Get Tickets SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 is now playing

For the most part, the generation of video gamers who grew up glued to their Sega Genesis consoles playing “Sonic The Hedgehog” are adults now, with a portion of that group having kids of their own. And with the iconic blue speedster’s popularity now at a level that hasn’t been reached since the early 1990s, now is the perfect time to introduce the younger generation to the beloved video game character.

But if you don’t have access to any of the classic video games or the various re-releases that have flooded consoles over the years, one way to introduce a younger generation to the character is SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2, which is now playing in AMC Theatres nationwide.

A Family Sticks Together

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 is technically an action-oriented adaptation of a classic video game franchise with white-knuckle set pieces and eye-popping visuals, but the previews have offered glimpses of more of the familial bond we saw developing between Tom Wachowski and Sonic the Hedgehog in the 2020 surprise hit. That dynamic appears to be turned up a notch or two in the latest installment.

This relationship appears to be key to several parts of the movie, especially when Tom and Maddie feel like they can trust Sonic enough to leave him behind while they attend a wedding in Hawaii, resulting in some throwbacks to another quintessential ‘90s pop culture icon: HOME ALONE. And that’s just the start of it…

High Velocity Humor

Back in the day, parents were forced to sit through 90-minute kids movies with humor geared towards 5-year-olds and not the adults in the crowded movie house. Luckily a lot has changed in the world of cinema over the course of the past 30 years, and now the term “family-friendly movie” is actually pretty accurate with SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 being another example of that progression.

When speaking with AMC Theatres ahead of the film’s release, Ben Schwartz, who returns as the voice of the Sega mascot explained how the movie is one in which everyone will find something to enjoy, saying:

“We tried to make sure this movie was for everybody; not just geared towards kids, but, much like sometimes people have the idea that because it has an animated character, or because it is a cartoon or something like that, it’s just for kids, but this is for everybody, which I think is exciting.”

And the movie aims to do just that. On one hand, the younger members of the movie-going population will likely be able to relate to the movie’s humor, especially as Sonic interacts with Dr. Robotnik or Knuckles the Echidna. Then you have the return of Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik in a performance that may remind viewers of the actor's roles in DUMB AND DUMBER, ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE, THE MASK, or any of his other beloved 1990s comedy movies.

A Dynamic Duo

It is only fitting that Miles “Tails” Prower – the tech-savvy, two-tailed fox first introduced in the landmark video game “Sonic The Hedgehog 2” – would first team up with his longtime best friend for the first time in a movie with the same name — though the character did make his big-screen debut in the mid-credits sequence in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. At long last, the dynamic duo is together and back in the action and ready to fly into danger like it’s 1992 all over again.

One of the best things about this on-screen pairing is the way it aims to show younger members of the audience what it means to be a good friend and to have your buddy’s back, even if you are just a pair of small animals going up against a robot army with nothing more than your wits and small airplane.

On top of instilling ideas like friendship and brotherhood, it sounds like the movie aims to show what it means to be a hero, which is something Ben Schwartz addressed when talking about Sonic’s characterization with AMC Theatres:

“I try to voice him like he’s an excitable kid and I try to voice him as a heart-forward character, that if you watched the second you’ll see it even more that he cares about other people and he wants to be good and he wants to help people, and I think that shines through. I also try to make him funny, and not just a funny that gears towards kids but funny that has references for adults.”

It is hard to think of a better way to describe Sonic the Hedgehog as a character and a family-friendly film franchise than being a hero that is on one hand a hilarious jokester and on the other a deeply-devoted hero who will do anything and everything in his power to protect his friends, family, and home.

All of this is to say SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 looks like one of those great family-friendly movies everyone can enjoy. And don’t worry about trying to figure out where you’re going to see it because the PG-rated movie is showing in AMC Theatres nationwide.

Get Tickets SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 is now playing