Chaos Emerald Eyes
Video game film adaptations, much like live-action anime adaptations, can really be hit or miss. For every Mortal Kombat (1995) there’s a Mortal Kombat (2021). It’s probably best to go into these movies with low expectations. At worst, their awfulness doesn’t shock you. At best, they can completely surprise you with how fun and watchable they are. That’s what happened to me with Sonic the Hedgehog. While not anything amazing, it easily hurdled the low bar set by its contemporaries to be what I consider the best film adaptation of a video game. After watching the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 trailer during The Game Awards last night, it looks like the sequel is poised to clear that bar as well.
From Jeff Fowler, director of the first Sonic film and an upcoming Pink Panther reboot, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 continues the story of the Blue Blur as he adjusts to our world and battles new threats brought by a returning Eggman. The entire cast is back on board with Ben Schwartz returning as Sonic, Jim Carrey as Robotnik, and James Marsden and Tika Sumpter as Tom and Maddie Wachowski. Rounding out the cast this time are Idris Elba as Knuckles and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails, a development I’m particularly excited about given how often the film industry gives these types of roles to big-name actors rather than voice talent.
For as long as Knuckles has been an ally of Sonic, it’s easy to forget he got his start in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as an unwitting antagonist who sided with Eggman. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will release exclusively in theaters on April 8, 2022.
