Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Cinemark Buckland Hills 18 XD and IMAX
Manchester
Dec. 23, 2024
This review contains spoilers
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had great expectations to live up to given the bar the previous two movies set. Not only does it clear that bar — it sets a new standard for family movies.
One of the most successful aspects of the film series is how it manages to continually introduce new characters without making the movies feel crowded. Naturally there are some sacrifices; many of the human characters have far less screen time than they do in the previous movies, but they are used to great effect when they show up.
Tom and Maddie (James Marsden and Tika Sumpter) are great in their limited appearances. Her sister Rachel and husband Randall (Natasha Rothwell and Shemar Moore) are reduced to cameos; their scene is one of the highlights of the film.
Still, this movie is about our anthropomorphic animal friends, and they fire on all cylinders. Ben Schwartz is great as Sonic, Colleen O’Shaughnessey brings playful youth to Tails, and Idris Elba’s Knuckles is as earnest and deadpan as always, wearing the role of a hero well. Of course, everyone is here for Keanu Reeve’s Shadow. Reeves and the script keep Shadow’s dialogue short and sharp, yet the sorrow and rage that Shadow feels is palpable in every scene. The voice actors may get all the credit, but the real heroes are the animators who help convey all the emotion of these characters with their expressions and actions.
Except in one case. Despite the film being named after the Blue Blur, Jim Carrey’s Dr. Ivo Robotnik/Eggman is what carries the franchise. I don’t mean to suggest that the rest of the production is weak and Carrey saves it. Quite the opposite in fact; even without Eggman the movie would succeed, but Carrey is putting in one of the great acting performances of the 21st century. It’ll never be recognized as such because he’s doing it in a kids’ movie based on a video game, but anyone who cares about film can see Carrey’s triumph is in the Sonic franchise.
And then he doubles it up by playing his own grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. It would have been easy to simply play an older version of Ivo, but Carrey infuses Gerald with his own personality, quirks and pathos. The relationship between Ivo and Gerald is genuinely heartwarming, although it comes at the expense of Ivo’s relationship with his lackey, Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub, also doing great with less screen time).
There’s a lot to love about Sonic 3: amazing visuals, laugh-out-loud dialogue and gags, and a plot that keeps viewers on the edge of the seat. (Wwe’re into the first fight scene within the first 15 minutes.) But the aspect I enjoyed the most was the theme about the need for connection and love. The film reinforces that theme from as many different angles as possible. Coherence and clarity in thematic messaging is pretty rare; I think it’s what sets the Sonic franchise apart.
Cynics chalk up the franchise’s success to children and Sonic fans, but the fact is that these are great movies made by people who care about both honoring the source material and telling a good story. I hope that it makes people realize how much work and effort went into the games themselves. Sonic Adventure 2 (which this film is largely based on) was released over 20 years ago, so the story has been out there for a long time. Now a new generation of fans can experience it, and maybe even go and play the game.
Sonic 3 is a great movie, and it somehow manages to exceed the expectations that Sonic 1 & 2 have set. They’ve already announced Sonic 4, and you better believe I’m ready to go.
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Jamil’s taking a few days off to celebrate the holidays. See you soon!
