Sonic the Hedgehog 3 once again offers fans of the video game series and the first two movies pretty much more of the same, but it has some new ingredients that make the story and humor mostly work instead of becoming repetitive.
This one is definitely the best of the three. It has the best action sequences, the funniest humor, and more than enough screen time to generate some surprisingly solid work from both the live-action cast and the CGI characters.
Of course, the three main heroes are back with Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O’Shaughnessy as Tails, and Idris Elba as Knuckles, who has a habit of taking things too literally. They’re needed again when a rogue hedgehog by the name of Shadow escapes and is on a mission of vengeance.
Shadow is voiced by Keanu Reeves, and overall, he makes the character an imposing threat to the heroes. His backstory is given depth. Shadow was held prisoner by a government program, and while he was under their control, he met a young girl named Maria, and they became friends. However, when outside forces try to kidnap them, Maria is accidentally killed, which provides Shadow’s motivation.
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles try to combat the threat, but their best efforts don’t work, and soon they have no choice but to enlist the help of Jim Carrey’s Ivo Robotnik, who’s now a flabby, disheveled failure. The trio band together with Robotnik to stop Shadow, but little do they all know that an unexpected individual is waiting in the wings.
That individual is Gerald Robotnik (also played by Carrey), Ivo’s grandfather. Carrey really has a ton of fun with the dual roles, and he allows his spontaneous energy to bust loose with both characters. He unloads an arsenal of his comedic tricks ranging from physical shtick to fourth-wall breaking and a lot of it works.
Gerald tries to convince Ivo to join his side by unleashing a deadly machine known as the Eclipse Cannon on humanity.
There are many funny moments in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 that do a fine job of balancing the emotional moments. There’s also a nice message for kids about the importance of family, teamwork, and sacrifice. Sonic’s relationship with his human family, Tom and Maddie Wachowski (James Marsden and Tika Sumpter), provides some effective scenes without being too mawkish.
The special effects sequences are thrilling and heavy on CGI, but there’s also some believability in that we interact with the characters and know where they are and what they’re doing instead of a lot of superfluous chases and explosions. The climax is the only part of the film that inevitably slows down, but before that, the action zips along nicely. Plus, unlike Mufasa, the CGI characters are crisp and convincing.
Carrey returns to form in his role. Reeves is a welcome addition to the franchise and could even get his own possible spinoff. They help elevate the material above the standard trappings.
I’m not sure how much more Sonic can offer in terms of continuing the series, but if there’s a Sonic the Hedgehog 4, I wouldn’t mind. It’s got action, humor, heart, and plenty of visual delights to not say game over.
Grade: B+
(Rated PG for action, some violence, rude humor, thematic elements, and mild language.)
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