In this follow-up to the film franchise’s 2020 kickoff, returning director Jeff Fowler and his trio of screenwriters rely on a pretty simple formula: intersperse chase sequences with wisecracks. As a result, their mix of animation and live action makes no more demands on its audience than a session of playing the Sega videogames on which both movies are based. Lip service may be given to the need for enduring connections with others since the title character (voice of Ben Schwartz) is a cosmic expat always looking for a permanent home and a setting where he won’t feel like an outsider. Yet pride of place goes to hyperkinetic instant travel, explosions and slapstick as he embarks on a quest to find a magic emerald that grants whoever possesses it immense powers, with his manic and hapless longtime adversary (Jim Carrey) in hot pursuit. Like its predecessor, the movie registers as an extended Roadrunner cartoon with a sentimental journey incongruously tacked onto it, though easily satisfied kids may not care much one way or the other. Intense action sequences, a single scatological reference. The Catholic News Service classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
