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Rating
Synopsis
Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is partying with Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Knuckles (Idris Elba), Tom (James Marsden), and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). Suddenly, G.U.N. Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) drops by requesting Team Sonic’s aid in dealing with a disturbance in Tokyo. Upon arrival, they meet the source of the chaos: a black hedgehog named Shadow (Keanu Reeves), who easily overpowers them. Later, the three meet with Commander Walters (Tom Butler), who explains that Shadow was part of a failed government project. Unfortunately, drones mortally wound him, but not before entrusting Sonic with a keycard, though G.U.N. falsely thinks Sonic killed Walters. With few options left, Sonic agrees to work with Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to stop Shadow. Soon, they discover that Shadow is working with Ivo’s long-lost grandfather, Gerald (Jim Carrey), who recruits Ivo to his side. Will Team Sonic stop the Robotnik’s ultimate plan, or will their fractured friendship spell doom?
Review
In a series of surprisingly decent movies, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the best one by far. Like the other films, this one strikes a good balance of action, comedy, and drama without feeling tonally inconsistent. Admittedly, some jokes don’t land, and most humor centers on slapstick, but there are some chuckle-worthy moments. Thankfully, there’s none of the over-the-top humor introduced in the second movie with Maddie’s sister. There are surprisingly more pun-filled jokes, especially from Sonic, though that’s in keeping with the character. There are also a few attempts at breaking the fourth wall jokes, but they don’t land as well as hoped. Still, the humor works, and the dramatic scenes feel earned rather than coming from nowhere and feeling forced. The filmmakers seem to have listened to the audience’s feedback and deliberately made changes to improve the movie.
Like the previous installments, everyone in the cast, including Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and Idris Elba, does a fantastic job. Jim Carrey does an excellent job playing both Ivo and Gerald Robotnik, providing plenty of humor and some complexity. However, the actual standout performance is by Keanu Reeves, who provides the voice of Shadow the Hedgehog. He brings a level of gravitas and seriousness that perfectly contrasts with Carrey’s wackiness and Sonic’s affable personality. You can tell that Reeves takes the role as seriously as any of the John Wick movies, and it’s appreciated. Marsden and Sumpter do a decent job, though their screen time is reduced to make way for Sonic and friends. Krysten Ritter also works as the stern Director Rockwell, and Lee Majdoub always delivers as Agent Stone. Alyla Browne is another standout as Maria, who brings out the humanity in Shadow, making his backstory more tragic.
Like in the past entries, the action is fast-paced and exciting, though it can be somewhat disorienting. It helps that cinematographer Brandon Trost does a great job of framing the action so you can see what’s happening. Jeff Fowler took advantage of the larger budget to create grandiose set pieces. Many sequences are straight out of the games, even using songs by Crush 40, like Live and Learn. Fans will appreciate all the game references, but they’re not so distracting that general audiences will get confused. At an hour and fifty minutes, the film goes appropriately quick, though some portions could’ve been excised here and there. Whether you liked the first two movies or disliked one over the other, this one will satisfy you. Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is one of those rare instances of the third installment being the strongest entry.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is currently in theaters.
