Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the third instalment in the film franchise and continues the adventures of Sonic and his friends as they face off against a new threat, Shadow the Hedgehog!
In the opening scenes, we see Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and his found family having fun together. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles have a race through the forest, complete with great action shots and a nostalgic spinning signpost as a nod to the original Sega Mega Drive games when Sonic reaches the goal. Just as the crew are sitting down to eat, their party is interrupted by the military group G.U.N requesting help.
Shadow (Keanu Reeves) is a mysterious and powerful black hedgehog that is causing chaos in the city of Tokyo. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails quickly realise they have been outmatched by Shadow’s strength and strange ability called Chaos Control, which allows him to teleport. Sonic stubbornly gives chase, leading us into a pretty awesome scene with Shadow sporting a gun and a cool motorbike, much like in his solo video game.
There’s a scene in a café called Chao Garden where Sonic, Knuckles and Tails are attacked and run away, wearing Chao costume heads, which gave me one of the many laughs throughout this movie. As someone who has spent countless hours playing the Chao Garden mini game from Sonic Adventure 2, I absolutely loved this reference to the Sega Dreamcast game!
The colours, animation and detail in each of the characters is fantastic. Fitting such unique characters from a game into a live action setting is no easy feat, and they’ve really found a great balance between keeping their cute designs but adding texture and depth. Even the sound effects in action scenes sound like the games and there are familiar little musical jingles as well to keep the connection to these characters’ game origins.
We also finally get the reintroduction of Robotnik (Jim Carrey) later in the film and I love how throughout the franchise, he has gradually evolved into a more game accurate representation of his character. The belly is getting rounder, his moustache wilder and his red endgame costume have really hit the nail on the head for his visual design. Jim Carrey’s performance too is hilarious and there’s never a dull moment whenever he’s on screen.
Throughout Sonic the Hedgehog 3, we are presented with thematic ideas of Sonic and Shadow being ‘yin and yang’ in the way they’ve dealt with the pain of loss. Sonic’s painful memories drive him to help others, while Shadow is blinded by his pain, turning to anger and lashing out at everyone. As they both fight and throw their feelings at each other, they start to realise that they’re not so different.
You’ll have to wait and see for yourself how the finale plays out, perhaps you could say you need to “Live and learn”. Don’t forget to wait all the way through the end of credits for some surprises!
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is exciting, funny and full of fanservice for Sonic fans and gamers. It has shown that you can adapt the lore from a game into a movie to please both new and old fans. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie as it respectfully paid tribute to the Sonic games while weaving the stories into a new universe for the films. Sonic the Hedgehog is a character that is near and dear to my heart, firmly a piece of my childhood nostalgia as I grew up passionately playing the original Sega Mega Drive games. Much like many other fans, I’ve continued to follow the series into adulthood, collecting games, merchandise and watching new media.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a welcome addition to the franchise and a recommended watch for any fan of the speedy hedgehog that want to spark that childhood joy.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be in cinemas from Boxing Day, December 26.