic scenes, the film's action is also greater than in the previous film. Much goes into the addition of Knukles as Sonic's physical antagonist. In fact, the character gains a different origin in his movie version, but the main characteristics of the character, especially his personality, follow the same as in the games.

The Tails edition, in turn, manages to emulate the characters' partnership in co-op in the classic game "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". Therefore, he is central to the adventurous element of the sequel, which abandoned the structure of road movie from the first film and started to be segmented, much like a game, but in a very organic and even discreet way. Each “phase” of the film is more difficult, like the progression of a game, so much so that the film ends on an epic note.

Art direction

Combined with the action, the computer graphics is excellent, given the work involved in mixing human characters and real scenarios with various characters and digital environments. Of course, there is a scene or two that we notice a “green screen”, but nothing that takes us out of our immersion in the film.

The merit of all the art of the film is also given by the photography direction e production design, who manage to explore the scenarios and virtual characters well with strong palettes, characteristics of the characters, in addition to the good use of light. So much so that the first action scenes take place in dark environments, but the entire third act takes place during the day.

Audio

In sound, Sonic 2: The Movie is quite unbalanced, as the movie's soundtrack is quite generic and forgettable. The sound mixing and editing, on the other hand, are able to mix well terrain and game elements, including the most discreet references are in sound effects mirrored by the film.

Franchise future

Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe — direct translation of the MCU — or any other shared universe in theaters, the mythology of Paramount's Sonic expands very naturally and with less haste.

However, we know that Knukles will have a solo series, as well as the third film will likely feature one of the most beloved characters by fans - revealed in the post credits scene. If the next productions continue with the same creative team and avoid short breaks between their releases, this could be the main franchise of games in the audiovisual style.

Conclusion

Sonic 2: The Movie It is essentially a comedy film aimed at children. Whoever is going to watch the film, should keep in mind that these are the main features of the production. Despite this, it delivers excellent action and adventure scenes that can please even fans of 90s games. Light, fun and captivating, the film is a great option to watch with the family, whether you're a gamer or not.

The tickets for Sonic 2: The Movie, which premieres on the 7th, can be purchased online through the website ticket.com.

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