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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
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Directed By: Jeff Fowler
Written By: Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington; Based on the Sega video games and characters
Runtime: 110 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated PG for action, some violence, rude humor, thematic elements and mild language.
Ben Schwartz – Sonic the Hedgehog
Jim Carrey – Dr. Ivo Robotnik/Dr. Gerald Robotnik
Idris Elba – Knuckles
Colleen O’Shaughnessey – Tails
Lee Majdoub – Agent Stone
James Marsden – Tom Wachowski
Tika Sumpter – Maddie Wachowski
Krysten Ritter – Director Rockwell
Alyla Browne – Maria Robotnik
Tom Butler – Commander Walters
James Wolk – Young Captain Walters
Adam Pally – Wade Whipple
The iconic Blue Blur, Sonic the Hedgehog (Schwartz), makes his big-screen return in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Following the incredible mid-credits tease from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the latest franchise installment culminates with Team Sonic’s long-awaited confrontation with the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow the Hedgehog (Reeves). Despite its flaws, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 bucks the trend of bad video game film adaptations. Additionally, the sequel pulls off a rare cinematic feat for a film franchise where each installment surpasses its predecessor.
Since the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, life has settled into normalcy. Sonic, Knuckles (Elba), and Tails (O’Shaughnessey) still live in peaceful tranquility with their human caretakers, Tom (Marsden) and Maddie (Sumpter). Unfortunately, a deadly new threat is unleashed from a secret Tokyo Bay prison facility for the Guardian Unit of Nations (G.U.N.). An alien hedgehog, Shadow, who has been imprisoned on Earth for the last fifty years, makes a dreaded escape. Bent on revenge against his captors, Shadow teems with an unstable power called Chaos Energy. Soon, Shadow allies with a mysterious benefactor, and their combined powers threaten all life on Earth. Once again, it’s time for Team Sonic to save the day.
Shadow presents such a formidable threat to the world that Team Sonic forms an uneasy alliance with its worst enemy, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Carrey), who has been living in gluttonous squalor since his defeat in the previous movie. However, Dr. Ivo Robotnik has a mysterious connection to the Shadow project, which poses certain peril to humanity. Unfortunately, Sonic will be forced to confront some dark truths and his potentially darker nature by facing Shadow, whose tragic past puts him on a path of unquenchable vengeance.
Fowler’s direction and the screenplay Sonic the Hedgehog 3 showcase actual care and love for the source material. Fowler takes great pains to adapt and depict the iconic video game characters properly, and he nails the fan-favorite character of Shadow. While Shadow exists as a darker version of Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 takes the necessary time to provide his anguished backstory, showing his kindly friendship with the human girl, Maria Robotnik (Browne). While not all of the events that put Shadow on his path of vengeance are through his fault alone, writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington provide a strong message that it’s never too late to make the right moral choice, which is a crucial message for a youth-oriented franchise.
Although Sonic the Hedgehog 3 exceptionally honors and adapts its iconic video game-based characters, the human characters still represent the film’s weakest attributes. The Robotniks are acceptable in this instance. They are wildly zany and outlandish characters, and Carrey commits one hundred percent to portraying them as larger-than-life animated characters depicted in live-action. Even at sixty-two years old, Carrey has not lost his comedic timing, providing the film’s best laughs and moments while portraying double-duty as Dr. Ivo Robotnik and Ivo’s grandfather, Gerald. The plot even gifts Carrey’s Robotnik with an interesting character arc, as the filmmakers allow the character to grow and develop beyond his previous megalomaniacal tendencies.
That said, the other human characters are relatively boring and flat. The amazingly underrated Krysten Ritter appears in a rather thankless role as G.U.N. commanding officer Rockwell. The plot implies that the more militant, conniving Rockwell wants to gain control of Dr. Robotnik’s secret super-weapon and usurp command of G.U.N. from the more agreeable and pragmatic Commander Walters (Butler). Unfortunately, in a film with an abundance of characters, both human and anthropomorphic, Rockwell’s character suffers the most.
To the film’s credit, the other human characters usually fade into the background when not dealing with Team Sonic or the Robotniks. The Wachowskis’ roles are kept relatively minimal. No offense to actor Adam Pally, but the less Wade Whipple, the better. The Knuckles series provided enough of that character to last a lifetime. At least Sonic the Hedgehog 3 understands its strengths lie in showcasing Shadow the Hedgehog acting brooding and cool while Team Sonic struggles to contend with Shadow’s unpredictable abilities. Fowler’s background working in video games and CGI cutscenes makes him well-suited to helm this feature, especially when Sonic and Shadow fully unleash the peaks of their abilities. Fowler exceptionally showcases Sonic and Shadow with visual pizzazz, and the final act provides an action-packed climax that comes across as a compelling, exciting, and suspenseful narrative.
In terms of music, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 probably features the best score yet for the franchise. The biggest drawback to the previous installments was the lack of exploiting the incredible soundtrack and BGM that’s supported the game series for decades. Tom Holkenborg incorporates some of the video game franchise’s classic song tracks throughout the film, specifically “Live and Learn” from Sonic Adventure 2. Sadly, “All Hail Shadow” is not included, but hopefully, the brain trust might see fit to use it in a future installment or spinoff. While “Escape From the City” is noticeably listed in the film’s credits, the song does not make a prevalent appearance or receive a notable re-creation during the soundtrack. Sonic 3 still uses an excessive amount of pop songs and needle drops throughout the experience, but some progress is better than none. A famous Michael Jackson song appears during the film, which is ironic considering the pop star’s previous contributions to iconic video game series and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have been effectively erased from the history books.
While Sonic the Hedgehog 3 builds to a stunning emotional crescendo, the movie ends on a note that leaves the audience gasping and excited for more. If a popular video game franchise gets adapted for the big screen, this is how it should look and feel. The film features two big scenes during the credits that moviegoers will not want to miss. Hardcore fans of the franchise will be roaring with delight at these sequences. The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has had its pros and cons, and if it can be this good, more entries like Sonic 3 would be welcome cinematic experiences. Sonic 3 is one of the rare sequels that fans and audiences “gotta go fast” to see while it’s still in theaters.
