The turbo-charged blue hedgehog from the Sega video game franchise lives to spin another day in a rambunctious sequel, helmed by returning director Jeff Fowler, which delivers comparable thrills and spills to its 2020 predecessor.

Calibrated to appeal to young audiences with breathless action sequences, broad physical humour and the rubber-faced tomfoolery of Jim Carrey as deranged arch-villain Dr Ivo Robotnik, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 follows the Marvel Cinematic Universe template with the introduction of the shadowy Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.), which protects Earth from extra-terrestrial threats, and a big reveal nestled in the end credits.

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Ben Schwartz continues to infuse the title character with childlike exuberance but Carrey inevitably steals every scene with his outlandish theatrics, aided by voluminous face fur.

“Papa’s got a brand new ‘stache!” he guffaws in between sips of latte with steamed Austrian goat’s milk courtesy of a sycophantic sidekick (Lee Majdoub).

A flimsy plot cannot sustain the two-hour running time but Carrey is an endless power source of unbridled impish delight.