"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-

"Replicas" Review: Best Sleep I've Had In The Theater in A While!

When a film opens cold (not screened to critics ahead of time) that’s never a good sign. It signifies that there was a point during the production of Replicas in which someone said, “this isn’t going to do well.” By that point, it was too late to go back or abandon ship, and the production pushed forward and was distributed to theaters. 

Will Foster (Keanu Reeves) is a scientist on the cusp of transferring human consciousness by mapping the brain of the recently dead and inserting it into a synthetic brain. If the science of what I just said doesn’t make sense, don’t worry, there’s more! After a recently failed attempted transfer, Will and his family decide to take off for the weekend. On the rainy streets of Puerto Rico they get in an accident in which Will is the sole survivor.

Will quickly calls Ed (Thomas Middleditch), his assistant of sorts, to come to the scene so that they can get his family’s consciousness in hopes of cloning them. From there we get a series of moral debates, more scientific jargon that doesn’t make sense, and a scene in which Will grieves more over picking a name out of a bowl than when his family initially died.

This film is not even half baked, it hasn’t even been in the oven. Our connection to the characters in this film is as weak as Will’s to his family. We barely see them interact before the accident, and therefore his push to replicate feels as lifeless as Reeves acting in this film. Middleditch is the bright spot of the film as he offers up the moral questions to the premise that just didn’t transfer well to the big screen. However, his character continues to be complicit in the “nefarious” behavior as even he notes.

The best part of this movie was the minute of sleep that I got during the third act. I woke up refreshed, ready to take on the rest of the snoozer, and push through. I wouldn’t even watch this when it comes out on Netflix if I were you.

Rating: F

"John Wick" Review

Growing up I always loved watching movies where the good guy unleashed rounds of ammo and hit every target while the bad guys aim was never true. “John Wick” is that film for this generation. While there are so many implausible moments, it’s a good ol’ fashion shoot ‘em up! 

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is an ex-hitman who has just buried his wife. An unexpected knock at the door brings a glimmer of hope from his dead wife in the form of a cute puppy. As Wick tries to move forward (the very next day) he has a random encounter with Iosef (Alfie Allen) the son of a Russian mob boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist). After refusing to sell his car to Iosef, Wick gets a visit from him and his crew. Poor Iosef decides to kill Wick’s puppy and steal his car during the home invasion. Bad move.

From then on, Wick is on a one man mission to kill Iosef. As he steps back into his old killing shoes we’re introduced to a world of hitmen and women who are all as principled as he is. Wick is a professional finisher dealing out a shot to the head to ensure his victim’s death after quick shots to the chest. Screenwriter Derek Kolstad does an excellent job infusing comedy throughout the film. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but instead relishes in the fact that Wick is “The Boogeyman” and everyone knows it. Each henchman is just a speed bump on the road to Iosef. 

The movie is an exercise in the deadly combination of atmosphere, pacing, and score. Keanu isn’t the greatest actor, but the script doesn’t call for him to say much...which is a positive. So every word spoken creates a tense atmosphere and a desire to see what’s going to happen next. Visually the color palette cinematographer Jonathan Sela uses adds to the atmosphere of “John Wick”. Whether it’s the color drenched club scenes, or desaturated scenes in Wick’s home life...color is another character. The pacing and score create the perfect mood for the entire film.

It’s no doubt that this film is Keanu’s vehicle back into being taken seriously as an action star. In the same ring as Denzel’s “The Equalizer”, this film proves that men of a certain age can dish out bullets and a box office hit. 

Rating: B-