Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

By John Corrado

The third film in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, adapted from the SEGA video games, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finds director Jeff Fowler delivering another hybrid of live action and animation that feels very consistent with the first two. In other words, it’s fun.

Sure, these aren’t cinematic masterpieces by any stretch. But the three movies are all pretty even in terms of quality, and there is a consistency to them in terms of the action, humour, and cartoon antics. And the fact that all three of them have been released in the past four years since 2020, are all from the same director, and are all pretty good, is actually impressive.

This action-packed third instalment continues the slight upward trajectory of the series. It finds Sonic (Ben Schwartz) facing a new rival when Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves) escapes the Tokyo lab where he has been held for decades. Back on Team Sonic are Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and Tails the Fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), who are now reluctantly teaming up with the Eggman himself, their arch-nemesis Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), to track down Shadow.

James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are back as Sonic’s human guardians Tom and Maddie, but have a diminished role compared to the first two films. The focus is more on the CGI creatures and Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik, who is joined here by his long-lost grandfather Gerald Robotnik, played by Carrey in old age makeup. This dual role means double the rubber-faced comic antics, with Carrey doing his schtick from the first two movies, and mixing it up a little with the older variation.

The actor has joked that he did this third movie for the money, but we can also tell that Carrey is having a ball. It’s a nice reminder of why the comic actor was one of the biggest stars of the 1990s and 2000s, and this is probably as good as we have gotten in terms of a modern showcase for his inspired physical humour, as well as delivering something akin to Robotnik’s version of an emotional arc.

Reeves is a good addition to the cast as Shadow, who is essentially styled as an animated counterpart to his iconic John Wick; the film even includes a John Wick-inspired motorcycle chase through the streets of Tokyo. Fowler does a decent job of staging these CG-heavy set-pieces, while also pausing long enough for a few character beats, with Shadow being given somewhat of a heartfelt backstory that is woven in throughout the film.

If the film drags slightly in the midsection, it picks up in the action-driven last act. Like the first two, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 delivers a near-constant stream of jokes and colourful action that will entertain the target demo of older kids and fans who are watching it for the video game lore. By that same stretch, how much you respond to the film will likely correlate to how beholden you are to this franchise (my knowledge of the games is admittedly casual at best, though I still enjoyed it).

This is a for-the-fans sort of film, and judging by the responses at the promo screening the other night, they are going to love it, with several jokes, references, and character appearances getting loud cheers from the audience. In short, it’s fun, and will be a massive hit with families over the holidays.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)