Following the events of the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog still lived in Green Hills, Montana with his adoptive family Sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his veterinarian wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter). Wanting to be of help to other people, he would sometimes sneak out to fight crime in the city. However, Tom advised him that he was still too young for these activities and that time will come when his powers will be of great benefit.

While on the Mushroom Planet, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) encountered and teamed up with a strong alien Echidna named Knuckles who was in search of the powerful Master Emerald on Earth. Meanwhile, Sonic teamed up with a young alien fox named Tails to try to reach the Master Emerald first in its location in the snowy mountains of Siberia. Ultimately all of them crashed through the ring portal into the wedding of Maddie's sister Rachel in Hawaii.

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The cute character designs, infectious energy and juvenile humor made the first film a big hit in early 2020. This time around there are two more aliens whom Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) interacted with. The kind brainy Tails (voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey) was a furry fox with two tails that helped it fly. The hot-headed Knuckles (impressively voiced by Idris Elba) was the last of the Echidnas, nemesis of the Owls who took care of Sonic.

Fans of the SEGA game and its various adventures will recognize several details included or referred to in this sequel -- from the Robotnik's giant Death Egg monster to the Sonic's Tornado Plane, or references to the Mushroom Hill zone or the maze-like Labyrinth Zone. There were plenty of amusing and surprising references to both DC and Marvel comics, like Sonic's idol Batman, to a mention of the Winter Soldier and the Multiverse.

With his maniacal, over-the-top performance, only one Jim Carrey can manage out-perform the adorable animated characters and actually carried the film on his shoulders. On top of his outlandish costumes and his crazy handlebar mustache, Dr. Robotnik had that his wry and wicked sense of humor which made us laugh out loud. Count on Carrey to get away with a few quick naughty zingers for the amusement of the parents in the audience.

This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."