Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" stars Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Krysten Ritter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Keanu Reeves.  Released on December 20, 2024, the film has Sonic and his friends confronting a mysterious black hedgehog bent on revenge.

The film is directed by Jeff Fowler, who also directed the 2004 short "Gopher Broke" and the previous two "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies.  It is the third film in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series, which is based on the video game series by Sega.  Sonic the Hedgehog has come a long way on the big screen since the release of the 2020 adaptation.  What seemed to be another doomed video game adaptation due to Sonic's original uncanny design turned out to be one of the decade's more tolerably entertaining family films.  Considering that the iconic character has his ups and downs in the video game industry, that's really saying something.  Even its sequel, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", proves that the franchise's transition to cinema is in good hands, mainly due to Jeff Fowler's involvement and Paramount's eagerness to please the game's fans.  It is truly one of those moments where a simple change, whether direction or design, can make a massive difference in a franchise, especially regarding adaptations.  Whether you like them or not, it's hard to ignore how much the film industry cares about the brand, more so than most of the other video game adaptations it produced.

With the success of the first two movies, it's unsurprising that Paramount has found another franchise to rake money out of now that they found the pattern that connects with fans and casual audiences.  I'm already crossing my fingers that it doesn't fall into similar trappings like the "Resident Evil" series in terms of quality.  Following the transition to streaming with the "Knuckles" series, we have now reached the "third installment" territory of the film series, which finally gives us the long-awaited live-action debut of Sonic's most formidable (and moody) foe: Shadow the Hedgehog.  Since his debut in "Sonic Adventure 2", Shadow has been a fan favorite in the franchise due to his tragic character arc and brooding personality, although those elements proved to be quite divisive among journalists, especially in his later games.  But those criticisms weren't enough to keep this vengeful hedgehog down, as he's set to cause mayhem on the big screen, brought to life by none other than John Wick himself.  Does his appearance make this threequel a holiday gift for Sonic fans and families?  More importantly, is the story and quality worthy enough to warrant the anti-hero's debut?  Let's find out.

The story centers on Sonic (Schwartz), the blue hedgehog living in Green Hills with his newfound family consisting of Tom (Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Sumpter) and his allies Tails (O'Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Elba).  His tranquil life is then interrupted by the arrival of the military organization G.U.N., led by Commander Walters (Tom Butler) and Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter).  They tasked Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles with finding and capturing a mysterious and powerful black hedgehog named Shadow (Reeves), who escaped custody and is seeking revenge against humanity for his tragic past.  Shadow's formidable presence and unearthly abilities force Sonic and his team to form an unlikely alliance with Ivo Robotnik (Carrey) in hopes of stopping him.  But, a revelation involving Shadow and Ivo's grandfather Gerald Robotnik (Carrey) turned the tide of the battle, forcing Sonic into his most challenging fight yet.

It bears repeating that I'm more of a casual fan of "Sonic the Hedgehog" than a super fan.  While I admire the franchise through its lovable characters and gameplay, my journey with Sonic didn't start until I played "Sonic Heroes" during my childhood.  That game introduced me to the mechanics of the franchise's worlds and gameplay, but it's also my first introduction to Shadow the Hedgehog.  It wasn't until I delved into "Sonic Adventure 2" and "Shadow the Hedgehog" that I learned more about the complex, moody hedgehog and his painful history.  When I discovered that Shadow is appearing in this film through the mid-credit scene in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", I became excited and curious about how Jeff Fowler and his crew would adapt this dark character for fans and casual moviegoers alike.  Given Shadow's personality, balancing the film's family-friendly tone with the darker themes seems challenging. 

One of the best things about the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies was that they used the inspiration from the video games to make their own universe.  Sure, the other video game adaptations performed this similar feat, but "Sonic" is one of the examples that handled this mixture best.  They provided straightforward storylines that felt familiar from other family movies by design, but they usually scored points for emphasizing their charm, humor, and entertainment value amid their pop culture jokes and fan service.  The "Sonic" movies were far from cinematic masterpieces, but when it comes to delighting both sides of the same audience, Sonic fans and casual families, they're as joyful as getting extra lives from collecting multiple rings.  "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is undoubtedly no different, as it contained some of the elements we enjoyed from its predecessors and some that might not win over its detractors.  The result is another fun and action-packed adventure that's faithful to the source material in its own way, even if it doesn't meet all my expectations.

The "Sonic" movies used many elements from the video games to form original stories depicting Sonic's growth from a fish-out-of-water kid to the hero we know and love from the source material.  "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" started this trend by drawing inspiration from "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", and "Sonic & Knuckles".  For the third film, the plot used elements from "Sonic Adventure 2" and 2005's "Shadow the Hedgehog" to depict Sonic and his team battling a vengeful Shadow and two Jim Carreys.  While they seem like direct adaptations of those games, the sequels forged their own paths of storytelling to avoid focusing too much on satisfying one type of audience over the other.  "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" made the most of its efforts to craft a story that caters to both fans of Shadow the Hedgehog and people unfamiliar with the anti-hero.  Considering that Jeff Fowler also worked on the CGI movie production for the "Shadow the Hedgehog" game, this seemed like something that Fowler really wanted to adapt since directing the first movie, and it shows.  There was definitely a lot of passion and care demonstrated in adapting Shadow for the big screen, ranging from his personality to his friendship with Maria Robotnik (Alyla Browne).  Everything else outside of that, I would say it's good enough to maintain my interest.

Regarding the story, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is another straightforward yet delightful family-friendly adventure comedy involving Sonic traveling around the world to prevent a global catastrophe, similar to the second film.  However, it also depicted more of Sonic's coming-of-age journey of heroism as he learns the importance of teamwork, mainly with Tails and Knuckles.  More importantly, he faces the challenge of staying true to himself by following his heart, which was disrupted by Shadow's path of revenge.  Both Sonic and Shadow are haunted by the loss of their loved ones, causing them to forge different paths, with Sonic finding a new family for himself and Shadow finding hatred and revenge towards those who did him wrong.  Its messages worked suitably well for its young audiences and emphasized Sonic's growth by having him experience the same pain Shadow has.  Its screenplay often cut corners in its familiar themes and basic plot.  However, it still functions as an entertaining globe-trotting adventure that carries the heart and kid-friendly charm the previous installments are known for.

The film also showed that Jeff Fowler has plenty of potential as a film director in terms of his direction.  "Sonic 3" showcased Fowler's willingness to remain faithful to who Sonic is to both fans and casual audiences, especially the visual effects that brought the character to life and the fan service.  However, it was his vision for the action sequences, visuals, and Brandon Trost's cinematography that made him a confident filmmaker.  Like its predecessors, "Sonic 3" has several action scenes that boast a kid-friendly appeal but with enough intensity in the violence to attract older audiences as well.  The fights between Sonic and Shadow, in particular, are the best examples of how to make the action fitting for all types of audiences, especially in the third act.  Of course, the CGI effects also stood out as the film's bright spot due to the accurate details of the character designs and the environments.   

As for how Fowler approached its tone and pacing, it'll likely depend on your expectations.  Despite having Shadow and his tragic past on display, "Sonic 3" felt more like a kids cartoon compared to its predecessors, mainly due to its focus on its CGI protagonists and the Robotnik duo.  It still contained the usual pop culture jokes from the previous films, but it also had specific sequences that you'd usually see in a Nickelodeon sitcom, mainly from the Robotniks.  Most of these jokes may not appeal to everyone, including those tired of pop culture references appearing in kids movies every few seconds, mainly because of how they conflict with its darker elements.  However, there were plenty that gave me some good chuckles, including Knuckles, even if some of those looney moments were a bit drawn out.  There's also the matter of its pacing, which was surprisingly as fast as the blue blur himself, mainly in the first half.  One minute, Shadow escapes and battles Sonic in Tokyo, and the next, Tails gets mistaken for Detective Pikachu.  While it was ten minutes shorter than the second film, it also made the structure feel a bit half-baked with its characters and narrative flow.  The second half did improve its pacing a bit, but its intention to keep up with the blue hedgehog made itself trip over a few narrative hurdles in the process.

With more focus on Sonic and his comrades, "Sonic 3" allowed the voice cast an opportunity to carry the entire film through their performances and chemistry, like the second film.  Unsurprisingly, they all did great in reflecting and humanizing the personalities of this colorful bunch.  Ben Schwartz continues to be an excellent choice in bringing Sonic to life in cinematic form, as his performance successfully conveyed the character's charisma, attitude, and even heart.  Colleen O'Shaughnessey was also decent as Tails, and Idris Elba delivered the usual laughs as he did in the previous installments as Knuckles.  Keanu Reeves channeled his inner John Wick to portray the film version of Shadow, and the result was unsurprisingly impressive.  After watching the "John Wick" films, I did not doubt that Reeves' voice would do this character justice like many others who did, like Jason Griffith and Kirk Thornton.  Reeves' menacing approach and voice in "John Wick" have a similar appeal to how Shadow appeared in this film, and much like Elba and Knuckles, these two were a match made in heaven in the Sonic cinematic universe.  Of course, amid Shadow's anger and rage, Reeves also delivered a good amount of empathy for the character during his sentimental moments.  Regardless of the quality, it's easy to admit that Keanu Reeves was one of the best parts of the film.

As for the human characters, they don't appear as much as the CGI characters, except for the Robotniks, which may disappoint those who don't mind them in the previous films.  But when they do, the live-action cast made a serviceable effort to make their presence known.  Jim Carrey pulls double duty as the two Robotniks, Ivo and his grandfather Gerald, in addition to receiving top billing in the credits.  If you love Carrey in his other films, including the "Sonic" films, there's no doubt you'll feel the same way about his performance as Sonic's arch-enemy.  He's just as interactive and charismatic as I expected from the comedian and his role as Gerald added another level of absurdity to his physical comedy.  Again, a couple of jokes involving them were a bit drawn out, but Carrey's presence onscreen never failed to brighten a film's appeal.  James Marsden and Tika Sumpter were both suitable as Tom and Maddie, who didn't do much until the second half.  Finally, we have Alyla Browne, best known for playing the young Furiosa in "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga".  Her performance as Maria Robotnik, Gerald's granddaughter, made the young actress a delightful addition to the cast regarding the scenes involving her and Shadow.

Overall, "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" races past most of its sequel shortcomings to deliver another round of visual grandeur and family-friendly fun.  Like its predecessors, the film succeeded in retaining its faithfulness to the source material while forging its own cinematic path, especially Shadow's tragic arc, catering to both fans and casual audiences alike.  However, it's not without the issues that kept it from catching up to the previous films, including its pacing, familiar themes, and hit-and-miss tone.  Fortunately, the heart and care of the Sonic franchise still persist in the threequel, largely due to the entertaining cast, Fowler's direction, and a diverting yet flawed story.  Fans of the Sonic franchise and Shadow himself will undoubtedly fall in love with this latest adventure this holiday season. However, if you don't like the previous two films, this one may not change your mind about a blue hedgehog moving around at the speed of sound.

B-