Sonic the Hedgehog 3

 Merry After Christmas!

To celebrate, let’s check up on the world’s fastest hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 promises two hedgehogs going fast, with the blue blur (Ben Schwartz) fighting longtime fan-favorite anti-hero Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves). I’m sure you want to know why.

In the last movie, Shadow was discovered in stasis at the literal Prison Island. This movie opens with Shadow waking up and breaking out. He causes trouble in Tokyo, so GUN recruits Sonic and his funny animal friends, Tails & Knuckles (Coleen O’Shaughnessy & Idris Elba), to stop him. This new hedgehog proves too much for our heroes, so they seek help from a villain, namely a somehow still alive Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

That alliance ends when Ivo meets his grandpa, Gerald (also Carrey), who happens to be Shadow’s old friend. Gerald and Shadow seek to use the Eclipse Cannon, a doomsday weapon, for their master plan. They need a few keycards to boot it up, and it’s up to Team Sonic to stop them. That’s pretty much it.

The film has too much fun with Carrey’s double-act. The Robotniks’ first scene together even points out that it’s a double act; it’s made funny by their synchronized aside glance. There’s plenty of fun as the Robotniks have a synchronized dance scene in a laser room (long story) and eventually brawl inside the Eclipse Cannon. The visual effects team that helped this double act happen should be commended, as should the makeup team.

But it’s not all fun and games. In his backstory, Shadow was friends with Gerald’s granddaughter, Maria (Alyla Browne), who died decades ago. Naturally, Shadow and Gerald’s master plan is to seek revenge for her death. Gerald’s angry villain speech is perfectly unnerving after all of his antics with Ivo. Meanwhile, Shadow acts like there’s nothing funny about him, even as he spouts some incredibly silly dialogue. But he’s pretty scary when he’s unambiguously serious. On the bright side, he has some enjoyable flashbacks with Maria, while his change of heart is decently moving. 

But what about Team Sonic? Well, once again, Sonic is still the same fun guy after all these movies. Still, we feel it when he drops the jokes after his adopted human Tom (James Marsden) is accidentally injured by Shadow. He even nearly comes to blows with Knuckles when he decides to grab the last film’s Master Emerald. Tails is still a delightful sidekick, while Knuckles’s own brand of comic seriousness is still hilarious. What more do I have to say?

Well, once again, the visual effects for Sonic and his pals are pretty good. The speed effects are still great, as are the Robotniks’ machines; special mention goes to a device the Robotniks’ use to blend with nearby paintings. The location shooting in Tokyo is splendid, while Tom Holkenborg once again gives us an entertaining score. As for the supporting characters, Lee Majdoub (as Agent Stone) and Tom Butler (as Maj. Walters) were the highlights. GUN Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) is supposed to be another antagonist, but her character is a bit lackluster. Adam Pally, as Tom’s Deputy Wade, made more of an impression in his one scene than Rockwell in more. I think I’ve said enough.

The only real things wrong with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are a few minor quibbles (like, how did Ivo survive the last film? I don’t think it explains that). Otherwise, it’s still an entertaining movie, and not even its mood whiplashes are enough to detract from it. I’m actually intrigued for the next film, which promises two new characters in its dynamic mid-credit scene. It’s supposed to come out in 2027, and it can’t come fast enough.

Next up, something that’s not for kids.