Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024, dir. Jeff Fowler)

by | Dec 21, 2024

Certificate: PG

Running Time: 110 mins

UK Distributor: Paramount

UK Release Date: 21 December 2024

WHO’S IN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3?

Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Krysten Ritter, Natasha Rothwell, Lee Majdoub, Tom Butler, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Alyla Browne, Sofia Pernas, Cristo Fernández, James Wolk, Jorma Taccone

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Jeff Fowler (director), Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington (writers), Toby Ascher, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara and Hitoshi Okuno (producers), Tom Holkenborg (composer), Brandon Trost (cinematographer), Al LeVine (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Sonic (Schwartz) and his friends encounter a powerful new foe…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3?

“Surprisingly not terrible” has been the most consistent way I’ve described the Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise. The first film, back in 2020, debuted amid negative buzz (mainly from that first trailer which forced a hasty redesign of the title character after significant backlash towards what is now known as “Ugly Sonic”), but turned out to be – yup – surprisingly not terrible. Then the second film, released a couple years later, threatened to undo the decent work of its predecessor with seemingly all the trimmings of a lame sequel, but once again defied expectations to be… well, you know the drill.

Now we have Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which like the others is directed by Jeff Fowler and is – say it with me – surprisingly not terrible. However, this third film in the series is also surprisingly quite good, for it offers plenty of fun for kids as well as plentiful and mature themes for older kids and even some adults, not to mention plenty of fan service for long-time followers of the video games, to give nearly everyone who watches it a fairly good time.

The film opens with the titular blue speedster (voiced once again by Ben Schwartz) and his similarly CGI friends Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) being called into action by the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) to subdue a powerful new enemy who’s just emerged from a 50-year slumber: Shadow (Keanu Reeves), who looks identical to Sonic aside from the black-and-red fur, and the burning desire for vengeance against G.U.N. for his tragic past. In order to take down Shadow, Sonic and his friends reluctantly turn to their former nemesis Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who along the way comes across his long-lost grandfather Professor Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey), who is not only Shadow’s handler but also has his own nefarious scheme to cause global mayhem.

While it offers much of what you’ve seen in the previous movies, from fast-paced action to giggle-inducing (and occasionally groan-worthy) comedy littered with endless pop-culture references, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 isn’t exactly more of the same. You can feel a different vibe throughout this movie, one that acknowledges the slightly darker tone surrounding its biggest new addition – more on him in a bit – while also knowing to still give younger audiences what they’re expecting when it comes to the adventurous antics of Sonic himself. As ever, I know little about the video games, and thus next to nothing about its lore, but there is a sense that director Fowler, who has grown a nice sense of confidence across all these films, and the writers all respect and admire this source material so much that they’re willing to honour it as best as they can, to where long-time fans can appreciate the care being given in this screen adaptation while newcomers can enjoy watching this story unfold within this particular continuity.

Key to this is the film’s interpretation of Shadow the Hedgehog, a character who has become such a revered favourite among fans that even those with little or no knowledge of the games know what his deal is, and here is given a dignified screen debut that shows why he is so beloved. His backstory, involving a young girl named Maria (played by young Furiosa Alyla Browne), is given enough time to develop and make the ultimate tragedy of it more effecting, while his fiercely vindictive nature – a polar opposite from Sonic’s more happy-go-lucky and quippy nature – makes him compelling and almost root-worthy. Keanu Reeves was a smart choice for his voiceover, for not only are the actor’s vocals as quietly intimidating as they are whenever he plays John Wick, but Reeves is a performer who has similarly gone through unspeakable tragedy in his life and knows, albeit not in quite the same fashion, what it is to lose a close one, an aspect he has undoubtedly brought to his effective performance as the character.

Elsewhere, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 contains some of the most purely fun action the film series has yet produced, with Fowler playing around with characters’ abilities during chases that keeps things visually exciting as well as inserting some creativity that sees some of the actors employing some unusual physicality throughout. None more so, though, than Jim Carrey who shines once again in two roles this time – a fact that both Robotniks acknowledge in a rather funny meta gag – and sees the gifted comedic performer employing double the amount of his reliable over-the-top persona to create plenty of memorable moments (including a dance through lasers that might sound corny, but is made pretty awesome thanks largely to the actor’s physicality, as well as the choice of song they’re dancing to).

By the end, you’ll be somewhat exhausted by the film’s sheer energy as it provides so much for young and old viewers to enjoy that the time goes by faster than in previous Sonic outings. There are still some gags that don’t land, and even one or two which are just awkward in their execution, but thanks to the utter speed at which the film is paced there’s not a whole lot of time for those lamer jokes to leave as big an impression as before. The same goes for the numerous and inescapable fan-service moments which are blatantly designed to get cheers from its hardcore fanbase, though unlike Mufasa: The Lion King there is at least a bit more of a reason for them showing up within this context.

Of all these surprisingly not terrible Sonic the Hedgehog movies, this is the most surprisingly not terrible one to date. In fact, it might actually be… good? Now that’s something I never thought would be said in the wake of Ugly Sonic all those years ago.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the strongest entry yet in a franchise of “surprisingly not terrible” entries, with plenty of fun action to keep viewers young and old entertained, as well as a strong sense of respect for the video games and their characters on which these films are based.

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