By: Cameron Tyo
December, 20th, 2024
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has finally dashed onto theater screens for the general audience filled with goofy antics, a character-driven plot, and lighting blur action, just like its two predecessors. Unlike the last two movies, which jammed many references to different Sonic games to build up the characters you already loved while introducing new ones, with the plot of each movie straying a bit from the source material, the third movie stays much more faithful to the plot of a specific sonic game. It is one beloved by many whose Sonic game was their first. That’s right, I’m talking about the Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure 2. I saw the movie at an early screening on Thursday, but as it is now officially out, what a great way to start its release with another review.
The film’s synopsis will sound mostly familiar to all who played the game. Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba), who are given the name “Team Sonic” by GUN, are greeted by Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter), who gives them a mission to stop a top-secret military project that has broken out of Prison Island and is causing destruction in Tokyo. This project being the ultimate lifeform Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves). This whole sequence alone doesn’t disappoint with its references and action-packed moments, causing fans excitement as it did me. It is filled with comedy but also suspense, and you learn a lot about Shadow from the gate. Without diving into spoilers, from this point forward, you learn about Shadow’s tragic backstory and his relation to GUN and learn more about Robotnik and his family, all of which tie into one another to create the story’s conflict.
The movie does a great job at blending the light-hearted elements of the series and the darker, more solemn ones together cohesively to tell and wrap up a plot that tells that of a ‘human’ story filled with loss and trauma and shows how people deal with their trauma. The idea of revenge and acceptance fueling the opposing sides from Sonic and Shadow expresses this idea beautifully. I also liked how little fluff there was in the movie compared to the other two movies. Sure, you had a couple every now and then, like events happening at a “Chao Garden,” a restaurant and nod to the garden in the game the movie is based on, but they were few and far between, and in most cases worked in advancing the plot.
The movie as a whole was one hour and 49 minutes, but because of how quick the scenes were and the fact that exposition was given out hastily, which could seem lazy to most people, even though I didn’t seem to mind, it didn’t feel as such. I really liked the whole climax of the movie. The fights and events that happened, while not exactly similar to the end of Sonic Adventure 2, were definitely a nod to it and filled with references. It was a heartwarming and intense climax, probably the most ever in any of the Sonic movies.
I thought the movie was visually stunning. There seemed to be more saturation to the colors of the surrounding environments throughout the film, which is important, especially considering that half of the main characters are colorful CGI animals. Ivo and Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub) are the only human characters shown consistently. Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) themselves aren’t in it as much as the other two, but when they are on screen, they at least serve a purpose compared to the other two movies in some instances.
Speaking of the characters themselves, the acting was great. As always, Carrey did a great job not only playing the ecstatic Ivo, as he has in the previous two movies but also playing the equally ecstatic grandfather. I also like how the actress who played Maria (Alyla Browne) portrayed her. It really helped create the emotional tension in the scenes she’s in, especially if you know what is to happen—having played the games. The voice acting was always equally phenomenal. Of course, you had Sonic, whose demeanor is always nonchalant, and for that, Schwartz gave him a voice sort of filled with arrogance that fit how he sounds in video games. Tails is voiced by O’Shaughnessey, like in the games, and voices him as more cautious and lightly spoken, while Elba voices Knuckles as cocky, almost militaristic. Someone who believes he is the leader of their group. They voice them as you’d expect. I thought Reeves did a great job voicing Shadow. His raspy and deep voice showed his reflecting and angered demeanor really well.
The voice actors voiced their respective characters well, giving them the personality expected from them throughout the course of the movie and in a way that fits nicely into the context of the movie.
I thought the movie’s cinematography was also great, and the setpieces used throughout were really cool. I especially like the design of the “building” seen and used frequently in the climax. I don’t want to reveal what it is, for spoilers’ sake.
Now, unfortunately, like the other two movies, I do feel like there were characters or events that were either integrated into the story too quickly or didn’t get much closure at the end. You’ll know what I’m talking about once you’ve seen the movie. But really, these are my only gripes with the movie.
Overall, the movie is a quick-paced journey filled with action, humor, and sadness. There were two times when I caught myself tearing up just a little bit, but there were times when I smirked and laughed a little. If you’re a fan of the Sonic games, you’ll adore this entry to the series. Even if you haven’t played the games and have just watched the other two movies, you’ll have enjoyment with this one.
With this, I give Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and 8.5/10 (Great)
For those interested, here’s a trailer of what to expect: