Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 10, 2022

2020's Sonic the Hedgehog was a sizeable hit and something of a surprise considering that Sega's mascot, while still alive and well on the video game and TV circuits, is clearly second fiddle to a number of other popular video game mascots like Mario, Master Chief, and Nathan Drake. Sonic's live action/animated hybrid film certainly hit enough of the right notes, or collected enough rings, along the way to warrant a sequel, which here in 2022 is a perfectly serviceable film with the expectedly bigger and more robust action pieces and character engagement. The film introduces a new villain, Knuckles, alongside villainous staple Dr. Robotnik, pitting the Blue Blur against a pair of foes determined to defeat him, unless their own desirous demands for domination overtake their partnership first.

It has been over 200 days since the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) has been exiled on the Mushroom Planet, but in his infinite genius he has devised a way to open a portal to another dimension. Through that dimension comes Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba), an echidna warrior and the last of his kind. He agrees to team up with Robotnik in their shared quest to find the powerful Master Emerald. To retrieve it, they will have to battle Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz). Sonic has been passing the days as a failed superhero, botching one rescue attempt after another. Now, he finds himself in the battle of his life against a pair of determined foes. With Tom (James Marsden) out of town, Sonic teams up with Tails (voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey) in the fight to save the day.

The film is...fine...within its strict context. It delivers exactly as expected, blending together lightning-fast action, robust CGI, and a bevy of colorful characters (literally and figuratively colorful) within a mostly family-friendly framework. But it's also uninspired. Because it's so beholden to expectations there's not a lot here that surprises or delights. It goes through the motions, creatively and energetically to be sure, but there's no real draw here, no serious effort to build something to withstand the test of time. The movie delivers in terms of pure escapism and mind-off entertainment, which is pretty much the bar these days. The film is happy to just try and outdo the original in terms of speed and scope and scale, but otherwise, it's a bit of a lesser experience in terms of heart and characterization.

In fact, it is all of the external characteristics where the movie tends to thrive. Carrey is terrific as Robotnik; it's a character that allows him to do what he does best, demonstrating command of both his verbal and physical acting abilities, blending them together to fine, villainous, mischievous impact. The rest of the cast is just sort of there, doing what is required but failing to find any serious spark of creativity or originality. The voice work is a bit better. Elba is inspired as Knuckles, playing the role with the depth and command that the character requires, while Schwartz again satisfies as the voice of the title hero.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Parmount's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 stuns. The picture is clearly a step above the Blu-ray, boasting superior visual aesthetics, including richer colors and enhanced clarity and textural prowess. The Dolby Vision color grading brings out the best of the film's full spectrum palette. Sonic blue and Knuckles red are of course highlights for the presentation of brilliant primaries that leap off the screen with remarkable, pinpoint depth and vividness. Support tones throughout the film are equally jaw-dropping for the overall level of punch, accuracy, and nuance. Black levels are superior here, too, offering superb depth and shadow detail. Whites are brilliant and skin tones are perfect. The film's textural elements are startling considering both real and CGI. On the real end, human faces are a delight for full visibility, revealing every last pore and line and hair with picture-perfect clarity. Environmental elements dazzle with first-rate sharpness and clarity, all well above the Blu-ray. The image reveals no obvious source or encode flaws: noise is minimal and issues like banding and aliasing are practically nowhere to be found. This one is terrific.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is very good, bordering excellent, but it could stand a mild gain in a few places. Overall, the track is great. Bass thumps in action, Sonic chaos reigns throughout the speaker configuration, and much of the track is proportioned very well, particularly in action scenes. Surrounds are never wanting for usage, and the listener will feel regularly immersed into the action. However, the track sometimes struggles with balance. Take, for example, a cold, blustery wind during an exterior scene at the 30-minute mark. While it's necessary to dial it down to favor the simultaneously occurring dialogue, the wind effect is practically neutralized, barely present in terms of raw volume, at least. It needed a more commanding presence, even under the dialogue, to truly set the frigid scene. Several other occurrences of tamer audio elements are present from time to time, but where it counts there's enough verve and well-engineered audio congestion to satisfy. Dialogue is presented with the foremost in clarity and realism as it presents from the front-center channel.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 contains the usual array of extras: a commentary, deleted scenes, a blooper reel, a music video, and a few featurettes. No Blu-ray copy is included. However, Parmount has bundled in a digital copy code. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Jeff Fowler and The Voice of Sonic Ben Schwartz talk up the film.
• Animated Short: Sonic Drone Home (1080p, 5:19): Fun and adventure in a junkyard and a scrap heap of a nemesis.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p, 17:17 total runtime): Included are Mushroom Planet Intro, Sonic Caught Sneaking Out, Getting Ready for Hawaii, Tails Meets Wade, Robotnik's Fake Crowdfunding Scheme, Knuckles Learns the Meaning of Flying, and Wade Discovers Robotnik's Secret Hideout.
• Bloopers (1080p, 3:18): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:06): Kid Cudi - Stars in the Sky.
• Finding Your Team (1080p, 6:31): Exploring the family dynamic amongst the cast, working with humans and on-set models, Jeff Fowler's direction, voice work excellence, on-screen cast work, and more.
• The Powerful Puncher: Knuckles (1080p, 5:43): Exploring the character's place in the Sonic franchise, character design, voice work, and place in the film.
• Rapid Fire Responses with Ben Schwartz (1080p, 3:20): Sonic's voice actor answers a number of either/or questions.
• Robotnik Reimagined (1080p, 5:37): Looking at the character in the film and Jim Carrey's performance.
• A Sibling for Sonic: Tails (1080p, 4:46): Looking at Sonic's sidekick in the film: character background, voice work, place in the film, and more.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 won't find much of a legacy, even for fans of the character, but it's a solid enough time waster that is certainly at the top of the movie food chain for its technical merits. Franchise fans and gamers will have some fun with it, but don't expect the next great groundbreaking film. The UHD is very good, delivering terrific video, solid audio, and a fine smattering of extras. Recommended.