Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is the sequel that fans were hoping for and it delivered on all cylinders. This sequel delivered on everything that Sonic fans wanted and that shows with its opening weekend breaking video game movie records with a whopping 72.1 million dollars becoming the highest-grossing video game adaptation in North America. Movie critics have given Sonic 2 mostly positive reviews while audiences across the world are praising it as one of the best video game movies they have seen. Traditionally, video games made into movies have struggled once released in theaters. 

     Sonic 2 runs 2-hours and 2-minutes, and succeeded in meeting my expectations as well. The movie was a blast to sit through and watch and after the movie was finished I was left in complete shock and excitement for the next movie, because there will definitely be one! Director Jeff Fowler returned to produce this sequel also returning producers Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara. The writers from the first Sonic movie, Pat Casey and Worm Miller, also returned to write the script for Sonic 2. Many actors also made their return to the series, such as James Marsden who plays Tom Wachowski, Ben Schwartz who plays the titular character, Sonic, Tika Sumpter who plays Tom’s wife Maddie, Natasha Rothwell who plays Maddie’s sister Rachel, and the legendary actor and comedian himself, Jim Carrey who plays Dr. Robotnik. There are some new recognizable voices such as Idris Elba who plays Knuckles the Echidna. Knuckles is one of the main antagonists in the movie, and offers another character Sonic gamers would be familiar with.  Rounding out the cast is Colleen O’Shaughnessey who plays Sonic’s best friend Tails the Fox.

Now let’s talk about the plot of the movie. Sonic is enjoying his new life in Green Hills as he now has friends and a place to call home with Tom and Maddie Wachowski after banishing Eggman, or Dr. Robotnik. He sent Robotnik to the world he (Sonic) was supposed to go to if he was ever discovered. This planet has mushrooms on it. On the mushroom planet, Robotnik is trying to get back to earth, when he is saved by Knuckles and they form an alliance to get back at Sonic. At home, Sonic is enjoying himself since Maddie and Tom have gone to Hawaii for a wedding. Suddenly, Sonic is attacked by Robotnik and Knuckles, and after getting beaten by Knuckles, he is saved by Tails. The two escape in a police car that Tails had hacked when he arrived to find Sonic. Now, Sonic and Tails must find the clues to get the location of the Master Emerald to help them defeat their enemy. The Master Emerald gives whoever wields it god-like powers which would allow Sonic and Tails to stop Knuckles and Robotnik before they use it for their evil plans to take over the world. 

Before seeing the movie I had very high expectations for this movie as I enjoyed the first Sonic movie and wanted the sequel to be 10 times better than the first.  The sequel was everything I wanted. There were many parts of the movie that left me speechless such as when Sonic used the Chaos Emeralds so he could turn into Super Sonic, his most powerful form, and destroy Robotnik’s giant robot that he built when he held the Master Emerald. Another shocking moment that left me speechless was the post-credit scene where Commander Walters played by Tom Bulter is talking to one of his soldiers as they clean up the debris from the fight with Eggman where it is revealed that while they going through Robotnik’s files, they find coordinates to a research facility where a 50-year-old project had been hidden which had been created by Eggman’s grandfather Gerald Robotnik, we are then taken to the facility where a giant cylinder rises from the ground and it reveals one of the most loved characters in the Sonic franchise, Shadow the Hedgehog. This post-credit pretty much sets up the next movie in the franchise and at this time there is not much information on what the next movie will contain, but one thing that is known is that Shadow will play a big role in the next movie. 

I give Sonic 2 a solid 9/10 for its action, special effects, and voice acting. This movie is built upon its action, and it takes you on a ride that you won’t want to get off once the movie concludes. The special effects of the movie are stunning and are amped up compared to the first movie. The voice acting is what makes puts life into this movie like Jim Carrey who plays Robotnik perfectly, as he talks like a mad person which is what Robotnik is like in the games. Idris Elba as Knuckles shocked me, as I thought it would be a weird fit, but I was really pleasantly surprised how enjoyable Elba was, and how well he fit Knuckles as a character. Overall, I would highly recommend Sonic the Hedgehog 2 especially if you enjoyed the first movie.