Anthony's Film Review - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Sonic the Hedgehog is back, with the same amount of fun as before alongside new characters...

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie in 2020 did a good job with establishing the titular Sega video game character as a workable movie character. Sonic worked as a computer-generated character in a live-action adaptation, and Jim Carrey was decent as the evil Dr. Robotnik, who may also be referred to as Eggman. The way these major characters were fitted into the real world also worked for me. Basically, if that Sonic movie was a test run to determine if a series could be launched from it, then I would say it was successful in that.

So now we have Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which continues the story of the first movie. Here, after being defeated by Sonic, Dr. Robotnik is marooned on a planet of giant mushrooms. He spends his days trying to find a way off, using his highly advanced scientific knowledge. Eventually, he does. His escape involves a meeting with a red warrior creature named Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and the formation of an alliance between the two, especially as both characters have a strong dislike of Sonic the Hedgehog. Also, Knuckles is seeking a powerful magical artifact known as the Master Emerald, something that Dr. Robotnik also expresses interest in.

Back on Earth, Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is living as an adoptee of Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter), while causing trouble with heroic efforts every now and then. Still, he is given the opportunity to have their house to himself when Tom and Maddie go to Hawaii for vacation. That's when Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles show up. But who else shows up? Another creature from Sonic's original home world, a yellow two-tailed fox creature named Tails (voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey, who has voiced the same character in the Sonic video games). Now there is a race against time. Sonic and Tails must reach the Master Emerald before Robotnik and Knuckles get to it first.

This Sonic the Hedgehog movie and the previous one look and feel quite similar, such that I'm tempted to just redirect you to my review of that movie to get an idea about my observations of this one. I'll sum it up like this: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a fun adventure, filled with humor along with exciting video game-like action. The characters are interested enough to watch, including Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, who often comes across to me as nothing more than Ace Ventura or The Mask in a silly Robotnik outfit but is still amusing. Speaking of silliness, there is one long scene in Hawaii that focuses only on specific human characters while the alien characters are not present, and it's a pretty silly one because its humor seems to belong to another movie and almost fully distracts the audience from Sonic. It's a mild criticism from me, but I still appreciate how this was handled.

Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is enjoyable even if you have not played any of the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. Also, from what I've read, fans of the games may appreciate the many nods of the games inserted into this movie. So now with two sets of Sonic the Hedgehog fans, one for the game fans and one for the fans of this movie series, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will have to deliver at least what this Sonic movie has provided. (Yes, there will be a third movie. Just watch Sonic the Hedgehog 2's mid-credits scene.) I shall conclude by reiterating something I've said before: video game-based movies can work. The latest ones have come a long way from the godawful cinematic video game adaptations of decades past. Sonic the Hedgehog is practically leading the way, at rapid speed.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Sonic the Hedgehog 2, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of Sonic the Hedgehog.