The New Review - Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Copyright by Paramount and SEGA

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Directed by Jeff Fowler

Starring Ben Schwarz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden

Concept: Sequel to the Amazing Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Add some Tails and Knuckles, and you get the next step in the story.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: Once again, Jim Carrey slays as Dr. Robotnik. Ben Schwarz made a great Sonic, and he does it again. The addition of Idris Elba as Knuckles and the original voice actress for Tails just makes the package complete. There is less of James Marsden and Tika Sumpter this time around, but that is okay. But... we got more Carrey being Carrey, so that makes his casting still feel so good. Score: 19/20

Presentation: Soundtrack is solid, with remixes of game themes and sound effects ripped from the game too. Visually, you KNOW it will be heavy CG, and there are some moments where the CG doesn't mix well with the physical locations. But nothing that takes you completely out of it, given that we have THREE completely CG Characters this time around. That does the heavy lifting. Score: 17/20

Chronicle: Typical sequel. New family settling in. Typical Dad telling son "you are too young, your time will come" and then the time comes. Solid sequel writing. Motivations for Robotnik are solid revenge notes. Same for Knuckles, but evolution of his motivations was a nice touch. But let's talk about that wedding scene. So... slight spoiler, I'm sorry. Sonic Earth "parents" are going to Hawaii for a wedding. A Sonic Ring gets mixed up with a wedding ring. And Tom needs to swap rings to save Sonic. And it leads to [redacted spoiler]. I can appreciate an unnecessary subplot leading to a way to tie into the main story... and this one included Shemar Moore of Criminal Minds/Soap Opera fame. It just felt off. Didn't hurt the story. But it didn't help the story. But... conflicted because it strengthens the family part... Score: 26/30

Impact: This will be fairly simple. As noted many times on this blog... and nearly anywhere nerd/movie related... we KNOW how bad Video Game Movies suck. But with Detective Pikachu and the first Sonic movie, that is starting to change. But not only do we have a video game movie, we have a sequel. And the general rule is that sequels usually aren't as good as the previous entry/entries. That is NOT the case this time. We has an enjoyable and entertaining sequel. Jeff Fowler has made a GREAT Video Game Movie SEQUEL. And I never though it was possible. Now... let's see if others can get it. Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: There are so many sweet references to the game series. The Water references were cool, like Sonic eating an air bubble underwater to keep breathing. Losing his rings when he got in trouble(including Sonic yelling "Oh no. My rings!"). The Robotnik logo looking like game Robotnik logo was cool. But the [Redacted Spoiler] looking like the game character himself... that was a nice touch. But my FAVORITE Easter Egg comes from the Coffee Shop. The name of the Coffee shop is... "Mean Bean". As in "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine", a puzzle game for the Sega Genesis, a westernized version of Puyo Puyo with the Sonic Animated series characters. Score: 10/10

Final Score: 92/100

Final Grade: A-

Conclusion: Entertaining movie for the whole family... and the ONLY example that a Video Game Movie Sequel can be great. This is an amazing movie. And if it really is Jim Carrey's final movie, it was a wonderful way to go out.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Definitely go see this movie. Look at the journey for the first movie: horrible reaction to the designs in the first trailer, so they went back and redid Sonic's design... so much support for the first movie, and it was a great movie. Now... we are looking at this sequel being AWESOME. Go see it. This team deserves our support and the movie is worth it. Go see it. They deserve the support. Besides... Idris Elba was fuuuunnnnnnny as Knuckles!

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There it is, folks! Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has gotten...... a 92!!!!!!!

Pretty damn good!

Have you seen it? What did you think? If you haven't, do you plan on it? If not... you should!

Comment and share! Help a dude out!

Until next time...

Don't forget...

The New Review Renewed - The Suicide Squad

Copyright by Warner Bros & DC Comics

The Suicide Squad

Starring Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena, and many others

Directed By James Gunn

Concept: The Non-Sequel Sequel. A bunch of DC misfit villains are tasked with an almost impossible mission. End up having to save the world.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: There are a whole lost of people in this movie. Some take up screen time... some are just cameo... and the way the movie is done, there isn't a single one of them that feels like it was too much. A very bloated cast, but it drove home the idea of no one was safe(except maybe Harley). But I'm gonna point out 3 in particular:

1. John Cena. This is Cena's breakout role. He nailed this role. And I want to see more major studios take a chance on him. He is a funny dude.

2. David Dastmalchian. I never thought I would care about Polka-Dot Man, but now I care about him. He did a wonderful job.

3. Viola Davis. Is it just me, or was Waller worse this time? This... was a step back from the first film.

Score: 19/20

Presentation: Visually stunning. Visionary. James Gunn knows how to make impressively stunning movies. And the soundtrack was very... James Gunn. Starting the film with Folsom Prison Blues was like the cherry on top. Beautiful set pieces... wonderful music... and some very interesting set transitions, mostly pretty cool. The weird flashback transitions... I liked some of them, I didn't like all of them. But I got exactly what Gunn was doing(for example... showing what some Squad members were doing... staying with them... and then flashback 8 mins to see what the rest were doing). It was an interesting idea. And worked mostly. Not perfect. But I get it. Score: 18/20

Chronicle: A mission no one knows the details of... plenty of exposition going through it... and building the story along the way. Does feel like Bloodsport was a fill in for Deadshot, but I'm sorry to those that might not agree, but I think Idris Elba is a better actor than Will Smith. And the reason that tidbit goes here and not in cast because the Bloodsport and Deadshot story motivations were similar, but it felt more relevant in this movie. This was an ensemble action film. But it still had some great story. Double crosses. And it put together very well. The first movie, Diablo called his team a family... but this movie felt like it was building a family dynamic. Won't win any rewards, but it was very solid. Score: 27/30

Impact: The Non-Sequel. Was it better than the first? Yes it was. And not just by a little bit. It also has the honor of being the funniest of the DC Movies. I was laughing my ass off. And... it's James Gunn. The man responsible for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy movies. If you know the drama surrounding his tenure with, before, and after Disney... you know what this was. DC poached a director that Disney screwed over, and he made a GREAT movie. James Gunn was given full creative control. And look what he made? It is a shining example of why a studio shouldn't hold down the visionary directors. Hopefully Warner has learned their lesson. But I'm just not sure. And compared to Gunn's work with GotG, this was better than Guardians vol 2. And on par with the first one. Also, it shows that Hard R Rated Comic Movies DO WORK!! Deadpool started the trend... this drove it home. Score: 19/20

So here is you major spoiler section...

Ready?

Extra Oomph: So as mentioned before, this cast is bloated... but... so many got killed before the credits started. Major major casualties. And... it took the risk doing that the first movie failed to do. Sure, they killed Slipknot at the start of the first movie...... okay... cool... almost half the principle cast dies right away in this. And it's beautiful. I was so surprised by that. Kudos to Gunn for that. Also Kudos to Gunn for FINALLY bringing Starro the Conqueror to the big screen. Another DC villain I wanted to see, and BAM there it is! But...... I have to bring up Amanda Waller again. I remember her being EXTREMELY cold-hearted and rage filled(good enough to be offered a Red Ring)... and I think this Waller went too far. WAY too far. WAY too overboard. In a movie with plenty of "way too far", this was was too much. And knocks it down a peg. Score: 9/10

FINAL SCORE: 92/100

FINAL GRADE: A-

Conclusion: The Suicide Squad is a great movie. Better than the original, on par with Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy... with a similar risk of using characters the casual fan hasn't heard of. It was a great movie: funny, witty, extreme, and triumphant. Turning Waller up to 13 hurt it a little bit, but the golf club scene almost makes it worth it. Overall... one of the best movies I've seen in a while.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Not for the faint of heart... not for the squeamish of stomach... not for the kiddos. Cannot stress that enough. This is NOT a typical comic book movie. But for all the rest of you, watch this movie. Like... right now. Go support your local theater, and watch this movie. If you can't, sub to HBO Max and watch this movie. It is worth it.

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Well... James Gunn's The Suicide Squad get a 92!

I really enjoyed this movie. Gonna watch it again this week.

What did you think? On par with Gunn's work? Would you watch a sequel? Hype for Guardians Vol 3? Need more Brightburn? Comment and share.

And as always... don't forget...