Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Review
From the moment people saw the mid-credits scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, fans knew what was coming. The next Sonic movie would be adapting Sonic Adventure 2, widely considered to be among the best Sonic games ever made, if not the best. With the way that the Sonic films had managed to defy the curse of video game movie adaptations, combined with the rumors of Keanu Reeves playing Shadow, expectations were sky-high. And while it doesn’t follow the game’s beat-for-beat, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 still manages to meet those expectations, and then some!
It’s time for Sonic’s biggest adventure yet. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters December 20th! pic.twitter.com/RNxKY6yq7t
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) August 27, 2024 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Live and learn! If you beg or if you borrow!
Sometime after the events of the previous film and the Knuckles miniseries, Shadow, the Ultimate Lifeform, escapes from imprisonment by G.U.N. As the edge lord alien carves a path of revenge across the globe, Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles are called in to stop him. When they prove no match for him, though, they’re forced to team up with a very much alive Dr. Eggman. But then, things take a turn when it’s revealed that Eggman’s grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, is alive (and sprightly for a super-centenarian) and pulling the strings behind Shadow’s quest for revenge.
And that is only the start of things.
They got Keanu Reeves as Shadow. THEY GOT KEANU REEVES AS SHADOW!!!
New look at Shadow in ‘SONIC 3’
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— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 13, 2024 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
While the game doesn’t always hold up to modern standards in terms of graphics, there’s no denying that Sonic Adventure 2 was a high point for the franchise. The 2000s anime Sonic X had already adapted the story for itself, but any attempts to bring it to the big screen would be held to high standards by the fandom. While the source material being a video game meant that creative liberties had to be taken, they do nothing to detract from the overall story. For example, while Shadow’s revealed to be an alien like Sonic in the film, it doesn’t change his backstory. He still has that tragic past where G.U.N. killed his only friend, Maria. And he’s still the bitter, angry, and vengeful edgelord that the fans know, love, and love to make fun of. Except this time, he’s voiced by Keanu Reeves.
For years now, fans who wanted to see a movie version of Shadow the Hedgehog said that Keanu Reeves was the best choice. Given his roles as characters like Neo and John Wick, it’s not hard to see why they wanted him so badly. While he’s been memed as this ultimate edgelord, Shadow is, at his core, a character whose origins were marked by tragedy. And while his lines feel a little stiff at times, Keanu brings all of that angst to bare as Sonic’s famous rival. If anything, the film does a good job of explaining why Shadow talks the way he does. When you see how happy he was with Maria as his friend, and how heartbroken her inevitable death was, you understand why he’s filled with so much anger. He’s one hundred percent done with the world that took his happiness away from him, and he spends most of the film wanting to punish it for the injustice he suffered.
What really makes Shadow work here, though, is that he becomes even more of a direct foil to Sonic than he is in the games. Both are aliens who came to Earth, both have extraordinary powers, and both suffered great loss early in their lives. The film is very direct in saying how Shadow is how Sonic could’ve turned out if he never found friends and family. In anime terms, they become Naruto and Sasuke. But it’s so entertaining that you can’t help but enjoy seeing them banter and battle!
Double Carrey Trouble!
The best part of all 3 Sonic The Hedgehog movies?
This guy pic.twitter.com/XbqE4qqwVN
— Rogue (@blazetherogue) December 22, 2024 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Speaking of banter, we have the other standout of the film, Jim Carrey as he plays double-duty as the Robotniks. Despite saying he planned to retire from acting on a high note after Sonic 2, he wound up coming back to play Eggman again. Apparently, director Jeff Fowler wanted him back so badly that he agreed to the actor’s previous jokes about wanting a “golden script given to him by angels.” So they delivered a copy of the script printed in 24-carat ink to his doorstep. That’s how serious they were about wanting him back, and it was the right call. Bringing Dr. Eggman to life has proven to be Jim Carrey’s best performance in years, and now he got to play not just Eggman, but also Gerald Robotnik. In the same scenes, no less!
New look at Gerald Robotnik, Shadow and Ivo Robotnik in ‘SONIC 3’
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It can be hard to play a role opposite of a character that has to be CGI’d into a film as they have to be added in later. However, Jim now had to play opposite of himself, and he did a phenomenal job of it while also making the Robotoniks feel like two distinct characters. While Eggman has always been unhinged, his repeated losses against Sonic have brought him to new lows. While he largely remains as evil as ever, Sonic 3 shows how he’s hit rock-bottom, living in hiding and eating junk food while watching telenovelas. When he meets his grandfather, someone who’s not only family, but on his intellectual level, he becomes gleeful at getting to enjoy the childhood he never had. It would honestly be heartwarming if the Robotniks weren’t villains.
As for Gerald Robotnik, having him appear alive in the film is, by far, the biggest deviation from the games. Some fans may not like that since it was his and Maria’s deaths that shaped the story, Jim does a good job of justifying him being alive, despite being more energetic than a 110-year old would normally be. It feels like Jim was channeling his precious experience as the Grinch into Gerald, as he’s even more manic than his grandson. But while Ivo is more blatant in how much he’s suffering, Gerald is a lot more subtle in how broken he is on the inside. The fact that Jim could play characters who are so similar, yet also different, at the same time is an impressive feat. If he were to retire for real after this, no one could blame him.
DROP EVERYTHING. GO WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!
Besides the executional acting from all members of the cast, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 contains plenty of callbacks and references to the franchise for fans to find. From reusing lines directly from the games and shows to even deeper cuts that only hardcore fans will get, the film is a pretty big love letter to the Sonic Franchise. It’s the best out of the Sonic movies so far, and if the people behind it decided they wanted to end things here, no one could blame them. It honestly makes it a little concerning knowing that a fourth film is already slated for 2027? How can Sega and Paramount top this? Even if the films end up going downhill from here on out, though, the first three films are still going to hold up as their own trilogy. This was easily one of the best films of 2024, and manages to blow the competition out of the water.
Does it have “Live and Learn,” though? Go see for yourself! No spoilers here!
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the only thing I’m looking forward too. pic.twitter.com/7SwqgYDDRr
— Audsauce (@Audjuice9989) December 11, 2024 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
