Sonic 2 Movie review. Boom goes the blue hedgehog.

 

Sonic is back and he brought some friends. After a little under 2 years the highly expected sequel made its appearance on the big screen featuring once again the talents of James Marsden, Jim Carrey, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic but it also added the talents of  Idris Elba and Colleen O'Shaughnessey as the characters Knuckles and Tails. Just in time to take us out of the winter movie lull and into the summer it is fitting that James Marsden is back with an another Easter hit featuring a animated character.

Sonic 2 takes place not too long after the first ended (and where the after-credits stinger of the first movie left us wanting more). Sonic is trying to find his way in the world as a hero and his friend Tom is trying hard to teach him the nuances as well that Sonic cannot force the hero bit and just has to be ready for when the time comes. In the mean while The dastardly "Eggman" Dr. Robotnik seems to have spend some time surviving the musky mushroom planet he stranded on in the previous movie and mostly worked on finding a way out, some decent coffee to drink and polishing his hatred for Sonic. We see him as he is ready to execute his plan he sends out a signal to the stars that quickly gets answered by a group of mysterious guards and Knuckles the Echidna who is looking for his own revenge on Sonic for reasons yet to be revealed. Not understanding the situation he is easily manipulated by Robotnik and together they set off to earth to find Sonic. 

Knuckles and the Eggman are not the only ones looking for Sonic, A two tailed fox names Tails also is on the hunt for Sonic, but rather as an ally looking to help and warn Sonic of things to come.  

With Tom and his wife maddie trusting Sonic to be home alone while they are off to attend a wedding in Hawaii, the stage is set for the confrontation between the blue lighting ball and the evil Doctor.  Soon we learn that Knuckles holds Sonic's family and by default Sonic himself responsible for the loss of his parents, family here to reclaim a mysterious Emerald that was said to be stolen from the Echidna. This Emerald is said to hold the power to destroy entire civilizations with simply the power of your mind. And it turns out Sonic might hold the key to this powerful artifact. Needless to say Dr. robotnik is highly invested in getting hold of such power himself.

What follows is a race across the globe looking for clues, facing dangerous and comical circumstances where each character learns about themselves and each other and what is means to be a real hero is revealed to Sonic.

Where the first Sonic seemed to have ham-fisted Humans into the franchise with Sonic mixed in, the second movie leans more into the animated part of the adventure with the inclusion of Tails and Knuckles. Most interactions in a large part of the movie are between them and Jim Carrey who with his new look that matches the videogames counterpart much closer this time around, might as well be a cartoon character himself. In true Carrey fashion he chews up each scene he is in and hams it up to 11 making his portrayal of an insane but genius villain a pleasure to watch.  

By embracing the videogame franchise more this time around the movie feels actual better and closer to its source material and fans will enjoy the reference and easter eggs such as an instruction manual that looks like a genesis/megadrive booklet, labyrinth zone levels from the game or the Robotnik HQ disguised as the Mean Bean coffee shop managed by the equally brilliant Lee Majdoub as Agent stone. 

The new characters Tails and Knuckles actually add to the movie and Sonic as character instead of being a cheap throw away side plot. Idris Alba as Knuckles specifically became a favorite of mine as he performed the straight arrow, slightly naive and quite literal red menace with a warm heart who puts honor above all.

The movie also has a wedding subplot which does not seem to add too much to the movie other than to act as a vehicle to bring all the cast together again near the end of the movie. But despite the fact it felt out of place it did bring us one the most epic bride meltdowns in a comedy ever witnessed and Natasha Rothwell is simply brilliant in her scorned role.

Sonic 2 is easy digestible shlock for the whole family that might not bring any new and refreshing idea but delivers one of the best videogame movies made and delivers fun, heart and family friendly action in a well-executed package. I have so much more to say about this movie but we would soon dive to deep into spoiler territory so I won't but I hope I am clear in conveying how pleased I was with this sequel and I am looking forward for more.

This Easter, if you can do so safely, you will do well to go watch Sonic 2 and be transported to Green Hills for 2 hours. (and stay for the stinger mid credits!)

About the writer: DadGeek (Rob) is the co-founder of GeeksVsGeeks. He is a product of the eighties and never let go of his geek interest and hobbies no matter how often someone told him to stop. His love for gaming and all things geeks has been part of his parenting style and permeates throughout the whole family. A family of Geeks vs Geeks