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‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ (review)

Sonic the Hedgehog’s foray into the world of film has certainly come a long way since that fateful first trailer in the spring of 2019, a dire mishap that will forever exist in the annals of the internet.

While the first film was ultimately salvaged thanks to a character re-design more in keeping with Sonic’s classic look, the overwhelmingly derivative narrative left a lot to be desired from the inaugural film.

As such, it was a pleasant surprise that the second film was a vast improvement on the first, not least thanks to the addition of other gaming characters such as Tails and Knuckles, and how their presence helped create more engaging character dynamics.

The new character additions were paired with an increased amount of gaming-inspired action sequences, and a, somehow, even zanier performance by Jim Carrey, all elements that contributed to making Sonic the Hedgehog 2 a significantly better film.

However, the second film was far from faultless, as many found the sequences with the human characters engaging in convoluted zaniness painfully cringe-worthy and needlessly long.

In the third film, there are still cringe-worthy moments with the human characters, but they remain the briefest of the series to date.

As a substitute, audiences are treated to a double helping of Carrey’s antics, as the filmmakers have seemingly decided that the only thing better than one Carrey wackily improvising his way through a family film, is two Carreys wackily improvising their way through a family film.

With Carrey pulling double duty by both reprising his role as Ivo Robotnik as well as portraying his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, there is little screen time left for the other human characters, and there is therefore not much development in terms of the interpersonal relationships between the human characters and the gaming characters.

Instead, the emphasis is on Keanu Reeves’ Shadow the Hedgehog, the filmmakers clearly playing to Reeves currently being synonymous with master assassin John Wick from the immensely popular action franchise of the same name.

And while the John Wick-ification of Shadow the Hedgehog was hardly on anyone’s bingo card for 2024, this is nonetheless what happens here, and it works better than one would expect.

As a polar opposite to Sonic’s carefree and loving nature, Shadow is severe and bitter, incapable of navigating his grief in a healthy manner, something that becomes integral to the film’s main theme of loss, and how you have a choice in terms of what kind of person you become as a result of the emotional turmoil we all inevitably face in life.

When introducing additional characters to a film franchise already saturated by a roster of gaming icons, there is, of course, a risk that this will cause the narrative to become muddled.

However, just as the addition of Shadow allows the filmmakers to both play around with the action set pieces and inject the story with deeper themes, the expanded roster once again refreshes the character dynamics, and, by extension, the stakes.

This does, however, also mean that Tails and Knuckles take a bit of a backseat compared to the second film, but their presence is still relevant for the narrative; Tails’ level-headedness is a necessary counterbalance to Sonic’s recklessness, just as Elba continues to elevate the comedy by delivering Knuckles’ lines with deadpan perfection.

With the dubiously low standard set by gaming adaptations through the years, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 once again proves that decent gaming adaptations are possible, and while it is not high art by any stretch of the imagination, it is nonetheless competent family fare.

The tone and style of the second film is expanded upon here, so if you have enjoyed the cinematic adventures of Sonic & Co. so far, you better go fast to your local cinema if you are in the market for a family film that manages to combat corporate cynicism with just enough heart to be worth your while.

Verdict: 7 out of 10.

  *  *  *  *  *
Produced by Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara, Hitoshi Okuno
Screenplay by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John d ddd. d
Based on Sonic the Hedgehog by Sega
Directed by Jeff Fowler
Starring Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Krysten Ritter,
Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter,
Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves

 

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