Let’s get this out of the way – I was always going to like Sonic the Hedgehog 3. I’ve been a fan of the series for years, and when I heard that this movie would adapt elements of my favorite game in the series, Sonic Adventure 2, I was all in.
I just wanted to be upfront about that because while I am going to try to be rational and critical of the movie, there’s simply no denying that I loved almost every second I spent watching Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It has the largest scope of any entry in the series so far and goes all in on being big. Bigger action set pieces, more dramatic scenes, and more exaggerated humor. And at times, while I thought that it was pushing things a bit too far, I still found myself smiling like a sucker at least once in each scene.
The film begins after the events of the second movie, with Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles (Idris Elba) living together with James Marsden’s Tom in Green Hills, Montana. One day, they’re contacted by G.U.N., the paramilitary organization from earlier films, to stop a hedgehog named Shadow (Keanu Reeves), who G.U.N. imprisoned for 50 years and had just recently escaped. At first, Sonic and his friends think that Eggman (Jim Carrey) is responsible for Shadow’s escape, but after tracking him down, they eventually learn that it was Eggman’s grandfather Gerald (also played by Carrey), who released Shadow all to enact revenge on G.U.N. for the death of Gerald’s granddaughter and Shadow’s only friend, Maria Robotnik (Alyla Browne).
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a movie that rarely, if ever, wastes time. Within the first ten minutes, we’re introduced to Shadow as Sonic is sent to Japan to fight against him. Despite how quickly things move, the film never feels rushed since characters are still given time to breathe and have moments. Sonic is trying to learn how to work with others. Eggman is conflicted learning he has a long-lost grandfather. Shadow is given time to explore his desire for vengeance in a world that took everything from him. Sure, some of the side characters don’t have as much to do, but when they’re on screen, everything clicks.
It helps that as the third movie in the series, we don’t need to spend time establishing its cast. Shadow is the lone exception, but given how the plot almost entirely revolves around him, it’s justified. Even then, if you were to watch Sonic the Hedgehog 3 without having seen any other film in the series, it’s not impossible to follow. The plot is still pretty straightforward, and it’s easy to grasp the character relationships and dynamics. The series now seems less and less interested in actually focusing on its human characters (which is a blessing after the Adam Pally stuffed Knuckles show), but when the alternative is giving viewers more action set-pieces, it seems like a fair trade-off.
This action in the film is also pretty worthwhile. Not a scene goes by without some action, whether it’s fighting Shadow in Tokyo, evading Eggman’s drones, or the climax where Jeff Fowler shot it like there wouldn’t be a Sonic the Hedgehog 4, meaning he did everything in his power to make the climax as epic as possible. Granted, the actual animation showing off these fights isn’t anything mindblowing, but it gets the job done and knows when to ratchet up the stakes to make everything seem more important.
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But bigger isn’t necessarily better, and while I loved virtually everything about the movie, I do have one major criticism, and it’s sadly Jim Carrey. Make no mistake, I love his take on Dr. Eggman, and I also think casting him as Gerald Robotnik was a brilliant move, but the problem with having too much of a good thing is that it can become tiring. What made Carrey work as Robotnik was his manic personality bounced off well with the lackadaisical Sonic, leading to some good moments. But while Eggman and Gerald at first seem like two completely different characters, eventually they start to blur together into this mass of indistinguishable Carrey-isms. When Eggman and Gerald start doing the same goofy schtick, that’s when the movie loses me, and it sucks that this gets worse the longer the film goes.
I think what makes those over-the-top goofy moments stand out so much is how dramatic the rest of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is. This is still a Sonic movie, so it’s never too dark, but there are genuine moments where you can feel certain emotional weights hit. Shadow constantly says throughout the film that Sonic doesn’t understand his desire for vengeance, and the film does a pretty bang-up job at making us understand his viewpoint and dragging Sonic down to his level. It all still results in a happy ending, but the route to get there wasn’t all just quips and the power of friendship.
As family-friendly movies go, while Sonic the Hedgehog 3 toes the line slightly, it’s still fun for all ages. Silly jokes will be made, Jim Carrey will be Jim Carrey and the tone never gets too dark. This is, after all, still a movie for younger audiences. Sure, I can geek out over the fact that they included the Chao Garden, kept several of the major moments from Sonic Adventure 2 intact, and gave me some delicious measures of “Live & Learn,” but not everyone will understand those references. I will, but I’m not the target demographic. Yet I can still enjoy the movie as a movie and not just because it’s the closest we’re ever going to get to a live-action Sonic Adventure 2.
But while I’ve spent this entire review being a somewhat sophisticated adult, or at least as sophisticated as an adult can be talking about Sonic the Hedgehog, I wanted nothing more than to say all of the cool things in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 that made me smile. I heard children around me squeal, and I couldn’t help but think how little Jesse would have eaten all of this up. It’s undeniably the best film in the series so far, and while it may have had some growing pains adjusting to the sheer size and scale that Fowler envisioned for it, it still manages to deliver an experience that made my inner child happy. I won’t say that this is anywhere near the best movie of 2024, but it was the one movie this year that made me feel like a 6-year-old kid again.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in theaters now.
Published: Dec 20, 2024 07:48 am