Film release date: April 8th, 2022

Video game movies have always had a reputation for being poorly conceived projects, from the Resident Evil movies, the Silent Hill movie, or the Monster Hunter movie. There are so many examples that one could point out while suggesting that video games just aren't well suited for the big screen, as they always seem to be created by producers and directors that clearly have no interest or passion for the games that they're adapting. However in recent years, several video game adapted movies started to break the trend, such as Detective Pikachu, Mortal Kombat 2021, and of course, Sonic the Hedgehog. a movie created by SEGA and Paramount Pictures that many thought would have failed tremendously, especially due to the hideous recreation of Sonic himself looking like some kind of furry nightmare fuel, but through accepting viewer feedback and a heavy release date delay, they managed to fix Sonic's appearance to be closer to the film.

Of course, fixing Sonic's look didn't guarantee that the rest of the movie was going to be enjoyable, but surprising, the overall plot and action presented in the movie managed to resonate with moviegoers and sonic fans alike and overall managed to rake in over three hundred million dollars worldwide, thus justifying the development of a sequel. Now with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie, rather than trying to focus the story around the usual Hollywood tropes and product placement quotas in order to justify its budget, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 goes all-in on fanservice and manages to create a story that kids can enjoy and Sonic fans of old can appreciate.

Sonic 2 Movie – Plot

So as the plot goes: The events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 take place directly after the events of the first movie, where Sonic (played by Ben Schwartz) is enjoying his life in fictional Green Hills, California, and learning to make good use of his powers. Dr. Eggman (played by Jim Carrey), who's stranded on the mushroom planet, uses his intellect and a single energized quill from Sonic's head to create a path back to earth, along the way, Dr. Eggman runs into Knuckles the Ecdinha (played by Idris Elba) who was looking to destroy him but convincing, he tricks the Ecdinha into teaming up with him as Knuckles speaks of finding “The Master Emerald”, a source of incredible power that can be used to create and destroy anything the wielder can desire.

The plot of this movie has been completely adapted from the original storyline found in “Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles”, a 16-bit video game from the Sega Genesis days, and it manages to work quite well, albeit taking a few liberties to adapt it into a Hollywood film. In fact, the movie adapts the storyline from the video game so much that it becomes very predictable for anyone that is familiar with it, thus the plot of the movie leaves almost no surprises. What will surprise fans, however, is the number of references to sonic games and the sonic fandom that have been sprinkled throughout the film. They've even gone as far as to acknowledge “that meme”. Sonic fans will know what meme it is when they see it.

Just like with the blue blur himself, the movie progresses at a fast pace and doesn't stick to one scene or location for more than a few minutes at a time, as Sonic and friends, along with Dr. Eggman travel between three locations: California, Syberia, and Hawaii. The movie also tries to keep the viewer engaged with plenty of silly comedic moments or quick bursts of action, all leading up to a final showdown between Sonic and Dr. Eggman which, once again, is something that the fans will enjoy from this movie much more than those who are just casual moviegoers.

Sonic 2 Movie – Characters

While Sonic himself has had many different voices over the years, Ben Schwartz has done a good job at capturing Sonic's enthusiasm, cockiness, and energy from start to finish. Even the scenes that are slower and more sentimental are very well performed and it really shows just how vulnerable Sonic can be when he isn't confident enough in his skills.

Tails, who is played by Colleen O'Shaughnessey, reprising her role as the original Tails from the Sonic video games, also gives a great voice acting performance that captures the timid but brilliant spirit of Tails, just as she always has throughout the years. One amusing scene includes Tails making use of his translation gadget to order food in a Syberian snow lodge, but his translation algorithm isn't quite up to snuff, which pushes him and Sonic into a troubling predicament.

Jim Carrey has done an excellent job reprising his role as Dr. Eggman in the movie, as his snarky quips and kinetic energy fits the character very nicely. It also serves as a nice throwback to most of his early work in comedy shows and movies where he was very active and engaged in a lot of slapstick humor. While it's a little disappointing that he's planning to retire from the movie business soon, I honestly believe that he couldn't have picked a better film to go out on, as most of Jim Carrey's signature comedy shines through here.

On a more honest note: there were some personal concerns regarding Idris Elba playing Knuckles, as the character's personality has changed over the years. The current iteration of Knuckles, as seen in most of the modern games and cartoon shows (such as Sonic Boom), depicts the character as a bit of a musclehead, who's dimwitted but lovable as he uses his fists to solve most of his problems, compared to the more villainous side of Knuckles, which Sonic fans have not seen since the “Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles” video game. Amazingly, Idris manages to pull off the character convincing with a strong tone of voice and impactful performance, as the character gives off an intimidating aura whenever he's on-screen. Even as the movie reaches closer to the end, he eventually evolves more into the musclehead that fans have come to know and love, giving everyone the best of Knuckles from both sides of the aisle.


There are a few moments in the movie where the plot focuses on a side plot with the human characters during a wedding, but it doesn't last for too long before focusing back on Sonic and the main plot. Personally speaking, I actually didn't mind the side plot, as the performance from Natasha Rothwell (as Rachel) was incredibly hilarious and stole the whole scene for me. Any adults who are not interested in the main plot who are looking for something to enjoy from this movie, I believe the scenes focused on the wedding in Hawaii might give them a laugh or at least a chuckle.

Sonic 2 Movie – Verdict

SEGA and Paramount Pictures have put a lot of effort into making Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie a real crowd-pleaser. Kids who are fans of Sonic will have a fun time seeing him and his friends in action, as most of the movie focuses less on the human characters compared to the first film, and adults who grew up with Sonic will be able to enjoy all the references and nods to Sonic's gaming legacy. Many critics would argue that focusing so much on fanservice is a shameless way to make a Hollywood movie, and I would personally disagree. It shows that the producer and/or director has an appreciation for the world and lore that they're working with, and when you have so many projects being created by people who clearly have no passion for the IP they've been given permission to use, such as the Halo TV series, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie looks like a godsend in comparison.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is available only in theaters.