"Sonic The Hedgehog 3" Review": A Genre Buffet of Family Fun

With it’s third entry into the franchise, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 has it’s footing. It’s full camp. It’s a genre buffet that focuses more on its vignettes than answering plot hole questions. It just might be the most fun you’ll have in theaters with your family this holiday season!

Building on the events of Sonic The Hedgehog 2, the film finds the new Wachowski family with Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) trying to get away for some R&R with Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). After a hedgehog named Shadow (Keanu Reeves) is released from his suspended state after fifty years, that peace the family is attempting to get comes to an immediate end. Team Sonic is whisked to Tokyo to try and bring Shadow under control, if at all possible.

Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone and Jim Carrey as Ivo Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.

The big question is who released Shadow with what looks like Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) tech? It’s quickly revealed that Ivo has been enjoying telenovelas and getting the Thor post Infinity War treatment (big gut). Enter Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey), Ivo’s long lost grandfather. From there, it’s off to the races to stop a world ending machine and Jim Carrey having as much fun as he can on screen. 

Knuckles (Idris Elba), Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.

The film continues to build out the video game world, showcasing character’s skills and power ups. It also noticeably shifts in genre in its dialogue, cinematography and pacing throughout the film. The opening setup is full of action, it moves into a kid friendly horror moment, a musical dance number, comedy and drama. This could seem disjointed at first glance, but for anyone who played the game on Sega, we know that there were different levels with different styles of gameplay and music. It’s this not so subtle change in cinematic genres that confirm the film is self-aware. In fact, there is a joke about making a flash drive work after blowing on it much like we did with game cartridges.

Shadow (Keanu Reeves) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc. | © 2024 Par. Pics & SEGA

Jim Carrey said that he came out of retirement for this film because he needed to pay bills. Hopefully he keeps overspending so we’ll see him future films because he’s so much fun to watch as both Ivo and Gerald Robotnik. Each character is fully developed, but they bounce off of each other in comedic fashion as only Carrey can do. Where the first two films were about building family, Keanu Reeves’ Shadow has baggage to deal with in regards to the family he lost. So the franchise keeps revolving around family dynamics while adding more characters to this world. 

So make sure you stick around for the post credit scene. This is by no means an Academy Award winning children’s film. It’s fun, nostalgic for those who played the game or watch/ed the shows. It’s a good time at the movies for the family!

Rating: B-

Sonic The Hedgehog: Didn't Disappoint!

One of the most influential childhood characters makes his long awaited spin jump from our gaming consoles onto the big screen. I think it's safe to say that when we saw the first draft of the hero’s look last year, it made us feel like it’d be okay to skip this one; but the famous blue hedgehog sped through those concerns and didn't disappoint.

The movie is the origin story of Sonic (Ben Schwartz) living on earth.  The lonely hedgehog accidentally creates a power outage that ultimately brings unwanted attention. The government hires Dr. Robotnic (Jim Carrey) to investigate the cause of the catastrophe. Once he realizes that Sonic is the culprit, Robotnic plans to capture Sonic and use him as research for personal gains and world domination. As Sonic plans to get out of dodge, he finds himself in a dilemma which forces him to stay on earth to find his famed rings. While being chased by Dr. Robotnic, Sonic finds a friend in Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and they go on a quest to find his rings with multiple mishaps along the way. 

This movie brought me back to sitting in front of my Sega Genesis for hours and tuning into the cartoon as a kid.  If you’re a fan of Sonic, you will feel engaged and nostalgic. There are numerous easter eggs in this film, so keep your eyes peeled to find them. 

There are some instances in the movie that feel off in the edit and acting, but they find their way back to these scenes making sense. Director Jeff Fowler did a good job of bringing this film to fruition (especially with the Sonic updates) with his vision. The movie had some positive messages for the kid in all of us involving believing in yourself and the importance of friends. Jim Carrey is stand out as Dr. Robotnic. His character development gave us a flashback to the animated and over the top Carrey we grew to love in Ace Ventura and The Mask. The movie’s soundtrack is another nuance that tied the movie together well. Honestly, I thought the film could have done well as a PG13 and had more action but as a PG rating, it's up to par and has something for everyone to enjoy. It'll be money well spent if you take the kids and I think Sonic will be around for years to come.

P.S. Stick around through the credits.

Rating: B