Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [4K]
After the 2020 release of Sonic the Hedgehog showed us that we can actually get a truly good live-action video game movie, we were excited to see just what Sonic 2’s release held in store for us. With the return of Jim Carrey as Doctor Robotnik, who has been trapped on a Mushroom Planet since the end of the first movie - now 243 days into isolation, and trying everything he can to successfully return home. By powering up his inventions with the single quill of Sonic’s that he has been holding on to all this time, it draws the attention of Knuckles - and in doing so, gives him a way to get back home.
The sequel is already a much bigger affair, with the introduction of not only Knuckles, but Tails too. Ben Schwartz is back as the quick-witted, smart-talking Sonic, and Idris Elba lends a hand (or rather, voice) as Knuckles, providing a fantastically serious and intimidating cadence to the character; and for Tails we have Colleen O’Shaughnessey taking the mantle, which was a great choice given that she has been voicing Tails for quite some time now, giving little Miles Prower the innocent, joyful voice we know and love.
Knuckles and Robotnik have come to an agreement in order to track down Sonic, each with their own reasons for the team up. Knuckles is hunting Sonic down in order to restore honour to the Echidna tribe, believing that Sonic has the Master Emerald. Robotnik wants Sonic’s power - just like he did last time round - but after discovering the power of the Master Emerald, decides that this might be a better option in the end (and Robotnik certainly isn’t shy of a little backstabbing). Thankfully, Tails has been keeping tabs on Sonic and has made his way to Earth to warn him of Knuckles’ plan, leading us to a game of cat and mouse (or echidna and hedgehog?).
One thing that stood out to us whilst watching was the utilisation of Sonic’s new family, Tom and Maddie, whom we were first introduced to in the previous movie. It felt like there was a real struggle to justify their existence this time round, as though they were just a vehicle for Sonic’s entry into the ‘real world’ back in 2020. Here, they’re absent for much of the movie under the explanation that they’re off to Hawaii for a wedding - keeping in contact with Sonic via phone - with the story leading back to them for the final act to try and tie things up. On one hand, the movie is about Sonic and it feels like it’s doing a decent job of bringing it back round to the games, but it feels like in doing so, the non-game characters are kind of left in the lurch. Maybe we’ll see even less of them again next time around, and this is just the mid-stage of phasing them out?
The visuals are absolutely phenomenal, with plenty of gorgeous scenes that utilise Sonic’s bright, electric power and speed - and similarly, Knuckles on the opposite side, like two sides of the same coin. There’s a lot of duality between the two characters, with the sarcasm-averse Knuckles being a perfect match for wise-cracking Sonic, and Tails adds in a wonderful hopefulness to the mix. Jim Carrey is once again downright maniacal, offering us a spectacular performance as Robotnik - and I’ll be sad if its his last performance (as this character, or any other). Whilst the non-game characters do feel under-utilised (though Natasha Rothwell, as Maddie’s sister Rachel, does manage to steal a number of scenes), the performances overall were very enjoyable, and the kids had a brilliant time following the story.
The 4K + Blu-ray release looks absolutely stunning, and comes with a bunch of bonus features ranging from deleted scenes to an exclusive animated short featuring Sonic, Knuckles and Tails that was endearing and funny to watch. Alongside the movie itself, the other content included is:
Commentary by Director Jeff Fowler and the Voice of Sonic, Ben Schwartz
Animated Short: Sonic Drone Home
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Music Video: Kid Cudi - Stars in the Sky
Finding Your Team
The Powerful Puncher: Knuckles
Rapid Fire Responses with Ben Schwartz
Robotnik Reimagined
A Sibling for Sonic: Tails
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a fun family film that is a solid follow-up to the first, though it does feel like it runs a tad longer than it needs to. The story delves into a deeper side of our titular character, as he struggles with the variety of problems he’s already had to deal with in his short life thus far, as well as the revelations he has over the course of the movie. Ending with another teaser of what’s to come, we’re looking forward to the eventual Sonic 3, and can’t wait to see what adventures the Blue Blur will go on next.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD.
In the end, we decided to give Sonic the Hedgehog 2 the Collecting Asylum rating of 7.5/10.
Are you interested in Sonic the Hedgehog 2? What do you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
Thank you to Paramount Pictures for the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K review copy!
