Evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) finds his way back to Earth with the help of Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba). What follows is a race between Sonic and his new friend Tails against Robotnik and Knuckles to find the master emerald, a gem that can give its holder absolute power. 

I had pretty mixed feelings about Sonic The Hedgehog but am happy to report that this is a drastic improvement on the original. I am not saying you will necessarily enjoy it, there are some key questions I will ask in a moment that will answer that for you, but personally I enjoyed myself a lot more. 

So those questions then… Are you a child or enjoy childish humour? Do you find Jim Carrey circa 1994 funny? Do you hold a special place in your heart for the Sonic games that will result in you enjoying yourself trying to spot many game references in the film? If the answer to all of those questions is no I think it would be pretty safe to steer well clear. 

For me the absolute best thing they have done here is relegate James Marsden and the human family element of the film to a minor sub plot. Early on Marsden’s character and his wife played by Tika Sumpter will head off to Hawaii for a wedding and whilst it will feature again later it’s mostly out of sight, out of mind. 

What is left is Sonic and Tails doing absolutely stupid and silly kids stuff – dance off anybody? Whilst Jim Carrey seems to be given even more free reign than the last film to just ad lib and do crazy stuff. Including taking a sideswipe at Donald Trump’s speech about their being good people on both sides. 

There are a couple of pretty fun set pieces as well that include big references to the games along with lots and lots of little references dotted around the film. From the incredibly obvious such as a coffee shop being called The Mean Bean to a little tiny crab walking beside Sonic when he is washed up on a beach. 

As with the last film the credits feature an animated game version of the film and a mid credits sting setting up further sequels. 

Personally Sonic 2 was always my favourite game and Tails my favourite character. So nostalgia may be a pretty big element for me on this one.