Director: Jeff Fowler
Writer: Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Wittington
based on Sonic the Hedgehog by Sega
Stars: James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Colleen O'Shaughnessy, Lee Majdoub, Idris Elba, Jim Carrey.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Themes: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sequel, Live Action Adaptation
When the manic Dr Robotnik returns to Earth with a new ally, Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic and his new friend Tails is all that stands in their way.
It is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog.
Like its predecessor, the film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its action sequences, performances and humor, but criticized its runtime, screenplay, and pacing. A third film and a spin-off series focusing on Knuckles are in development.
With the return of the rocket-heeled rodent, Jim Carrey at the top of his rubber-faced game and Idris Elba (Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) voicing a brand-new villain, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is here!
MIX UP REVIEWS:
★★★★★
Jan (Age 10) - ★★★★★
"Loved the movie. I enjoyed it a lot. It was filled with action. My favourite part was when Sonic first met Tails. Brilliant movie."
Aria (Age 7) - ★★★★★
Mila (Age 5) - ★★★★★
Euan (Age 11) - ★★★★★
"I liked the design of Sonic, Tails & Knuckles and at the end they become friends. Not as good as The Hunger Games though."
Have you seen it yet?
Like this? Try these!....
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) - #28 - ★★★★★
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - #35 - ★★★★★
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - #153 - ★★★★
The Lego Batman Movie (2017) - #249 - ★★★★
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) - #411 - ★★★★
Sonic Boom (2014 TV) - n/a
Sonic X (2003 TV) - n/a
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (2019) - n/a
There's spiders rather than hedgehogs in the Spider-Man movies but an equally wise cracking hero, then there's a talking raccoon(?) in Guardians of the Galaxy. Idris Elba voices Knuckles here but you can also check him out in the equally action apcked Thor movies. The writers were also involved with The Lego Batman Movie. Meanwhile more Sonic in the original film, Sonic the Hedgehog and TV shows like Sonic Boom and Sonic X. A similar movie game adaptation also is available with Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.
Have you seen these?...
What's the backstory to the Sonic 2 movie?
Before 1991, hedgehogs didn’t feature much in popular culture. Eagles, panthers, dragons – those were the kind of alpha animals you’d trust to front a tentpole franchise. Slow, snuffly, sleep-all-day rodents? Not so much.
But when Japanese video games giant Sega set out to create a mascot to beat arch-rival Nintendo, programmer Yuji Naka and artist Naoto Ohshima co-created a character that would run and run (literally).
Debuting in that year’s Sega video game, Sonic The Hedgehog was everything his species was not. Bright blue, ice cool, likeably snarky and unbelievably fast, he whizzed along in trainers inspired by the album cover of Michael Jackson’s Bad, while pocketing gold rings like a go-faster Gollum.
Given the character’s popularity, it’s strange that nobody made a Sonic The Hedgehog movie until 2020. But then, with that first film grossing almost $320 million, it’s no surprise to find the sequel is hot on its heels.
What do we learn from the Sonic 2 trailer?
The first Sonic movie found our prickly protagonist foiling Doctor Robotnik’s plans to harvest the electricity in his quills.
At the end of that film, Jim Carrey’s mad scientist was punted into a parallel dimension and harmony restored – but the credits scene dropped heavy hints at a rematch.
The Sonic 2 trailer starts out bright and breezy, with the high-speed hog meting out vigilante justice to bank robbers and considering a superhero rebrand (“Blue Justice – trademark pending!”).
But as the kindly town sheriff who helped Sonic through the first movie, Tom Wachowski (James Marsden - Cyclops in the X-Men film series) worries about his attitude. “You’re being reckless,” he warns. “You’re still just a kid. Trust me, there will come a moment when your powers will be needed.”
That moment has arrived.
Now calling himself Doctor Eggman, Carrey’s moustachioed super-villain returns to Earth in an oval spacecraft that looks like it’s been laid by an evil chickbot.
And he’s got his sights on an even mightier power source, in the form of the Master Emerald.
Who are the other baddies in the cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 2?
The Sonic 2 trailer reveals Doctor Eggman has brought backup to ensure he’s not foiled again. It’s an (un)welcome back to Agent Stone, once again played by Lee Majdoub (The Mountain Between Us) and only too happy to quit his barista job and pick back up with his old boss.
Like any self-respecting evil genius, Eggman is packing an army of mechanical nasties, including a drone swarm that buzzes Sonic during a memorable snowboarding chase.
But the Doc’s deadliest henchman in the Sonic 2 movie has to be Knuckles: a brimstone-red echidna (a spiny cross between an anteater and a hedgehog) voiced with a Latin twang by Idris Elba.
“You’ve got Sonic’s speed, you’ve got Knuckles’ super strength, and we just put them in an environment and let them go at it,” says director Jeff Fowler. “It’s a little like Captain America and Iron Man – it just offers so much opportunity in terms of fight choreography and action.”
Who's the little twin-tailed fox in the Sonic 2 trailer?
That’s Tails – and he’s older than he looks. In fact, this much-loved sidekick first appeared in 1992’s video game sequel Sonic The Hedgehog 2, where his mechanical and aviation skills proved invaluable in the fight against Eggman.
And if Tails sounds just like you remember him from the Sonic Boom cartoon, that’s because Colleen O'Shaughnessey plays them both.
“Taking my old pal Tails for another adventure,” the Michigan-born voice actress tweeted last December.
“Can’t wait for y’all to see him on the big screen.”
How good is Jim Carrey in Sonic 2?
Voiced with spark and sass by Parks And Recreation’s Ben Schwartz, you could argue that the biggest star of the Sonic 2 movie is the blue blur himself. But if the Sonic 2 trailer is any indication, you can expect Jim Carrey’s Doctor Eggman to steal every scene in his maddest role since The Mask.
The comic legend’s rubber-faced contortions picked up serious acclaim the first time around. In fact, his disco-dancing, moustache-twirling tour de force was so good, Adam Sandler was moved to review his friend in real-time. “I called Carrey from the movie theatre,” he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live, “and I was telling him how funny he was while it was going on.”
Now, the Sonic 2 movie really lets Carrey off the leash – and the actor has been waiting. “I would reprise the role in a heartbeat,” he told Capital Radio back in 2020. “Because he is not yet fully evolved. He has not reached evil’s apotheosis.”
“That’s really something we were very excited about – letting Jim go a little bit more full-on Eggman in terms of being a little more unhinged and a little crazier," Fowler told Total Film. “That certainly is a great place for Jim Carrey to have a lot of fun. I think fans will be really excited with the direction we’ve taken him."
What does director Jeff Fowler say about the Sonic 2 movie?
With action-comedy sequels, you go big or you go home. So we’re happy Fowler has cranked all the dials in the Sonic 2 movie, keeping us glued with biplane battles, skyscraper leaps – and plenty of heart.
“It’s bigger,” he told Collider. “I think you get a sense of that from the Sonic 2 trailer. Obviously bringing in Tails, bringing in Knuckles, sending them all on this great big action adventure. It is much bigger in scope, but also in humour – and of course, what good is any of that if there's no heart or emotion? It is absolutely bonkers how much great stuff there is, but we also continue to tell Sonic's story, develop him as a character.”
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