Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Video game character is still light on his feet but his second adventure is less enjoyable than his first.

Sonic is joined by a new ally, Tails (voice of Colleen O'Shaughnessey), a yellow fox with two tails (hence the name), but the adventure is never as satisfying as the simple fish-out-of-water — or hedgehog-off-of-home-planet — story told in the first film. They're out to vanquish Sonic and gain control of a powerful green emerald which holds all the mystical powers of the universe, or somesuch. In a landscape littered with soulless intellectual property, "Sonic" rose above, molding itself into something of a warmhearted "E.T."-lite story and becoming one of the last blockbusters to hit screens before the world turned upside down due to a certain pandemic.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — out April 8 — from director Jeff Fowler brings the fledgling cinematic franchise into its sophomore slump with a story kids will ...

Those avoidable drawbacks are what keep Sonic the Hedgehog 2 from sticking its landing when you look at it on its own. Sonic 2 doesn’t sideline Tom as much as it reminds you that the movie’s not about him. What Knuckles does understand, however, is that Robotnik can lead him to Sonic and that both of the begloved aliens have an important connection to the Master Emerald. Taking ambitious chances on fresh ideas the way Sonic 2 does is an important part of how these kinds of ongoing narratives are able to evolve, though. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 presumes that you remember most of the beats of its 2020 predecessor. It’s legitimately astounding just how many nods to other movies and real-world events Sonic 2 manages to make.

Sonic is coming back to theaters with Tails and Knuckles—but viewers who want to wait for it to come to streaming only have to do so for a few more weeks.

But we've got to look at each title in this pandemic and figure out what is the right strategy." We know, however, that the film will get a streaming release one day, sooner rather than later. The sequel will be a cinematic exclusive—at least for now.

There's some humor in the blue critter's adventures, but the movie could've used some editing.

Fortunately, Sonic has enlisted the assistance of Tails (voice of Colleen O’Shaughnessey), a … sort of fox, I guess? Robotnik has a new henchman: The hammer-fisted echidna Knuckles (voice of Idris Elba), who has a score to settle with our hero. Most players will take a good deal longer than that, of course, but with proper dedication, you can get from the opening stage to the final boss in 20 minutes or less.

The comedy great's possibly final film, “Sonic The Hedgehog 2,” isn't exactly going out on top. Idris Elba and James Marsden are also part of the cast.

The first “Sonic” worked unexpectedly well because it thrust the wisecracking alien into a small town filled with humans — a hog out of water — and gave Carrey the opportunity to once again do the physical comedy he’s best known for. Two years ago, the first “Sonic” was a surprise hit for Paramount even after a wave of bad press said the terrifying CGI hedgehog we saw in the trailer was the stuff of nightmares. Sonic the Ad Man? At that point, Sonic should have scooped up his magical golden rings and — like Carrey — called it quits. And so now we have an often grating sequel that shoves in more of Sonic’s annoying animal friends. “Yeah, I’m retiring,” the actor, 60, told Access Hollywood. “I have enough.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" has a number of A-listers, from returning stars Jim Carrey and James Marsden to new cast member Idris Elba.

They've had my back and have been so supportive since the beginning." Knuckles is a fish out of water. When asked about how fans have dubbed his voice sexy, Elba responded: "I'm baffled.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” a sequel to the 2020 hit from Paramount Pictures, could be the pandemic era's top-grossing kids film, if parents get more comfortable ...

It’s already taken in $26.1 million in international ticket sales after opening in 31 markets last week. The PG-rated picture is projected to generate $65 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales this weekend, according to Boxoffice Pro. Paramount is forecasting over $50 million.

It wants to be a superhero movie, not one of the fun and colorful ones, but something like "Batman v Superman." And yet, it also has the level of cartoonish ...

Though they do not find him, one of the agents reveals that they have uncovered a hidden decades-old file named "Project Shadow." Then, we cut away to an unknown lab, where a stasis capsule contains a black-and-red hedgehog. Naturally, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles teaming up to defeat Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey in what may be his last role), who controls a giant mech fueled by the power of his imagination. Following the unlikely success of the first film, the sequel goes bigger, bolder, and also overlong and exhausting.

Sonic is still voiced by Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”), who leans into our hedgehog's more childlike qualities as he entertains his superhero ...

Another new-old character is Miles “Tails” Prower (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Sonic’s sidekick who similarly debuted in the 1992 game Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Having seen this with my two young kids, it was easy to appreciate what worked and what didn’t. Some of Carrey’s semi-crude jokes flew over their heads, as well as the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” references, for example. But it’s pure and unapologetic fun, a thrill ride for kids that manages to fly by for adults, too. Sonic’s human sidekick, Green Hills police officer Tom Wachowski (a chipper James Marsden) is leaving Sonic home alone to attend a wedding in Hawaii with his wife/Sonic’s mother figure Maddie (Tika Sumpter). Maddie’s sister and the bride-to-be, Rachel (Natasha Rothwell), nearly steals the show in scenes that feel barely tethered to the main plot, as if a sitcom was plopped into the middle of a Thanksgiving Day parade. Meanwhile, Sonic’s pun-happy nemesis, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), escaped from his galactic exile at the end of the last movie. Sonic is still voiced by Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”), who leans into our hedgehog’s more childlike qualities as he entertains his superhero aspirations.

In a career of action movies and dramas, Elba embraced the chance to voice Knuckles, the brawny adversary in the new sequel. Just don't ask him about 007.

I was on a radio show, and they were like, [booming radio announcer voice] “He’s played Luther. He’s done ‘Beasts of No Nation.’ And now: He’s Knuckles.” It’s like, uh, maybe you could say he’s played a seal in “Finding Dory” and a buffalo in “Zootopia,” he’s played a cat. I work in an industry where there’s a lot of instructions being passed left and right — do this, do that — and often the efficient people are the ones who are like, Hey, let’s just get this done. My mom would say, “Back home in Africa, we do things like this.” And I’d never dare say it, but I used to think, We’re not in Africa — we’re in England. That was the beginning of my understanding of that culture clash. Honestly, when I got it, I didn’t even know that would be on the table. The first thing that we observed was, he comes from an ancient world — he’s a warrior from his tribe and English is not their first language. I was born there, so I didn’t recognize that until I was old enough to understand that English culture was not their culture. Not “The Harder They Fall,” but my character in the Marvel world, in the “Thor” films, Heimdall, there’s a sense of symmetry between those two voices. [Laughs] There’s a lot of stuff my kid won’t be able to see until he’s an adult, and then he can judge me. I’ve done voices in animation and I like doing things for a younger audience. And you had to take the tabs off the cassette so you didn’t record over it. And then when I could afford one, I had a Sega Genesis. And I’ve pretty much had every single console since then. (Even so, when I mentioned that my son and I have also bonded over video games, Elba warned: “Is he into Minecraft and Roblox? Be careful.

The first film was a financial success for Paramount Pictures and by the year's end would hold the distinction of being the No. 2 release in North America. That ...

It’s a shame to squander a roster of talented comedic actors who seem game to do anything opposite their alien counterparts. For instance, “Oh great, the Winter Soldier,” Sonic deadpans as Knuckles chases after him on a snowy mountain in Siberia. This referential strategy can and has worked when done thoughtfully. There were enough genuinely funny moments to make it enjoyable and much of that had to do with James Marsden’s performance as Sonic’s human companion Tom. Marsden is unbelievably natural and charming while acting against a cobalt blue, computer-generated alien. Is there nothing else you can do with a superspeed alien hedgehog? It’s mostly dumb luck: The studio released it in February 2020, a month before theaters closed and studios began jettisoning their films to streamers or later release dates. Still, sequels have been greenlit on less and “Sonic” didn’t just have dollars going for it.

'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' debuted to $6.3 million in Thursday previews, enough to hold off Michael Bay's "Ambulance."

“Ambulance” struggled in previews, netting a paltry $700,000. Paramount’s “ Sonic the Hedgehog 2” opened to a sterling $6.3 million in Thursday previews, as the video game adaptation looks to outrace “Morbius” and “The Batman” at the box office. “Sonic Part Deux” should bow to $55 million or more.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 looking at $50M+ opening whereas Ambulance will die at the weekend box office.

Among regular movies in release, Sony’s Morbius did $1.3M yesterday ending its week with an estimated $46.9M. The movie is expected to decline 65% in weekend 2 given its genre nature. Meanwhile, A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once is the little engine that could. Updated: Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 grossed $6.25M in previews from Wednesday fan screenings and Thursday showtimes that started at 3 PM. The film is expected to make north of $50M this weekend. The logical question is why wasn’t this sent to Peacock, day-and-date. In regards to Ambulance, the good news is that it’s double the preview number of Universal’s previous action dud The 355 which did $350K at 2,300 theaters that began at 7PM on its Thursday. The irony here with Ambulance is that it’s director Michael Bay’s best reviewed movie of his career, tied with The Rock which also was 68% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and the movie isn’t going to make it to double digits in its opening. After the pic’s disastrous $20M foreign box office result in 59 territories, Uni is already dealing with the reality that this vehicle is broken.

We're road-tripping to Lowell, taking in one 'Impractical Joker', and racing to the theaters with our furry blue BFF Sonic.

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.” So we’re gonna kill time this weekend with Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which finds everyone’s favorite blue speedy friend teaming up with trusted sidekick Tails (voiced by Idris Elba!) to battle it out with Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles. Sign us the fuck up. We’ve built a lineup that is intentionally diverse in styles and provides an opportunity for people to see talent from the city, the region, and beyond.” Earlier this week, James “Murr” Murray teased his upcoming appearance in town by posting a Boston fact-sheet, three things that “everybody knows.” It was some real talk: “1. Best baked beans on the planet; 2. As Vanyaland Comedy Editor Jason Greenough details in this week’s Mic’d Up: “There’s nobody hidden offstage feeding the funny for this one. We’re so excited we’ve finally stopped complaining about Sonic’s redesign a few years back; yeah, we loved that thicc OG version.

The movie's frequent references to other films are not commentary or homage, just winking at the audience.

Meanwhile, Sonic has dispatched Tom and Maddie off to Hawaii via a gold portal ring for the wedding of Maddie’s sister Rachel (a terrific Natasha Rothwell) to handsome Randall ( Shemar Moore). (NOTE: Stay for the credits to see an extra scene.) Dr. Robotnik ( Jim Carrey, behind a mustache broader than a pair of football shoulder pads) was exiled to a mushroom planet at the end of the first film for trying to use Sonic as a power source, but he is brought back to earth by someone else looking for Sonic, a space echidna named Knuckles ( Idris Elba), who packs a punch. Following the events of the first film, he now lives with a human couple, Tom the “Donut Lord” ( James Marsden) and Maddie ( Tika Sumpter), whose relationship with him is about one-quarter friendship, three-quarters parental. What game Sonic doesn’t have is characteristics beyond speed and determination or a plot beyond the basic quest. Whether he was right or not, when it comes to telling a story video game companies are still turning to the movies, which is why the vastly successful Sonic the Hedgehog video game series from Sega has now produced its second film about the super-speedy alien.