Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Review

This past week I have went out to the cinema to watch the latest Sonic the hedgehog movie, Sonic 2. The film is both entertaining to watch and suitable for all the family to watch even families that have children who are grown up, even something for anyone over twenty-five who grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog on the SEGA Mega Drive If you where a child in the 80s, 90s, 00s and even now, you will have been familiar with the little blue hedgehog known to everyone has Sonic. This is Sonic’s second outing at the cinema and, if you are looking for family fun film or something for much older adults who grew up with this blue hedgehog who has supersonic speed to trave home across the world in a matter of seconds, then this a film for you. The film continues from where it ended in the first movie with Dr. Eggman, played by the talented Jim Carrey, stranded on the mushroom planet trying to get back to earth to get his revenge on Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz. That is what the story is all about, but as the film develops it becomes more about Sonic using his power to safe the people that his loves. As the story unfolds, we are introduced to more characters from the Sonic universe. We are introduced to Sonic’s best friend and tech genius ‘Tails’, the fox, with two tails which gives him the ability to fly. He is voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessy and the super-fast/super strong ‘Knuckles’ is voiced be the brilliant Idris Elba. When we are first introduced to Knuckles, he teams up with Dr. Eggman, whom the audience soon realises is using Knuckles to achieve his own personal goals and further advance the development of his tech drones. Jim Carrey does a real good job at playing Dr. Eggman in this film. Apart from the first Sonic movie we haven’t seen very much from him due to some personal issues, and I believe that by taking on this role is a real good step because it gets him back to acting and when he first started out in movies with Ace Ventura and the Mask. These are characters are similar to Dr.Eggman where he can be funny and serious, and we get to see the Jim Carrey at his very best through dance moves and using different voices. The film also sees the return of James Marsden who has been in a range of films from comedy, drama, and action, and is probably best known for playing Cyclops in the X-men films. His character in sonic 2 is a kind of father figure to sonic, he teaches Sonic the things that really matter and, the scenes between both of them are both funny and serious just like a father and son talking and spending time together. Many family experiences can be bit annoying or awkward at times, but the way the director has shot the scenes leads to something beautiful, and with the touch of awkwardness it leads to some light-hearted comedy between both characters. I would say many families will see themselves reflected in this film. This film along with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ are good examples of what families can be like nowadays, different personalities, and various shapes and sizes. This film will showcase well. The film is produced by Paramount studios who have done a real good job at bringing the little hedgehog to life for the 21st Century. What I like most about this film, is how they used old game footage of sonic for the opening titles and end credits. Watching the end credits was like playing one of the old Sonic games from the SEGA Mega Drive. It was like watching the film again but in the style of those classic Sonic games. It that will bring back memories to anyone who played these classic games in the 80s, 90 and 00s. As with all good films these days, the director has left it open for Sonic 3, with the introduction of ‘Shadow the Hedgehog’. This is a must-see film for all the family and, grown-ups will enjoy the outing also. By James Mullan