Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance.

My Take – It sure is hard to believe that it has been four years since SEGA‘S much beloved blue colored manic hedgehog called Sonic arrived on the big screen, following an earlier controversy of the character’s creepy look which forced the production team back to the drawing board and redesign a more game-accurate version of the character, and race its way to become the most-successful video games adaption at the time of its release.

While its immediate 2022 sequel, upped the ante, both narrative and box office wise, for the third installment, somehow returning director Jeff Fowler and his team of writers, Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington, have managed to make this franchise even bigger.

Right out of the gate, the film pulls us into a kaleidoscope of vibrant animation, pulse-pounding action, and plenty of boom. It also helps that the character development hit harder, the humor is much better and thankfully, contains more Jim Carrey. One of the biggest hook of this latest sequel is that it casts the actor in a dual role, allowing him to play both a returning Robotnik and his distant, estranged relative.

Yes, it still falls into the occasional trap of talking down to the all-ages audience with some frankly groan-worthy segments, but more than ever, the third film earns the right to delve into the video game excess that made these characters so beloved in the first place. It really is the best film of the trilogy by far, yet I’m still confident the next film could be even better if they keep this momentum up.

Set sometime after the events of the last film, the story once again follows Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz), who along with his makeshift family consisting of Miles “Tails” Prower (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba), Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter), is having a good time celebrating the anniversary of his arrival on Earth.

That is until, Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter), a high-ranking officer of the military organization Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) arrives and requests the three anthropomorphic individuals to head to Tokyo and stop Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves), a mysterious hedgehog who has been wreaking havoc.

But even together, they are no match for Shadow, who has plenty of power and plenty of pain from a death in his past. With little options left, they go to their sworn enemy, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for assistance and intel. But that unlikely alliance is cut short when Robotnik is reunited with his grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who, along with Shadow, has his own plans for vengeance against humanity.

Right from the opening scene, we know director Fowler is aiming for bigger things. We then see the Blue Blur and his friends go around the world and beyond it, from Green Hills, Montana, to Tokyo and London and even into space. By now it is pretty clear that these films are silly family fare, posing a challenge since Shadow’s tragic background requires a mature mindset.

Thankfully, series screenwriters Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington don’t sacrifice any thematic material from the source, keeping the right balance between dark sentimentality and the familiar silliness of the film predecessors.

They also seem very inspired by a template set by the ‘Fast and the Furious‘ franchise, each new installment, beyond the emphasis on speed and bigger action set pieces, the focus is on the importance of family, with even Ivo finally gets one of his own with the introduction of his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, who is also evil, with an even more nefarious plan than his grandson.

Right from the first film, behind all the speedy, high-octane action sequences, the underlining theme of the series has always been loss, grief, and familial love. Here, the film explores Sonic juxtaposing Shadow outside their similar appearance by challenging a flipped scenario in which he wasn’t adopted by Tom and Maddie. It bears an intriguing arc for Sonic that leads to some emotionally resonant sequences.

The film also hits hard with scenes involving Shadow and his best friend Maria (Alyla Browne). Sure, the narrative flow could have been better, but the film’s greatest strength lies in its prioritizing of its nonhuman characters, rather than sidelining them in service of the less-interesting humans.

Of course, the animation of the characters continue to be impressive, but with Shadow, director Fowler and his VFX team demonstrate their full potential, showcasing him as an unstoppable and formidable threat in well-constructed action sequences.

That being said, Keanu Reeves is brilliant casting. He absolutely steals the show as Shadow, as he portrays the ruthlessness and immense emotional pain of his character incredibly well. Jim Carrey remains the best part of the franchise, with his wild faces and manic line delivery. Pulling double duty this time around, it is so much fun watching him play both characters and you can feel his energy in this role and how much he loves playing it.

Ben Schwartz once again voice the eponymous speedster smoothly and shares excellent chemistry with Idris Elba and Colleen O’Shaughnessey. The three keeps the narrative moving at a breakneck pace, balancing comedy, action, and drama with ease. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are decent enough for the limited screen time they appear for.

Shemar Moore, Adam Pally and Natasha Rothwell, appear only in cameos this time around. Surprising, considering the latter two who were the highlights of the earlier films.

New addition Krysten Ritter mostly exists as a temporary obstacle for everyone before being quickly shuffled off the board. Lee Majdoub also gives an earnest performance reprising his role as Agent Stone dealing with his toxic relationship with the Egghead. On the whole, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘ is an electrifying installment that manages to be a high-speed thrill ride from start to finish.