Sonic The Hedgehog 2 [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Jeff Fowler

Cast: James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey

Release Date: August 9, 2022

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

After settling in Green Hills, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles (Idris Elba), in search of an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.

Please Note: Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ rejoins Sonic who is now living a comfortable life in Green Hills with his new family. But when Sonic is left home alone for a couple days everything goes chaotic when the diabolic Dr. Robotnik returns from the mushroom world he was transported to and along with his newfound friend Knuckles attacks Sonic. Fortunately for Sonic, a new potential ally also arrives in Tails, a two-tailed fox with a knack for technology who steps in to rescue our hedgehog. Before long Sonic and Tails discover that Robotnik and Knuckles are searching for a dangerous weapon that Sonic unknowingly has the key to finding. Now the heroic pair will have to use their wits and talents to set out on a quest to find the weapon before it lands in Robotnik’s possession.

Directed once again by Jeff Fowler (Sonic the Hedgehog) from a screenplay written by Pat Casey & Josh Miller (Sonic the Hedgehog) and John Whittington (The Lego Batman Movie), Fowler does a fantastic job at the helm of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ delivering a wild, fun and stylized follow-up that only improves upon its predecessor. The film’s cast this time around features various new and returning individuals and includes James Marsden (TV’s Westworld), Ben Schwartz (TV’s The Afterparty), Jim Carrey (TV’s Kidding), Tika Sumpter (TV’s Mixed-ish), Idris Elba (The Suicide Squad), Natasha Rothwell (TV’s Insecure), Adam Pally (TV’s The Mindy Project), Shemar Moore (TV’s Criminal Minds), Lee Majdoub (TV’s The 100), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (TV’s Sonic Boom) and more, with nearly all offering solid and fitting performances for the most part in each of their respective roles.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ is another wildly enjoyable and lightning-paced good time that recaptures all of the charm and fun of the first film and even somewhat improves upon it in order to deliver a sequel that will have fans cheering, not to mention wanting to revisit it time and again. Quite surprisingly, the first Sonic the Hedgehog film (you can also read my review of the first film’s Blu-ray release Right Here) managed to do something quite surprising; not only did it deliver one of the most beloved video game adaptations we’ve seen, but it also listened to its fans by delaying the movie to perfect the appearance its title character following the debut trailer reveal. Now, this follow-up to the massively entertaining first film manages to do something just as surprising, it actually improves upon its predecessor in numerous ways.

Bringing in a couple of other fan favorite characters from the game (plus of course the majority of key characters from the previous film also returning) and perfecting on our lead villain, it significantly ups the ante in the action department as well; offering far more thrilling action sequences than you might initially expect and making it all work surprisingly well. Even more notable is that it never quite forgoes the heart and emotion that the first captured so well. It’s really a delight to see how carefully they’re approaching these films and the result is even more of a treat to behold. If you’re a fan of Sonic or just enjoyed the previous film then you won’t want to miss out on ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ which brings back our speedy blue hedgehog along with some new friends and enemies in a thrilling new fast-paced ride for the entire family.

Overall, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ is another winner that manages to recreate all of the beloved elements of the first time and then improve upon them, while also bringing far more thrilling action, laughs and adventure to the table on top of two key characters from the Sonic universe joining the fun this time around. It’s another fantastic and largely family-friendly outing that even with a somewhat surprising runtime that exceeds two hours still manages to leave us without a dull moment throughout. ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ is highly recommended, especially if you’re a fan of the ‘Sonic’ world in general or if you’re relatively new to it yet thoroughly enjoyed the first movie. If either applies then you shouldn’t be the slightest bit disappointed by what this marvelous sequel has to offer. Fans who are contemplating a purchase of the 4K Ultra HD release should also be thrilled with the outstanding quality and nice collection of extras it brings to the table.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks magnificent altogether and serves up a clean, sharp and beautifully detailed presentation from start to finish that’s rich with vibrant colors and gorgeous visuals that are all brought to life with almost flawless perfection. The Dolby Vision inclusion only improves on all of it and delivers a rich and rewarding color palette that’s a joy to behold in its own right, benefited by deep, powerful blacks that look nearly perfect across the board. Overall, this is a phenomenal Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision that should absolutely thrill fans and first time viewers alike.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is equally impressive and offers a clean, crisp and wildly immersive audio presentation throughout. It constantly takes full advantage of all seven available channels in order to send a whirlwind of activity throughout the various speakers including characters, vehicles, action effects and music, plus a great deal more, all while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible along the way. Overall, this is an outstanding Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that sounds magnificent throughout and constantly contributes a lot of extra fun to the viewing experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ includes a nice helping of bonus content that fans young and old should enjoy. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Jeff Fowler and the Voice of Sonic Ben Schwartz’, along with the new ‘Animated Short: Sonic Drone Home’ (running approximately 5 minutes in length). Also included are some ‘Deleted and Extended Scenes’ from the movie (running approximately 17 minutes altogether), a collection of ‘Bloopers’ (approximately 3 minutes) and the ‘Music Video: Kid Cudi – Stars in the Sky’ (3 minutes). We are also treated to various Behind the Scenes Featurettes and other fun videos with the cast and crew including ‘Finding Your Team’ (running approximately 6 minutes), ‘The Power Puncher: Knuckles’ (approximately 6 minutes), ‘Rapid Fire Responses with Ben Schwartz’ (3 minutes), ‘Robotnik Reimagined’ (5 minutes) and ‘A Sibling for Sonic: Tails’ (5 minutes).

*Please note: The above images were provided by Paramount and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. They are all the property of Paramount and any other respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10

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‘Sonic The Hedgehog 2’ Arrives Home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD on August 9, 2022 & is Now Available on Digital from SEGA & Paramount Home Entertainment

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