The first opinions on the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie have started appearing on social media, and they’re largely positive.

Early screenings have been held for press and influencers ahead of the film’s general release (April 1 in the UK, April 8 in North America), and many have praised the film as a worthy sequel to its 2020 predecessor.

While the full review embargo for the movie hasn’t lifted yet, those who attended screenings have seemingly been given permission to post first impressions on social media.

• Further reading: Sonic Origins release date, price, trailer, pre-order DLC and more

Fandango critic Erik Davis tweeted: “Good news! Sonic Movie 2 is A LOT of fun – a much bigger, more action-driven film than the first Sonic with great jokes and plenty for long-time fans.”

He added: “Jim Carrey is next-level maniacal as Robotnik, but for me it’s all Sonic, Tails Knuckles. That trio delivers a TON of heart humour.

“Big Sonic fans will feast on all the little references, and DEFINITELY stay for the credits. If the first Sonic is about discovering new family, this one is about the power of friendship. The BFF relationship between Sonic and Tails is super cute and funny, and my favourite part of the film.”

ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian reached a similar conclusion. “Good news,” he tweeted, “Sonic 2 is every bit as fun as the first one and the kids’ll love it. The addition of Tails Knuckles makes it feel more like Sonic.

“Once again, Jim Carrey is awesome as Robotnik, but this round, some of the other characters get some time to shine too. Also, no spoilers but stay past the credits.”

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Another Fandango correspondent, Nikki Novak, praised the film for ending strong. “Just saw Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and it’s a love letter to video game lovers,” she said. “Had a ton of fun with it. Unlike a lot of Blockbusters the third act is bananas and the strongest of the film. Jim Carrey reigns supreme.”

Meanwhile, ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan raved: “Sonic Movie 2 is a worthy successor. The kids in my theater were howling. It has all the winks, nods, nostalgia and laughs fans of the first movie could ever want, and feels more loyal to its game roots than ever.”

The positive reception to the film perhaps isn’t too surprising given movie companies often target some of the most enthusiastic influencers for early screenings.

The first Sonic movie was a huge success, setting a record opening for a video game movie and grossing over $200 million worldwide in two weeks, a figure that could have been even higher had the first Covid-19 lockdown not then arrived and shut down cinemas around the world.

The second movie stars Idris Elba as Knuckles, while paramount Pictures and Sega have already announced that a third film and a live-action TV series (the latter featuring Elba as Knuckles again) have entered production.

A majority of responses to injustice often serve the function of pressure releasing valves, as one-off protests calming the pent-up anger, while staying within the accepted confines of civil society. Once in a while, there are acts which break out of this safe zone with the victims of oppression putting even their lives on the line for what they believe is a just reaction. Pada is a cinematic chronicle of one such real-life incident, which is now almost forgotten in Kerala, although the issues raised remain as relevant now, as it was then.

On October 4, 1996, four men who claimed to be members of the ‘Ayyankali Pada’ walked into the Palakkad District Collector’s office and held him hostage for 10 hours, keeping the entire state administrative machinery on tenterhooks. They had only one demand: the State Government should withdraw the amendments made to the Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction of Transfer of Land and Restoration of Alienated Land) Act 1975, which was enacted to return to the tribal people all the land taken over from them by settlers after 1960. Over the years, successive governments had watered down the law and the 1996 amendment was the last straw, driving four tribal activists to carry out a daring act to bring the government to the discussion table.

In Pada, Kamal K.M. recreates the events of that day to raise the larger question of tribal land alienation. His debut film ID was written around the search for the identity of an unknown labourer who had collapsed at his workplace. Here too, the protagonists are from the marginalised sections, struggling to eke out a living. We get quick, but lasting glimpses of their backgrounds, in the frenzied preparation ahead of the day of action. Balu (Vinayakan) borrows his young daughter’s wristwatch, because timings are important, even as she asks him whether he is going to sell that too. Aravindan (Joju George) delivers a line about his helplessness when a lottery seller pesters him to buy one. Rajesh (Kunchacko Boban) seems to be the only one with a history of violent acts, while Kutty (Dileesh Pothan) is busy pacifying his wife Mini (Unnimaya Prasad), who is in the know of the plan.

The script lands straight into the hostage situation without wasting much time for the set up. Inside, it is a relentless shift between various tense situations, giving no respite to the audience. On one hand, there is the constant shift in dynamics between the captors and the Collector (Arjun Radhakrishnan), who is sensitive to their demands, while on the other side there is the Chief Secretary (Prakash Raj) and team racking their brains to calm down the captors. Outside, there is a clueless team of police officers looking for a way in.

Kamal is sure of the material he is working with, be it in the political sense or the technical sense. The background research to get right the little details from that day is also evident. The fictional elements or the cinematic liberties that he takes do not take away anything from the core issue that the film raises. But what he achieves with the material has much to do with the seamless coming together of Vishnu Vijay’s music, Shan Mohammed’s editing and Sameer Tahir’s cinematography. One drawback may be the presence of too many actors who do not have a standout role, especially that of Shine Tom Chacko, Karamana Sudheer and Jagadeesh.

Pada is a sympathetic portrayal of the justified anger of the oppressed. 

Pada is currently running in theatres

At the same time, he said that the first Pinarayi government should not be compared with the present government. The media has corrected their previous statements about Pinarayi, he added.

In Turning Red, Mei and her mother, Ming, are sometimes at odds as Mei goes through girlhood. Domee included this in the movie to reflect the experiences of Asian and immigrant children.

“I think, especially for immigrant kids, Asian kids, and for Mei in the movie, I think she has to come to realize that there is no perfect relationship with your parents, that it is always going to be messy,” Domee said in her NBC News interview.

She was also quoted as having said in a press conference that the filmmakers chose to “explore the nuances of Asian parent-child relationship in dealing with change, and of intergenerational conflict and how it can shape who we become.” 

Top Netflix executive Srishti Behl Arya rubbished reports of the streaming service meeting the representatives of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to restrict “anti national” and “anti-Hindu” content on shows from the streaming platform.

There were reports that the RSS, the ideological fountainhead of the ruling BJP, have been holding informal meetings with Netflix, Amazon and other digital platforms to monitor content critical of the government.

Asked about the same, Arya, who is Director, International Original Film, India, Netflix, dubbed the story “fake news“.

“It’s not a true story. There was no meeting at all. It’s a fake news,” she told reporters on Sunday evening.

Arya was speaking at the panel discussion “Artistic Freedom: Mapping Out The Entertainment Story” at the Jio MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival with Star.

Aparna Purohit, head of India Originals of Amazon Prime, singer Sona Mohapatra and actor Sobhita Dhulipala were also a part of the panel.

There were also reports that the government is keen on censoring digital content.

Asked if the scenario was scary, Purohit said, “We will continue to comply with the law of the land.”

Srishti said unlike storytelling, the law of the land is not subjective.

“The law is the law. It’s not like, ‘I don’t like you, so I’m going to stab you.’ Whatever is permitted by the law, we would go into those spaces and the rest is all about the stories that creators want to tell.

Sobhita, who featured in Amazon’s critically-acclaimed series
Made in Heaven , said every time a voice is suppressed, many more come out in the open against the injustice.

“The more variety of stories there will be addressing it in different ways. Back in the days in those typical Indian films people didn’t show men and women in their intimate moments, so it would come out in songs or some cheesy moments because they couldn’t address it in a normal way.

“Maybe political statements will be made but in a subtler, simpler, maybe more clever ways, that’s not conventionally offensive. Anurag Kashyap’s work has such political undertones but it’s not really in your face, it leaves people thinking,” she added.