A Solid Sequel – Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Movie Review)

“Welcome to the next level.

After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.” – Letterboxd Synopsis

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 isn’t quite as good as the first one. I think it has a bit more problems than its predecessor but mostly pulls it together at the end. Ultimately, I still ended up enjoying this movie. The characters were as awesome here as they were in the first and I liked a lot of the character arcs here. There’s still a lot of cool stuff here but it’s weighed down by its low points just a bit more.

The highlight of this movie is the characters and their dynamics. Everybody returns, plus now we have Knuckles and Tails in the cast. All of the character interactions and relationships are great. They are what keep this movie afloat during its middling points and prop it up even higher during its high points. Dr. Eggman is like almost completely the version of him that we know. We got the laugh and the evil voice, bald head, and mustache. All that’s missing is him being more round. I’m so glad Jim Carrey has decided that he’s retired except for this role. He kills it. Idris Elba is absolutely perfect as Knuckles. The voice just fits. He perfectly delivers Knuckles dry comedy, it’s great. I think Knuckles is my favorite character in this entire movie. In a way, he goes through that same character arc that Sonic did in the first. Knuckles, Tails, Sonic, they are all children or pre teens. I love how these movies really emphasize that and emphasize the importances of family, friends, and trust at those young ages.

While the pacing of the first movie isn’t perfect, I think the run time being a solid hour and a half was right on the money. This movie is slightly over two hours and I felt it. The beginning is cool, it’s very solid. Good setup with a meh B plot that eventually merges with the main plot, but its mainly Sonic and Tails on an adventure trying to find the Master Emerald while Dr. Eggman and Knuckles track them down. There’s a bunch of cool and fun moment sprinkled in. Also, we get more lore with the Echidnas and Owls, which was interesting. The middle part of this movie just falls flat. It drags, it’s too long, and it does bring the movie down a bit. I was a bit worried that the last act wouldn’t really be able to salvage it, but thankfully, I was wrong. The last act is absolutely amazing as a fan of Sonic. It looks great, its action packed, its fun. We get the team up and anybody who has played Sonic hero’s was probably having a moment. The last act of this movie is genuine fun and honestly did a lot of heavy lifting.

So yeah, this movie is more of the first one but not quite better. I love the growth that Sonic has had and has during this movie. He goes through a nice little hero arc. Knuckles and Eggman were definitely my favorites this time around. But the other characters were still great as well. I love the family dynamic that has grown and continues to grow with these movies. I wish the middle part of this movie was so flat but with the last act being as fun as it was and all the nods to the games and other Sonic media and really just the strength of the themes of these movies. This one still ends up being a solid sequel and a good time.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – 7/10

Notes – That post credit scene had me and my girlfriend so hype. Super excited to see the third one today.