Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Film)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

It’s amazing how much of a difference one change can make. Where I once felt disgusted by the earliest trailer for the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie, thanks entirely to “Ugly Sonic”, I later felt hyped for a third film based entirely on the mid-credits scene from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Based on how the film series had turned out so far, I felt confident that they could pull a hat trick with a third film, especially after learning that director Jeff Fowler had an early connection with one of the new characters, Shadow the Hedgehog, having worked on the pre-rendered cutscenes for the Shadow the Hedgehog game. I even went through the effort of playing Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 for the first time in anticipation of how the film would adapt the latter. After about two years of waiting, and watching the film on opening day, to an unthinkable Rotten Tomatoes score in the high 80s no less, I found it worth the wait and more.

After 50 years, Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves) escapes containment on Prison Island. G.U.N. tasks Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) with stopping Shadow in Tokyo, Japan, but find themselves utterly defeated. Seeing no other option, the trio team up with Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) for a chance at stopping Shadow. While the group search for answers, however, Ivo reunites with his long-lost supercentenarian grandfather, Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who has his own sinister plans.

Shadow (Keanu Reeves) is out for revenge.

While previous films adapted certain games to the screen, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 not only had the pressure of adapting one of the most iconic games in the entire franchise, but also serving as the third film in a trilogy, which historically is when film series start running out of steam. By some miracle, however, this film succeeds on both fronts.

As a continuation of the film series, it honors what came before and builds on both the characters and the series’ theme of “family” while addressing lingering flaws. It does a better job at juggling its three plot threads by making Shadow’s story the core focus, giving the members of Team Sonic more equal screentime and dialing back the focus on the human characters outside of Ivo and Gerald Robotnik. At the same time, it also dials back the pop culture references from the second film and has an expert balance of humor and drama, once in a while even achieving the difficult feat of mixing the two within the same moment without sacrificing any emotion.

Knuckles (Idris Elba, left), Sonic (Ben Schwartz, middle) and
Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey, right) have more equal screentime.

Although not a 100% accurate 1:1 adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is no less faithful to its source. Streamlining certain elements of the story not only helps with adapting it to a 110-minute film while making sense within the film universe (it juggles enough already), but also removes certain plot holes from the original game and gives Shadow’s story the necessary breathing room. His backstory alone adds some much-needed emotional depth and complexity through his interactions with Maria Robotnik and how that shaped him as a dark reflection of Sonic (one scene even brought a tear to my eye). The exact relationship between Ivo and Gerald differs in certain ways from the games, but doesn’t stop the story from hitting many of the major beats from the original game and adds some depth to Ivo’s character development, especially when he learns Gerald’s plan. If I had any complaints about the story, however, it would be that a scene where Ivo and Gerald dance through a hallway of lasers goes on a bit long and starts hitting the edge of “too much” Jim Carrey.

The film does Shadow's story justice.

Much like the story, the acting also fires on all cylinders. The returning cast, including the voice actors, are clearly comfortable in their roles and passionate enough about the material that they play their characters with conviction and sincerity, which in turn helps the audience get invested. Keanu Reeves shows off good emotional range as Shadow and disappears into the role, to the point that I didn’t even think about him throughout the film. Alyla Browne was also a good choice for Maria Robotnik, as she helped make their friendship believable in live-action. The biggest praise, however, would go to Jim Carrey, who shows off more of his full acting range and gives the sense that he’s having a lot of fun. He not only plays Ivo and Gerald convincingly as two similar, yet very distinct characters, but gives Ivo emotional depth not seen in the previous films, culminating in a great payoff to his character arc during the climax.

It also helps that this installment has some of the best visuals yet. Apart from some great special effects in general, the character animation looks improved, with special attention to Shadow, whose movements reflect those from Sonic Adventure 2, down to how he runs like he’s skating. The fight choreography looks as impressive as ever, with some actions notably lifted directly from Shadow the Hedgehog alongside more varied fight scenes, including one that gave me goosebumps. As a longtime Sonic fan, I also loved how the film incorporated some great fanservice without necessarily shoving it in the audience’s face (aside from maybe the Chao Garden sequence). Props to the VFX artists as well for making Ivo and Gerald’s interactions look convincing enough that you almost forget that they’re played by the same actor.

Jim Carrey shows his talents as Dr. Ivo (left) and Gerald (right) Robotnik.

As for the music, the score features a masterful use of “Live and Learn”, the main theme of Sonic Adventure 2, during the climax. As someone who liked the original game, I hoped that I could hear more of its music during the film, but I felt satisfied with a brief and hilarious use of “E.G.G.M.A.N.”

Whether you’re a fan of the Sonic games or the films, there’s no reason not to watch Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which even those unfamiliar with the games can get invested in, so long as they’ve seen the first two films beforehand. Here’s hoping that the upcoming fourth film can continue, or at least maintain, the series’ uptick in quality. Then again, with such a passionate team at the helm, I’m not so worried about that.