Title: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Jeff Fowler
Starring: Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins

What It Is: We return to our hero Sonic (voiced by Schwartz) as he tries to become a superhero. At the same time, an echidna named Knuckles (Elba) is hellbent on fulfilling his destiny. That destiny might require a little help…so he releases Dr. Robotnik (Carrey) from his mushroom prison. Now the two will try to acquire the chaos emerald but Sonic and his new friend Tails have something to say about that. Or at least they will…if they can figure any of it out.

What We Think: This might be better than the first one. It really, truly (and finally) starts to build on the lore of the games. Ben Schwartz is still the perfect voice for Sonic and Jim Carrey is a scenery-chewing, scene-stealing manic ball of energy. That is to say, he’s absolutely perfect once again as Sonic’s big bad. Putting the human characters on the backburner is for the most part better for the overall narrative. The introduction of Knuckles and Tails works super well. Getting Colleen O’Shaughnessey back to voice the latter was a good get.

Our Grade: B+, God I loved how fun this film was. I had a great time. It’s funny and everything just sort of feels right. The post-credit scene (which I won’t spoil) points at a third film and if its intentions are as crystal clear as I think they are we as fans are in for a treat. This film has hit Paramount Plus recently and so it’s even easier to access. Though frankly, the film works so well on the big screen. Check this one out as soon as you can. It’s a rare sequel that surpasses the original. A tough task indeed.