Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is ready for more freedom and as the film opens with him trying to be a hero in San Francisco, the city where local cop Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) planned to relocate in the first film, before deciding to remain in Green Hills and treat Sonic as the kid he and wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) never had.

In this sequel, Sonic 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 (voiced by Idris Elba), in search for an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.

The sequel brings a lot of fun and speeds along smoothly. It really feels more loyal to its game roots and delivers an abundance of action sequences. Potentially it can be considered as the best video game film fans would love to see. It’s an exciting adventure because it really dives deep into the games lore with superb action, humor and heart.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a more confident film than its predecessor, delivering the same blend of frenetic family fun and nostalgic beats for the long-time fans. Twice the fun they said and it is a gift indeed. It’s the classic Sonic with more characters added in a film we all want to see. It’s not a Spider-Man: No Way Home type of level but adding Knuckles and Tails to Sonic’s adventure is worth watching out for. You’ll love the trio as it’s a feel-good joy similar to what we’ve seen before with other assembled teams.

It knows exactly what type of genre it is and owns up to it. The only setback is that it all goes on a bit too long for a sequel that uses a lot of CGI furry characters. It gets stretched out with an unnecessary twist that mostly serves to just introduce another game reference — which could have waited until the end credit scene. But it still comes out as a surprisingly satisfying follow-up to the first film that will appeal to family, especially kids and other audiences.

Knuckles and Tails stand out as lively addition to the cast. Idris Elba being the voice of Knuckles rules out for delivering a badassery tone with a mix of dry humor and more serious approach than Sonic. Tails on the other hand being voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey is such a comeback and the best call from the filmmakers. She’s the only voice actor from the games to reprise her role in the live adaptation of Sonic. It’s lovely and you can’t imagine anybody else as Tails. This addition of two iconic Sonic characters allows the sequel to delve even further into the video game canon.

It was action-packed and funny at the same time. With the added furry characters, there’s less screen time for Marsden and more for Carrey, which benefits the fun of it all immensely. Jim Carrey as Robotnik is even more awesome for the second time around. Robotnik’s malevolence once again matches the actor’s maniacal energy and seems tailor-made for his facial expressiveness and devilish line delivery. Jim Carrey’s performance is one of the highlights of the film as he gets to be unfettered in his performance in this sequel.

To summarize, Jeff Fowler creatively put more effort to this sequel as it expands the Sonic universe to more potential sequels. Without any doubt this is a special love letter to Sonic fans once again. Take your kids, go with your friends, or see it alone—any way, you’re going to find yourself having a supersonic time.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a spectacular sequel packed with fun and laughs you would ever see that has much love to its source material. You’d want to see more after that shocking mid-credit scene. A huge crowd pleaser for all the family.

Directed by Jeff Fowler, it stars Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, and Adam Pally.