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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is the best superhero movie of 2024. I know the competition this year is not exactly what you would call stiff. And it may not strictly be a superhero movie, but it does fit enough of the genre conventions to become one in everything but name. And this movie delivers incredible blockbuster action, huge laughs, taking all the melodrama sincerely, and has genuine heart. These are some qualities that every other Marvel and DC film this year has failed to do. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is directed by Jeff Fowler (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2). It is written by Pat Casey (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2), Josh Miller (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2), and John Whittington (Sonic the Hedgehog 2).
Sonic 3 stars Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the voice of Tails, Idris Elba as the voice of Knuckles the Echidna, James Marsden as Thomas “Tom” Wachowski, Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski, Keanu Reeves as the voice of Shadow the Hedgehog, Alyla Browne as Maria, and Jim Carrey as both Ivo and Gerald Robotnik.
Carrey Unleashed
Perhaps the film’s greatest strength is Jim Carrey, who has always been the highlight of the series. The actor delivers some serious laughs in what is easily the best performance of his late-stage career. Sonic 3 understands that Carrey is a huge draw, so naturally, the film ups the Carrey of it all by having him play two roles. He plays both Ivo Robotnik and his newly discovered grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik. Carrey spends most of the runtime playing against himself, and it’s truly incredible. Both performances are just absolutely unhinged, for lack of a better term.
So much of Carrey’s performance is just laugh-out-loud funny and left me smiling as I left the theater. His two characters are unsurprisingly quite similar, and they always verge of being just too much. However, Carrey and the film always manage to throw in either an unexpected gag or a bit of characterization to maintain a fresh feeling.
Wisely, Sonic 3 cuts back on the amount of screen time of the other human characters. Instead of being co-leads or part of a major subplot, the Wachowskis take the backseat as supporting characters. Consequently, the movie is better for it. Of course, both of them are delightful as always. Yet, these films have always worked best when focusing more on the video game characters. Krysten Ritter also has a brief stint as Director Rockwell, a Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) agent skeptical of both Robotnik and Sonic. She does well in the role but leaves a little to be desired. The movie seems to build toward something more with her before she just disappears for the entirety of the third act.
Bringing Sonic The Hedgehog to Life
Diving into the animated computer-generated cast, Schwartz is always great as Sonic the Hedgehog, continuing to deliver a lot of laughs and great heart to the role. O’Shaughnessey is very cute in the role of Tails, even if not given a whole lot to do. Elba brings a gravitas to the role of Knuckles just like in the previous film while still being a barrel of laughs himself. Seeing these three fully interact and work as a team throughout the film is wonderful. They all bounce off each other well and have a sincere and believable dynamic. Of course, that dynamic is tested and pushed in ways one wouldn’t necessarily expect. That is largely thanks to the newest and biggest addition to the cast: Reeves as Shadow.
Reeves’s Shadow is some S-tier-level voice casting, on par with Carrey as Robotnik. Reeves is tapping a little into his John Wick performance as Shadow to truly sell the anger and angst within the character. Outside of Carrey as the Robotniks, Reeves’s role as Shadow is the film’s biggest highlight. The character is naturally ridiculous but the movie always plays it straight and gives the character the dramatic weight it deserves to fully work. Shadow has a dark backstory, much heavier than anything featured in the series’ prior entries, and that darkness does extend out and affect the rest of Sonic 3.
Live and Learn
Narratively, Sonic 3 is pretty straightforward. Shadow appears on the scene, eager to exact revenge for past injustices. To get this revenge, he teams up with both Robotniks, which puts him on a collision course with Team Sonic. It’s a fun and simple enough premise that—if you’re not familiar with the Sonic games, like myself, or haven’t seen the other movies—it’s pretty easy to catch onto the existing character dynamics. The movie does falter a bit in the first act when it has to dump a lot of exposition to get to the action. On the one hand, it eventually moves on quickly, and a lot of that exposition does pay off in the third act. Then again, there are a few plot conveniences and contrivances that can be annoying, if you think about them too much.
And a lot like Furiosa, or any other number of action movies, such Reeves’s own John Wick, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 explores the futility of revenge. Sonic 3 doesn’t necessarily get as in-depth on this theme as these other films since it’s meant for children. Yet, through the dueling perspectives and parallel journeys of Shadow and Sonic and also Ivo and Gerald, the film does deliver a great message in ways that are easily digestible for kids but still can be appreciated by more mature audience members. Sonic 3 demonstrates that even if the world has hurt us, there is always a choice to not lash back out and inflict more pain. Rather, the movie teaches us to seek healing and happiness through connection with others. In doing so, we try to prevent that same pain from being inflicted on others.
Additional Thoughts on Sonic 3
In terms of the action sequences, Sonic 3 is great. Everything is kinetic and flows. It’s all very easy to follow and well-choreographed, and there’s plenty of it. The movie never leaves the viewers without an action sequence happening for too long. Perhaps the longest segment without pure straight action is a heist sequence in the second act that, in and of itself, is exciting and well done. The third act is where the action outright peaks. It’s all very anime-inspired and feels quite refreshing from the usual standard blockbuster fare. Even if the movie is full of those tropes, it is done in a way that feels fresh enough.
I am not a huge Sonic fan; I have no real familiarity with the games. If there were any sort of Easter Eggs or fan service moments, then I did not notice them or find them detracting from the movie itself. There are mid- and post-credits scenes, which are very Marvel Cinematic Universe-like in the way they set up future installments. However, the film itself is only concerned with telling a single complete story.
The Verdict on Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Fowler and the team behind Sonic The Hedgehog 3 clearly listened to the feedback on the previous film and incorporated it all to deliver the best film in the franchise yet. It has clear pathos, great themes, lots of laugh-out-loud humor, and fantastic action. I easily recommend watching Sonic The Hedgehog 3 this holiday season. There is something for almost everyone here, especially if you’re in the mood for a big action spectacle.
Score: 4/5
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.