Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
Directed by: Jeff Fowler
Premise: The villainous alien hedgehog Shadow (voice of Keanu Reeves) escapes from his military prison and wreaks havoc. Sonic (voice of Ben Schwartz) must team up with Doctor Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to stop Shadow.
What Works: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a successful sequel. The story builds upon the previous installments and raises the stakes. The key theme of these movies has been home and family. Sonic is an extraterrestrial who starts the first film alone but is taken in by a human couple played by James Marsdan and Tika Sumpter. The second film expanded his family with the introduction of fellow characters Tails and Knuckles (voices of Idris Elba and Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Sonic learned to work with his family and friends. The third Sonic film imagines a more interesting and mature conflict by introducing Shadow, a hedgehog who was imprisoned and experimented upon by the military and holds a grudge for what was done to him and for the death of a friend. Sonic 3 goes to some dark places (within the parameters of this kid-friendly franchise) and the film has some surprisingly poignant moments and complexity of character which pivots the series from kids movies to the realm of family entertainment. It’s still funny especially the contributions of Jim Carrey who plays dual roles as Doctor Robotnik and the doctor’s grandfather Gerald. Carrey showcases his skills at character work and physical comedy in a way we haven’t seen from him since 2009’s A Christmas Carol. It’s good to see Carrey back in full comic form and he is consistently the best part of this film.
What Doesn’t: Each Sonic the Hedgehog sequel has retained the primary characters from the previous entry and by the third film the cast is quite crowded. The filmmakers struggle to give everyone something relevant to do and keep them in the action. Some of the supporting characters, especially the human couple played by James Marsdan and Tika Sumpter, have become an afterthought and randomly disappear and reappear from the story. Krysten Ritter plays a military official but she has nothing to do. It’s become common that contemporary franchise movies tease the next installment in an end credit sequence. The ending of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 goes too far, showing us too much. It’s distracting and pushes us into the next story, denying the audience the space to come down from the climax in the present film.
Bottom Line: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the best entry in this series. It’s a surprising step up from the previous Sonic films and it delivers youth-oriented videogame excitement with some gravitas and consideration for its characters.
Episode: #1031 (January 12, 2024)