Critical response
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 69% based on 182 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It isn't as much fun as the little blue guy's greatest games, but if you enjoyed the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 serves as a generally acceptable sequel." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale (the same as the first film), while those at PostTrak gave it an 87% positive score, with 74% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Amy Nicholson of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, saying, "Jim Carrey's reprised role as a villainous weirdo helps this fast-paced, family-friendly video-game-movie sequel maintain a refreshing silliness." Nell Minow of Rogerebert.com gave the film a two out of four, writing, "Yes, we know we're appropriating details from better movies. It is over-plotted, with three different storylines mixing comedy and adventure." Alex Stednan of IGN gave the film a seven out of ten, saying, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 brings all the humor and charm of its predecessor, while also being delightfully more loyal to its source material." Carlos Aguilar of The Wrap also gave the film a positive review, writing, "The screenplay reflects actual effort, and Jim Carrey gets to be unfettered in his performance, leading a surprisingly satisfying follow-up." Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the film a three out of four and wrote, "There's not much to spoil about Sonic the Hedgehog 2 because there's not very much to say about it, other than it's mildly amusing and reasonably competently assembled." Brian
Shea of Game Informer gave the film an 8.5 out of 10, writing, "While Sonic the Hedgehog's unexpected positive reception could have put its sequel in a difficult spot since it comes in with higher expectations, the Jeff Fowler-directed Sonic the Hedgehog 2 clears the higher bar, delivering a better movie in nearly every way." In a "C+" review, Ross Bonamie of Collider wrote, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is at its most clever when it's throwing in these clever nods that will appeal to fans who have waited to see this world come to life on the screen in this way with these characters."
John Nugent of Empire gave the film a two out of five, writing, "Sonic's second outing is little more than a half-baked half-term distraction tool — though Jim Carrey's outrageously committed performance nearly saves the day." Brian Lloyd of Entertainment.ie gave the film a three out of five and said, "Idris Elba as Knuckles is the most galaxy-brain casting idea ever conceived of." Bob Hoose of Plugged In gave the film a positive review, saying, "In short, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 doesn't necessarily grab the gold ring right out the first loop-de-loop, but it won't disappoint the kids or their "fanboy" parents by the time you hit the flag-waving goal." Thomas Floyd of The Washington Post gave the film a two out of four and wrote, "In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, there is no problem that its titular speed demon can't outrun. With that in mind, it's especially perplexing that this video game-inspired sequel should be, of all things, a bit sluggish." In a "C−" review, Siddhant Adlakha of IndieWire wrote, "It's visual soup where nothing pops or stands out. Almost nothing anyone does or says feels rooted in recognizable character traits, and despite Marsden's most sincere efforts, he finds himself once again unable to meet Sonic's eye-line (a production kerfuffle that would be funny, were it not also another reminder of VFX crunch). Then again, who can blame Marsden's character for not wanting to gaze into a soulless blue abyss?"
Fan reactions to the evolving relationship between Agent Stone and Doctor Robotnik in the film were favorable, prompting the creation of shipping and fan fiction, sometimes under the name Stobotnik, that was acknowledged by Majdoub and Carrey.
