Sonic the Hedgehog 2

While Tom ( James Marsden ) and Maddie ( Tika Sumpter ) are in Hawaii to celebrate the wedding of Maddie’s sister Rachel ( Natasha Rothwell ), he has the place to himself. But just as he’s getting going, he receives an unexpected and unwelcome visit: his nemesis Dr. Robotnik ( Jim Carrey) is back! And this time he has reinforcements in the form of red muscle man Knuckles, who, like the mad scientist, also has his eye on the blue hedgehog. Luckily, at the same time, another creature from a far-off world, Tails, appears and helps Sonic escape. Now they not only have to manage to lose their pursuers but also save the world. After all, Robotnik has another nasty plan…

Skepticism ran high when a live-action version of Sonic was announced. And it didn’t get any smaller over time. Not only that, the adaptation of Sega’s cult video game series of the same name had to fight against the curse that video games always lead to bad films. The design of the blue hedgehog caused a mixture of horror and laughter among fans. One could be all the more surprised by the result. While far from a masterpiece, Sonic the Hedgehog was an overall enjoyable family adventure. The box office results were also right. In fact, in the United States, Pokémon Detective Pikachu succeeded from the throne and become the most successful game adaptation of all time. Worldwide it brought it to at least 300 million US dollars, three times the budget.

And so the obligatory sequel follows a little more than two years later. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 seamlessly follows the events of its predecessor. Our lively title hero has meanwhile made himself comfortable on earth and sees it as his new home. But he hasn’t quite arrived yet. So he initially tries to establish himself as a superhero, also out of a longing for recognition but leaves a path of destruction in his wake. The theme of self-discovery, which already played a role in the first part, is taken up again here. After all, Sonic is still a child, as is said several times at the beginning. A child who has yet to find his or her purpose and grow into it.

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2