Welcome back ladies and stinkers! I am back with yet another film breakdown, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. This is a part of a miniseries, where I review and breakdown each of Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog projects.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Pre Quill-Comic
Now before I get into the film, I wanted to take a second to look at the Sonic the Hedgehog Pre Quill comic, paired with the Walmart exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Blu-Ray. It features three mini stories of Team Sonic. Wade and Tom are on some sort of trip, and Maddie leaves Sonic by himself for a bit. We don’t only see the return of Crazy Carl from the first film, but we also see the return of the same exact donut that Tom can be seen speaking to in the first film.
Now the story that might just add the most depth to the universe, is Knuckles’. We see these scavengers capture Knuckles and put him into a fight of the death. Knuckles of course comes out victorious, and hires the same scavengers to find Sonic, which we see at the opening of the film.
We then see Tails’ story, which gave me more interest in the overall story. We see that he finds Longclaw’s old home, and we learn that Sonic has an everlasting legacy across the galaxy. When finding Sonic, Tails meets Rava the Destroyer. Rava was originally set as the villain for the first film but was ultimately scrapped at the end.
Robotnik is Back!
We then open the film with the same Paramount intro and Sega montage as the last. We are back on The Mushroom Planet! The same one that Sonic was dreading going to in the first film. Yes, he’s back! Jim Carrey returns as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, taking on the mantle of Eggman. We see him adapting to the overall planet testing out different types of Mushroom coffee. The stone used to mash the coffee beans had that classic Eggman logo seen in almost all the games. Robotnik then pulls out the quill that he was able to get his hands on in the first film.
As we learn in this film, the Quill is powerful enough to gain the attention of critters among the galaxy. It’s what is able to get the attention of the scavengers, and even Tails. With all of Eggman’s free time, he sends one scavenger flying, slams another scavenger with a mushroom, and smashes one with Agent Stone.
Back in Green Hills
Ben Scwartz returns as Sonic! Or should I say Blue Justice? Now I had a lot of fun with this Seattle sequence, it might’ve been random, but it sure was entertaining. Now the biggest easter egg is of course, Sonic’s love for chili dogs that has made apparent across Sonic media.
We are back in Green Hills! Tika Sumpter returns as Maddie, and James Marsden is back as Donut Lord! Since the film is even bigger then the last, they got the budget to hire Kid Kudi to make an original song, Stars in the Sky. Tom and Sonic visit the lake for a father/son fishing trip, but Sonic is just too tired from being Batman. The same Green Hills baseball cap can be seen here, and from the first film.
Tom and Maddie Leave for Rachel’s Wedding
Tom and Maddie then leave for Rachel’s wedding on Sonic airlines. Then of course Sonic trashes the house, just like most kids when they are left home alone in movies and TV. We pick then pick up with where we initially left off from the first film. That being that Tails post credit scene, as he swoops on to the screen. Moving to Hawaii, we meet Randall, played by Shemar Moore. Who actually plays with Tom and refers back to the events of the first film. Speaking of the last film, Natasha Rothwell returns as Rachel.
Knuckles V.S. Sonic
We then officially meet Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba. I just have to say, this is amazing casting. I’ve mentioned it many times before, these Sonic movies have some top-notch castings! Knuckles and Sonic then brawl it out, which is and always will be just awesome. The fights only go up from here. Now what I tried to make a point in my last breakdown was the fact that when Sonic gets emotional, his powers would activate. Well, it might just be me, but it looks like Sonic might’ve mastered or really ironed out that power. He was able to turn it on in this fight. It’s just a detail I found interesting, and I’m curious how that might progress in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Well, when Knuckles gets the upper hand on Sonic, Tails swoops in to save him. Colleen O’Shaughnessy is the voice of Tails, and she is actually the only professional voice actor out of the whole cast. Sonic takes the wheel from Tails, and I couldn’t help but think of where he started in Sonic 1. I always find fun in how Tails takes flight, just straight out of the games.
Robotnik and Stone Reunite
Robotnik and Stone Reunite
Lee Majdoub returns as the movie original, Agent Stone. He opens up his coffee shop, The Mean Bean. An old throwback to the Sega game. Robotnik then calls down his egg pod, where he gets a new upgraded suit. He has a more similar look to what he has to the games, but it isn’t nailed until the third film. And it’s not a Sonic movie, if Robotnik makes some sort of brain rot reference. If you don’t like Jim Carrey flossing, I’m so sorry.
Robotnik reunites with Stone and the Mean Bean is transformed! Now I know this is something I’m looking too much into, but how was Stone able to implement the Eggman logo into the Cafe design. You know, since Eggman has been gone for such a long time. Cutting back to the wedding, famous YouTuber, Prestonplayz makes a cameo.
Sonic and Tails in Siberia
Sonic and Tails then go off in Siberia, and Sonic learns more about where Tails came from. Tails was on his own planet, which we have no idea where that is, and the blast that Sonic made in the first film got Tails’ attention. So my question is, could this come into play later on? I think it could go either way. I originally thought that there being a Wachowski protecting Green Hills for 50 years would’ve come into play in the third movie, but it never does. But there’s also a ton of other characters out there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they took notice to Sonic’s blast. The Siberians then catch the two, and there was a fun reference to the Meow scene in the first film.
After the not so loved dance battle, Tails and Sonic have a bit of a heart-to-heart moment. Tails has always felt like an outcast, and Sonic can relate to that. That’s what the two of them initially bond over.
The Master Emerald
We then get some actual Sonic lore, and we learn the origin of the Master emerald. The emerald was protected by the owls, after the Echidnas let that power change them for the worse. Once Tails and Sonic obtain the compass to the emerald, Robotnik and Knuckles crashes the party. And it is the purest of Eggman that we get in the film. Yes, the movies have been taking a sleeker design to Robotnik’s egg, I think they did pretty good adapting Eggman’s cart. At the climax of this snow chase, Knuckles and Sonic have a moment, in which is the turning point for Sonic’s character. The Echidna tribe left Knuckles to go find the Master Emerald, but they never returned.
G.U.N. Twist
Going back to the wedding, Sonic calls Tom for help, and the ringtone is actually the exact Sonic theme from the games! As Rachel and Randall are about to finally get engaged, it is revealed that everyone is a G.U.N. agent, including Randall. G.U.N. is the energy that takes care of this intergalactic creature stuff, including Sonic and Tails. Now this Randall twist does kind of pay off in the third film on a funny way. That’s all I’m saying.
Master Emerald Island
As Robotnik and Knuckles unlock the Master emerald island, Agent Stone has had some free time in designing Robotnik costumes. That’s where we see an accurate design to some games, which I think was actually foreshadowing the third film. Where he unlocks his 100% game accurate suit, even fitted with the gut.
Sonic is then ready to take on Robotnik and Knuckles, and speeds over to that island. Sonic catches the two in time, and that Knuckles and Sonic fight, feels like a bit of an appetizer for the third film. As Robotnik backstabs Knuckles, he falls under the rubble and just about drowns. That’s when Sonic saves him, and just about every Sonic fan catches that easter egg. Yes, Sonic sucks up the bubble to gain more air.
Final Battle
We are now at the final fight and Robotnik gets so zany, it’s more psychotic than goofy. Team Sonic then comes swooping in, with Tails piloting his famous plane. Robotnik creates this giant mech, which has gone through a bit of an evolution throughout the games. Remember when I was talking about Robotnik’s music taste from the first film? Well, it just about pays off, when he hits play on his World Domination playlist, once in the mech. Agent Stone even pulls out a manual, very reminiscent of the original Sega console. That’s when we end the fight, with Sonic, going from the blue blur to Super Sonic. Scrolling past through the credits, Shadow arises. And I can’t wait to talk about him in the Sonic 3 videos to come!
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Wrap Up
That is going to do it for my breakdown of Sonic the Hedgehog 2! Make sure you check out The Big Stinker channel for my video breakdowns and reviews! So, until next time stinkers! Bye bye.