The first film grossed $306 million globally and because of the COVID-19 lockdowns, it became one of the biggest movies of 2020. A key factor to its critical and financial performance was due to the production responding to the fan backlash against the initial design of the titular fastest hedgehog alive. While the film’s poster released earlier provided a tease, the trailer gets down to the action. Could lightning strike twice now that Tails and Knuckles are joining the fray? Read on for more details below.
The Game Awards trailer drops
Though The Game Awards is traditionally an event for recognition of video games and their achievements, it is also an opportunity for gaming and pop culture productions from different companies to showcase what they have in store. Along with the announcement of a Wonder Woman solo open-world game from WB Games and Monolith Productions and Star Wars: Eclipse from Quantic Dream, Paramount Pictures debuted the new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 trailer.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) December 10, 2021 The trailer shows Sonic still living on Earth, doing good deeds and spending time with his human friend Tom Wachowski (played by James Marsden). However, that peaceful life is interrupted by the arrival of disruptive energies from another dimension and the return of his nemesis Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Robotnik brings in some help with Knuckles, the Echidna. But Sonic has his own backup in the form of Miles Prowler aka Tails, the flying fox. Jim Carrey is in particularly top form with the brief glimpses in the new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 trailer. The first film helped a resurgence for the popular actor with his brand of visual comedy. He also looks much closer to his video game counterpart, with the accurate costume and signature moustache. If rumors are true that Jim Carrey is cast as MODOK for a Marvel Studios project, this might truly be the actor’s epic comeback. If the trailer is any indication, there will be more focus to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik this time around. Fans who felt there was too much time spent with the humans in the first film’s runtime will probably find this a good switch. The trailer also provides the official synopsis of the movie: Fans of the Sonic franchise will recognize that this powerful emerald is a Chaos Emerald. First appearing in the Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog game, the seven Chaos Emeralds unlock unimaginable power over time and space.
Fast casting
If you noticed something familiar about Knuckles, the Echidna’s voice, it’s because you’re hearing Idris Elba. Elba has become a fan-favorite actor in genre films after his stint in Marvel’s Thor film franchise, Pacific Rim, Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, Star Trek Beyond, Hobbs and Shaw, and most recently, as Bloodsport in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad for the DCEU. Elba is no stranger to playing bad guys and anti-heroes, and his voice fits perfectly for Sonic’s rival, Knuckles. Although the trailer is unclear as to how Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik hooks up with Knuckles, the premise from the first film suggests Knuckles might be hunting Sonic across dimensions, after the echidna tribe killed Sonic’s mentor Longclaw, while also searching for the Chaos Emerald. Knuckles might have stumbled on finding Dr. Robotnik who was trapped in the Mushroom dimension at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog. Regardless, just like Sonic and Tails, Knuckles is translated accurately from his video game design, which should please fans of the Sonic series. As Sonic just recently celebrated his 30th anniversary, the sequel is a perfect setup for the next 30 years and beyond. Produced by Paramount Pictures and directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 stars Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Lee Majdoub, Adam Pally, Tom Butler, and Shemar Moore, featuring the voice talents of Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and Idris Elba. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sonic VS. Knuckles in Japan) is dashing to an international theatrical release on April 8, 2022.
