REVIEW: ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3’ Just Needs More Shadow To Really Hit The Mark

Even with a slight miss of a series (sorry Knuckles), Sonic: The Hedgehog 3 (Sonic 3) has been one of the most anticipated films of the year when it comes to franchises. Whether you found yourself driving to an Olive Garden or just getting excited for another installment, Sonic has easily become a premiere franchise for both Paramount and SEGA proper, but for video game adaptations as a whole.

Taking on the holiday season, Director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, with their next chapter in the Sonic the Hedgehog story. In it, Team Sonic, Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow (Keanu Reeves).

Voiced by one of the most beloved Hollywood stars, Shadow is an anti-hero that has been defining for a generation. But here, he’s a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. Simply put, Sonic isn’t a match for his mirror image.

Where Sonic finds family and love, Shadow finds tragedy. But after he lets his grief change him, his abilities have reached a new height driven by a need for vengeance. Shadow’s skill and dedication leave Team Sonic outmatched in every way. But with someone pulling the strings, the trio must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is all about the people you love.

When it comes down to it, Sonic 3 is all about love. The all-star voice cast also keeps Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) as Team Sonic’s foundation. They may not have superpowers, and Maddie’s sister Rachel (Natasha Rothwell) may have had her wedding to Randall (Shemar Moore) disrupted by the little blurs of blue, red, and yellow, but they’re a family unit. Maddie and Tom clearly love “the boys,” as they affectionately call them, like their own children. Team Sonic is a family unit, not just heroes coming together to stop the world from ending.

Working with Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) and GUN to stop Shadow after his escape, Team Sonic trusts their instincts as they take each subsequent step forward. Sonic 3 isn’t entirely about just one element. Instead, it tries to tackle grief, family, and, ultimately, how we make sense of it all.

The important thing about it, though, is that it does so in an accessible way for younger viewers. It even takes the time to explore ideas of friendship and being there for people because it’s the right thing to do—a particularly salient part of the narrative for Stone (Lee Majdoub) and Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

With two nearly dueling narratives, we see Team Sonic, Robotnik, and Shadow deal with their places in the world from their singular perspectives. The story itself is pushed farther by each of the characters working to understand each other.

Sonic 3 boasts some pretty stellar action set pieces, but most importantly, the more emotionally salient elements of the film are due to the high caliber of animation for Team Sonic and Shadow. It is fantastic how these little creatures turned protagonists have become emotive characters. At the same time, the film’s ability to never shy away from absurdity is a strength that will propel it into the future.

Then, well, there is Robotnik… When there should be Shadow. 

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 captures the signature pop culture humor of the first two films. Only this time, its much more pointed and incisive, in a good way. With references that land for older audience members, jokes that capture the pop culture moment, and even a joke that references another game company, they all land when made by Team Sonic and their surrogate parents. For Robotnik, though, it’s a mixed bag, to say the least.

Sonic 3‘s only glaring flaw is how much Robotnik and his redemption overpower Team Sonic. This is frustrating because the anthropomorphic boys, their teamwork, and their family make the film, and ultimately, the franchise excels. Instead, Jim Carrey’s noted push to stop playing bad guys seems to have impacted the narrative. Instead of focusing entirely on the trio and Shadow, we get extended Robotnik montages and dance moments. It all just detracts from the reason we’re all in the theater.

That said, Sonic 3 continues the franchise’s success and rolls into solidifying itself, trilogy (or otherwise), as a pillar in adaptations. When it works, SEGA and Paramount understand what franchise fans want. In some parts, particularly where Robotnik’s fart and dance jokes are concerned, the films have turned to jokes that aim for the lowest age in the room.

Hopefully, this will be the last we see of Carrey as Robotnik, at least a part of the ensemble cast and given so much attention. His performance remains fun, but as the 90s taught us, too much of his signature brand of comedy can indeed drown even the most competent of films. We needed more Keanu Shadow and way less mustache.

Shadow is what we need more of in Sonic The Hedgehog 3.

Reeve’s Shadow is the emotional core of Sonic 3. He’s who Sonic would have become without his family and, ultimately, a warning for those looking to move through life on vengeance alone. To be honest, in a world as terrible as the one we live in now, teaching kids to deal with grief and loss in such an explicit way hits beyond just the video game property of it all. But we needed more Shadow the Hedgehog, even if it meant losing more of the secondary plot.

Still, when we look at Team Sonic in the film, the movie meets its young audiences with thoughtful lessons. These are simple lessons with exposition, but important lessons nonetheless that tap into the importance of family and not going through hardship alone. Sonic 3 embraces all ages in its fanbase but tries harder to reach younger moviegoers than in its last two outings. But it is still a Sonic film that brings absolute joy.

Ultimately, though, Sonic: The Hedgehog 3’s joy is infectious. With a stinger attached at the end, we know that we will be getting more, and for once, I’m not worried about it. In fact, I want more of Sonic and his little family. I want more Shadow. I just want to see more of this world of little CGI anthropomorphic characters that I didn’t know I would care for this way. So I say, bring on Sonic 4.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is in theaters everywhere on December 19, 2024.