Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Superior sequel that knows how to hit all the right tropes

stuff.co.nz:

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (PG, 122 mins) Directed by Jeff Fowler ***½

It's good to be reminded just how rigid and proscriptive the accepted storylines of a superhero movie really are.

From the billion-dollar portentousness of an Avengers: Endgame to the relatively slight and videogame-derived silliness of a Sonic The Hedgehog, there is stuff that the writers must include, accepted tropes that must be delivered and somehow, they must all be made to look fresh again.

We know that a character who is outwardly similar to the hero, who is introduced to a series as an enemy, must turn out to be a friend after-all. And that the uber-villain must get their comeuppance in the end.

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At one point in Sonic The Hedgehog 2, our hero Sonic turns to Knuckles the Echidna – who is not yet on his side – and calls out, “Hey, you... Winter Soldier”. I laughed. But you'll know long before, that director Jeff Fowler and his writers – one of whom wrote The Lego Batman Movie – know the rules of the genre, that they are going to have fun playing by them, and that the audience are along for the ride and in on the joke.

But, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Sonic 2 is a sequel (well, duh) to the 2020 film. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter return as the small town sheriff and veterinarian – and married couple – who found themselves caring for an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog, who can kick off like Usain Bolt, if the situation demands it.

While Jim Carrey – in a role he made