Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) review

Dir. Jeff Fowler

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

The Sonic the Hedgehog film series turned out to be a rose sprouted from concrete. Each subsequent installment has been more fun and inventive than its predecessor. The original was a peculiar case of a film nailing the framework, but missing on the story. Having Sonic interact almost exclusively with human beings and be confined to the passenger seat of a truck felt like an uncanny valley fever dream stranger than the ill-fated Xbox 360 game.

With Sonic the Hedgehog 2 introducing us to Knuckles while letting Jim Carrey double-down on his manic interpretation of Dr. Robotnik, it felt like a sequel more dialed into what fans, particularly millennial ones, wanted after waiting so long for a faithful film adaptation. Now, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 brings to life one of the most complicated characters in the series in Shadow the Hedgehog.

Drawing directly from the narratives of Sonic Adventure 2 and the character’s eponymous GameCube title, this is a fittingly darker sequel that raises the stakes for its core trio and unleashes doubles for both Sonic and Robotnik.

Shadow the Hedgehog is voiced by Keanu Reeves, whose voice has the appropriate mix of gravel and bass to bring the character to life. In the opening minutes, Shadow emerges from a forced 50-year slumber on a prison island angry at a world who took away his loved ones. His dark black fur and red eyes are a perfect contrast to the bright blue, sweet-natured Sonic (Ben Schwartz). At one point, Sonic insults Shadow by calling him “Hot Topic.” Let this be your reminder of how self-aware this series can be.

Shadow has always been the Batman to Sonic’s Superman. Where Sonic wears his heart on his sleeve and always harbors good intentions, Shadow’s hard-knock origins gave him a sinister edge that effectively makes him an anti-hero.

When Shadow makes his presence known, Sonic and Dr. Robotnik (Carrey), also known as “Eggman,” it’s complicated, reluctantly team up to stop him. While Sonic has Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) to lean on, the perpetual loner Robotnik discovers Professor Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey), his grandfather. Seeing Carrey interact with an older version of himself — boasting an accent that sounds like an evil Homer Simpson if you listen closely enough — and straining to do the broadest, slapstickiest comedy is a real sight. It plays like a fantastical version of Dumb & Dumber. At one point, the elder Robotnik turns into a scorpion/Doc Ock amalgam while his grandson takes on the appearance of a steampunk praying mantis. “It’s as if we’re two characters in a movie being played by the same actor” is a real line both exclaim upon meeting one another. Let this be another reminder of… you get it.

You could probably count on one hand — maybe one finger — the number of actors who could’ve taken this level of idiocy and turned it into prolific and effective comedy. Thankfully, Carrey is a master of stupidity, and there’s reason to believe he improvised or contributed to his own loony dialog. As for James Marsden and Tika Sumpter? They’re present again.

Shadow’s backstory involves his friendship with a young girl (Alyla Browne, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), which developed in between a plethora of tests and experimentation while incarcerated. It’s told in morsels, but surprisingly effective and dark. This is a grim sequel, one I’d argue plays to the older fans of Sonic more than younger viewers. Despite the brightly colored streaks left behind by the speedy Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, this is a movie that features a lot of black and gray backdrops, deservedly so. It doesn’t feel oppressive. By the end, I felt like I understood Shadow and his bleak backstory, and that’s high praise given how flimsy stories in contemporary kids movies can be.

On that note, while watching Sonic the Hedgehog 3, it dawned on me that I felt more invested in the story and characters than any of the last… five or six Marvel films? I chalk a lot of this up to consistency. This is the third film in the series, and the third in which Jeff Fowler directs and the third to be penned by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. Consistency has been the key to the franchise’s success. Speaking of consistency, I’ve been hoping that Amy Rose gets her time to shine in one of these films sooner rather than later. A mid-credits scene in this threequel tells me my consistence, as well as patience, will soon be rewarded.

NOTE: The end credits of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 feature a song by the one-and-only Jelly Roll, who has effectively crossed over to the pop genre so well that his processed vocals accompanied by synthesizers are about as uncanny as Sonic riding shotgun. It’s not bad, in context of course. It’s a far-cry from Kid Cudi’s “Stars in the Sky” from the last movie, which sounded so smooth it could’ve seamlessly fit into a Sonic game of its own.

My review of Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
My review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Starring: Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, Natasha Rothwell, and Jorma Taccone. Voiced by: Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey. Directed by: Jeff Fowler.