I finally got a chance to watch the sequel of Sonic The Hedgehog, and I have to say, the sequel did an amazing job to follow up on what was already a great entry for the blue blur!

Following the success of the first film, Paramount Pictures with Fowler returning as director made Sonic The Hedgehog 2 in my opinion, one of the best video game movies to date! They fixed any small issues that may have existed, and improved in all facets of the first one! The pacing of the film was well handled, we got more Sonic being Sonic, and the introduction of both Tails and Knuckles (played by Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Idris Elba respectively) was amazingly well-executed. The soundtrack was amazing and every dialogue that was spoken never once felt cringe. Ok, well Tails saying “Only Sonic The Hedgehog could…” got tired after the second time, but still good overall!

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 takes place eight months after the defeat of Doctor Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, who once again did a phenomenal job as Eggman. Hearing that he may be done is sad since his charisma as the mad scientist again carried the movie so well, and made the dynamic with Sonic that much fun! However, if he does decide to leave, I hope that the next person that plays him can leave up to the standard that Jim Carrey has set for the role. Anyways going back to the review, in the first few minutes of the film, Sonic is attempting to help the public as a vigilante, stopping crimes across the country. As a hyperactive speed demon, it would be impossible to expect him to just sit still. However, in a naive Sonic fashion, he causes chaos and destruction. It’s nice to see that they showing Sonic’s immature side, unaware of his potential responsibility to come.

However, things started to pick up with Knuckles entering the scene, looking for the master emerald. The introduction of Knuckles felt refreshing. It’s been so long since we’ve seen a menacing Knuckles, who truly lives up to the title “Guardian”! Idris Elba did a fantastic job with this character. Eggman deceives him into bringing him back to Earth, and that’s when the movie really kicked up with Tails saving Sonic, and the two sides race to find the master emerald! Tails character is played by Colleen O’Shaughnessey, who is the actual voice for the video game world, so her performance has always been great, glad to see it translated well into the big screen.

What followed afterward was nearly 2 hours of absolute fun. The CGI was amazingly handled and Tails and Knuckles never looked better. I honestly have very few negative things to say about this movie! Sonic is slowly matching his video game counterpart, Tails is better here than in his recent (Forces) iteration, and Knuckles finally is handled and shown as the true menace and competent person that he is. He is NOT dumb but naive after living alone for so long and it shows.

The humans, Tom and Maddie Wachowski, along with her sister Rachel played their parts well! Their scenes were kept short in my opinion but it was the right amount of short. When their time came to play a bigger role, it never felt like they’d overstayed their welcome. I hope this trend continues with Sonic The Hedgehog 3.

Overall, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 continues to pave the way as the pinnacle example of what a video game movie is meant to look like, one that respects the source material and its fans! It’s a must-watch!