The biggest difference between Holkenborg's scores for
the first two
Sonic the Hedgehog films is that the former offered
a few notable orchestral passages, especially in the suite arrangement
of the main theme, whereas the sequel sounds terribly cheap in its
sampled rendering. Only four orchestral players are credited for
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (one on strings and three on woodwinds),
suggesting that they provided solo coloration while the remainder was
synthetically performed. The work will sound basically adequate for
listeners not paying close attention to the music, but film score
collectors will note the shallow and abrasive tone of the samples
applied to this work. For some of these people, the poor rendering will
disqualify the score alone. Choral applications are just as badly fake,
Holkenborg's team making little attempt to hide the underdeveloped and
generic nature of the recording's ambience. For those who don't care if
a children's score is largely synthesized,
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
will offer some decent but not overwhelming development of the two major
themes from the first film, along with a couple of new ones of note. The
main Sonic theme never achieves the same appeal here as in the suite
from the first score, but it is littered throughout this entry with
better loyalty. It's hinted at the outset of "Piece of Shiitake Planet,"
enjoys a brief heroic phrase at 2:16 into "Blue Menace," and provides
multiple bursts in action at 0:25 into "Mind If I Drive." The sensitive
side of the theme is vaguely pleasant but slight in the middle of
"Sonic's Home," though it offers its best moments in the comedy
throughout "A Wachowski Family Special," the cue presenting tender flute
for the theme and the pretty interlude sequence of the idea making a
cameo at 1:36. Anticipatory phrases of the Sonic theme return at the end
of "The Master Emerald," and it informs a heroic moment at the start of
"Goodnight, Tails" before soft character moments later in the cue; a
lovely passage is interrupted suddenly at the end by a stinger. The
theme continues as counterpoint to rowdy action early in "You Know
Nothing About Me" and "Team vs Robotnik," hopeful fragments late in
"Operation Catfish," and action early in "Gotta Go Fast" and "You Don't
Have to Be Alone Anymore," albeit in terrible synthetic tones in those
latter two cues. It peppers the end of "Okay, We're Not Friends," shifts
back to friendly tones in the middle of "A New Order" with a large
finale at the end, and is softly conveyed throughout "Dad" with
redemption to close the score.
The other major theme returning from the score for
Sonic the Hedgehog is the one for Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik, an
amusingly bumbling march that is applied in all the expected places
here. The idea is cutely minimal at 1:03 into "Piece of Shiitake Planet"
but eventually defines rest of cue lightly. Fragments of this villain
theme assist the action of "Blue Menace" before announcing their true
form on blurting bassoon and tuba at 0:50 into "Sonic, Meet Knuckles"
and transition to brass with mechanical effects in the middle of "Papa's
Got a Brand New Stache." It stews at 2:05 into "You Know Nothing About
Me" and opens "Sinister" with a tentative atmosphere of evil, exploding
into a big phrase at 0:47 that foreshadows the ultimate villain's moment
of triumph at 2:35, where it is massive and full with banging chimes for
the evil robot unleashed. The two new themes are adequate, but each has
a major flaw. The identity for the Master Emerald artifact at the center
of all the fuss in the story is a variation of the Sonic theme and
therefore not always easily delineated. It's developed fully on cello
and ensemble after an introduction at 0:12 into "The Master Emerald,"
receives a Russian-like villain variant at the end of "So You Think You
Can Pivonka," and recurs in the middle of "Eureka, I Found It." The
theme is lightly dramatic in the first half of "Okay, We're Not
Friends," building to a rousing climax for ensemble at 1:46, and
formally merges with the Sonic theme during "A New Order." Meanwhile,
the more obvious new theme in
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is for the
important new Knuckles character and, for some unknown reason,
Holkenborg decided to adapt Michael Giacchino's main theme for the
Spider-Man franchise here. The theme stomps at a slow pace on
brass at 1:40 into "Blue Menace" but achieves its most obvious Giacchino
form at 1:34 into "Sonic, Meet Knuckles." It eventually adopts a tribal
element as the character is explained, transitioning the melody to
woodsy flute at 1:14 into "You Know Nothing About Me." After struggling
at 0:56 into "You Don't Have to Be Alone Anymore," the theme returns to
that lovely flute at the end of the cue. It achieves heroic victory at
1:51 into "Team vs Robotnik" but dissolves to fragments at the start of
"Okay, We're Not Friends." Ultimately, these themes provide a basically
sufficient narrative to
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but the Giacchino
resemblance for Knuckles is a major unforced error. The score's
cheap-sounding, synthetic rendering is highly dissatisfying as well. A
57-minute score-only album contains none of the outright parody music or
songs, and listeners will note that no one cue embodies the enthusiasm
and attraction of the suite that concluded the prior score's album.
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