'Sonic The Hedgehog 3' Review

TV & Film

Jun 7

Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s been out on home video for a while, so there’s been plenty of time to let the movie settle. Does it live up to the hype and introduce the fan favorite Shadow the Hedgehog character into the SCU with justice? Let’s find out!

WARNING: There will be spoilers contained in this review

The story begins in 1974 when a meteorite carrying a being known as Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves) crash lands in Oklahoma. Once discovered, it is taken by the military to a Guardian Units of Nations research facility, where he is experimented on by Professor Gerald Robotnik (played by Jim Carey, who also plays Dr. Ivo Robotnik) under the supervision of Commander Walters (played by James Wolk in the 1974 flashbacks and Tom Butler in the present).

During this time, Shadow develops a close friendship with the professor's granddaughter, Maria (played by Alyla Browne). Maria and Shadow try to escape the facility to prevent him from being taken away. However, there is an explosion at the facility, and Maria is killed in the process. The facility is shut down, and Gerald is imprisoned while Shadow is placed in suspended animation in a facility on Prison Island, Japan, where he remains for 50 years.

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In the present day, Shadow is being monitored by two G.U.N. agents, when an unknown force hacks into their systems, and Shadow is set free. He instantly takes out everyone and escapes into the city of Tokyo. Meanwhile, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessy, Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba), and their adoptive parents Tom and Maddie Wachowski (played by James Marsden and Tika Sumpter respectively) are celebrating the anniversary of when Sonic came to Earth, but their celebrations are interrupted when G.U.N. Director Rockwell (played by Krysten Ritter) arrives and recruits “Team Sonic” to aid in apprehending Shadow. They arrive in Tokyo and confront Shadow, but they are quickly overpowered, and Shadow escapes, seeking answers and revenge.

The team groups at a “Chao Garden” (which is a Chao themed café), where they meet with Commander Walters, and he regails them with the tale of Shadow. During this explanation they are ambushed by Egg Drones. The drones are fought off by a masked motorcyclist, but Walters is fatally injured in the fight. As he takes his final breaths, he gives Sonic a keycard. They escape just as G.U.N. agents surround the café.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 — Image Source: CultureSlate

After they escape, they once again encounter the masked man, who reveals himself to be Agent Stone (played by Lee Majdoub), who denies any involvement in the attack. Stone then leads them into the mecha crab to meet with Doctor Ivo Robotnik, who had been presumed dead. Once they realize they are after the same person, Team Sonic and Team Robotnik form an uneasy truce.

This truce, however, comes to an end once Dr. Robotnik encounters his grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik (who is still alive at 110 years old). He joins his grandfather in his revenge plot using the superweapon that he gave to G.U.N.: the Eclipse Cannon. Now, Team Sonic (with the help of their parents Maddie and Tom Wachowski) must stop Team Robotnik from using this weapon to destroy G.U.N. headquarters in London.

Sonic The Hedgehod 3 — Image Source: CultureSlate

The plot takes the concepts of the 2001 Dreamcast title, Sonic Adventure 2, and uses them to create a globe-trotting adventure of its own rather than purely adapt the game's plot, and what this results in is a gripping adventure with themes of family, friendship, loss, and nature vs nurture. Sonic the Hedgehog 3's story beautifully keeps many of the key moments from the game and recontextualizes them within the film's universe. It does struggle at times with balancing a more comedic, kid-friendly tone with the more dark and serious and dark nature of both the source material and the themes the film explores, and though this is a highlight of the film, the relationship between Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his grandfather Professor Gerald Robotnik. Though most of their on-screen time is spent doing hilarious comedic hijinks, there are plenty of other times when they try to explore Ivo's estranged relationship with his grandfather.

Nonetheless, the writing itself is still pretty good with plenty of clever jokes, easter eggs, and touching character moments. One easter egg that felt slightly forced, however, was the famous “Talk about low-budget flights” line from the open cutscene of the Hero Story of Sonic Adventure 2. Though it ultimately worked, it did feel shoehorned in. However, one easter egg that fits absolutely perfectly was Shadow watching the telenovela, referencing the meme “Shadow loves Latinas.”

In regards to the more tender moments, this film brilliantly retells the tragic story of Shadow in a more focused way than Sonic Adventure 2 did, and the film uses this story as a parallel to the story of how Sonic came to Earth. Shadow is an example of what would happen if Sonic didn't find the love and kindness of the Wachowski family after his loss. It also explores similar themes with the relationship between Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather. In the end, both Shadow and Robotnik go through similar arcs, with Shadow realizing he is blinded by rage and revenge, and Robotnik coming to the realization that the only person to truly accept him is his lackey, Agent Stone and that his grandfather was just using him in his revenge plot, making his speech to Stone as he (spoiler) sacrifices himself even more poignant, especially with his last words being about Stone's lattes (“I love the way you make them”).

There are some oddities in the writing, however. Though it is clearly obvious that Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and the Wachowskis are meant to be a family, the film shies away from using familial terms, with Sonic still referring to Tom and Maddie by their names or nicknames rather than “mom and dad” (despite Sonic calling Tom “dad” at the end of the previous film) and using terms such as “teammates” or “best friends” rather than brothers to refer to Tails and Knuckles.

This becomes a slightly bigger issue when Tom is critically injured by Shadow, with Sonic calling Tom by his name instead of “dad,” which may have been a bigger gut punch (interestingly, certain foreign dubs of the film do have Sonic call Tom dad during that moment). Also, it is never explained how Robotnik survived the battle in the previous film nor is it explained how his grandfather is still alive at 110, though ultimately, those two points are minor in the grand scheme of things. Overall, though the writing may be clunky at times, it still presents the plot beautifully.

The acting is another huge highlight of the film. Let's begin with what is perhaps the standout performance of the entire film: the chemistry between Jim Carey and himself. Though both Robotniks are played by Carey, he does a good job of making both characters distinct enough to have some comedic and powerful moments between them. However, though the two Robotniks stole the show, it was the good doctor's “final livestream” that rounds Ivo out and makes him a dynamic character, and Carey does an excellent job of showing the more “human” side of this Eggman. If this is truly the last time we see Dr. Robotnik in the Sonic Cinematic Universe, Carey ensures that the evil genius has quite a send-off.

Keanu Reeves’ performance as Shadow is, well, “breathtaking.” He perfectly conveys the serious and stoic nature of the character while also showing a more vulnerable side to the “edgy hedgy” as well. Reeves also does a good job of delivering some of Shadow’s more comedic lines as well that help to show a more “youthful” side to the 50-year-old hedgehog. Overall, Reeves is a welcome addition to the Sonic family, and he brilliantly portrays Shadow in this film.

Ben Schwartz reprises his role as Sonic, and he does so amazingly well. He keeps the youthful energy of the character present while also portraying the more reflective and tender moments as well. The only line that felt slightly phoned in was “Talk about low-budget flights,” though the reference itself felt shoehorned in any way. Regardless, Schwartz continues to do an amazing job as Sonic.

Series veteran Colleen O’Shaughnessey returns to voice Miles “Tails” Prower and does an excellent job at portraying the genius fox as usual. Like in the previous film, she takes a slightly more grounded approach than in the games, but there are definitely moments where it sounds 100% like the Tails fans have known and loved for 10 years in the games. While Tails is a supergenius, O’Shaughnessy remembers that Tails is also a kid and allows him to still be youthful and silly at times, making for a well-rounded performance.

Idris Elba returns as Knuckles, and at first, it may seem like he’s phoning it in. Then, you remember that he’s portraying a socially awkward warrior and some of the acting choices that might not make sense normally start to fall into place. The only weakness Elba may have is in Knuckles’ screams. Again, while the more low-key screams may be a deliberate acting choice, they often come off as slightly forced, especially when the film reuses screams often. Nonetheless, Elba continues to portray a unique version of the character that appears to have become more settled since the events of the Knuckles show.

Tika Sumpter and James Marsden both turn in good performances as the adoptive parents of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, Tom and Maddie Wachowski. Though not given as much screen time as in the previous two films, they still make an impact in both the tender and silly moments. Marsden does an excellent job of portraying Tom as a loving and caring father to the trio while also not being afraid to cut loose and be a little more on the cartoony side at times (particularly with his puppet, “Little Tom). Sumpter balances Maddie’s role of being a supportive mother and being an active part of the action as well. Overall, though they may seem pushed more to the side this go around, they still make an impact.

The other actors playing human characters do a good job in their roles as well, but the only other that truly stands out is Lee Madjoub. Madjoub embraces the silliness of Stone while still keeping him among the most grounded in the cast. Madjoub also excellently portrays Stone as something of a second father figure to Shadow at times. However, he truly excels when either interacting with Robotnik or talking about Robotnik, as he excellently explores the troubled yet strong dynamic between Stone and the mad scientist. Madjoub truly elevates the character of Agent Stone from being just another lackey to the doctor’s best and only true friend.

Moving on from acting to the visuals of the movie, the film excellently frames each shot to convey the overall plot of the film. The action sequences are especially well shot and animated, and Jeff Fowler’s experience as cinematic director of the 2005 title Shadow the Hedgehog certainly shows with several moments echoing the game’s cinematics. Regarding the CGI itself, it perfectly blends with the environment while still retaining its more cartoony stylization. The details on the models themselves are also eye-popping. One moment that stands out is the scene when Shadow is walking in the rain. The details on his quills are exquisite. Lastly, the space suits of the Robotniks resembling Dr. Eggman/Robotnik’s modern game outfit is a nice touch.

Lastly, let’s talk about the music. JunkieXL’s score is fittingly cinematic, but the true highlights are from the musical easter eggs that are contained within the film. Notably, the theme from Sonic Adventure 2, “Live and Learn,” becomes a motif of the film. The usage of game music does not stop there, however, as not one but two Eggman themes are featured. It is more obviously heard with Robotnik’s ringtone being “E.G.G.M.A.N.” from Sonic Adventure 2, but the score also uses the theme that was introduced in 2008’s Sonic Unleashed. There are even deeper cuts referenced, such as the last scene track from Sonic Adventure 2 and the end-act jingle from the classic titles.

The score even features a song from the band One OK Rock, an artist featured in the 2022 title, Sonic Frontiers. There may be a slight nitpicky gripe that some may have with the song selection, and that is with the usage of “End of the Line” by The Traveling Wilburys (a supergroup featuring ex-Beatle George Harrison). Though it most certainly worked for the scene, its inclusion, and portrayal as something that would have been listened to in-universe by Shadow and Maria in 1974 is a bit of an anachronism, as the song was released in 1989. Overall, however, the film’s score portrays the emotions of each scene well and is filled to the brim with easter eggs.

Sonic speed — Image Source: CultureSlate

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is an excellent addition to the overall Sonic Cinematic Universe and a good film in its own right. Rather than a straight adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2, director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington take the key plot points and themes of the game and recontextualize them into their own story that balances the dark tone needed and the family-friendly atmosphere the franchise is known for. While it definitely could wrap the trilogy up nicely, there’s still more to come. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, while experiencing moments of tonal whiplash at times, will be a hard act for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 to follow, even with the inclusion of a certain fan-favorite pink hedgehog.

Rating: 9.5/10

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