Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 3

I don’t know how director Jeff Fowler went from working on a few animated shorts to helming a blockbuster, family-friendly, action fantasy franchise based on one of the world’s most recognizable video game characters, but he has proven himself to be the perfect man for the job. Along with screenwriters Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, the latter of which joined the team after the first movie, they have taken a seemingly difficult-to-adapt game and turned it into an enduring and endearing movie trilogy that transports the title character and his pals into our world while still remaining true to what made the Sega games great.

This time out, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is happily living as a family with fellow extraterrestrials Tails the Fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba), with humans Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) acting as the trio’s adoptive parents. As they are preparing to celebrate the anniversary of the day that Sonic arrived on Earth, G.U.N. (Guardian Units of Nations) agents arrive on the scene to ask for their help against a mysterious threat in Tokyo. Eager for some action, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles fly off to Japan where they encounter Shadow (Keanu Reeves), another alien hedgehog. Stronger than any of Team Sonic and filled with rage due to his mistreatment by humans in a top-secret laboratory, he poses too great a threat and so the trio find themselves forced to do the unthinkable: team up with Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to try and stop him.

As in the previous two movies, Fowler fills the runtime with exhilarating action sequences, often racing through streets or across vast vistas. The size of the threat has of course increased with each installment, inevitably reaching the risk of global annihilation, which does take away from some of the smaller-scale charm of the series, but it is handled well, and returning Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director of photography Brandon Trost once again captures some of the most striking cinematic images of the year.

The voice cast continues to be on point, with it being unlikely that anyone who sees these movies will be able to picture anyone else taking on the roles, and Reeves proves a nice addition as newcomer Shadow. The human cast is mostly given less to do this time around, with the exception of Lee Majdoub as Robotnik’s long-suffering assistant Agent Stone and of course Carrey as the increasingly insane villain, who is allowed to run wild with the character and steals every moment he is on the screen.

What really makes these movies special however, is their focus on family, friendship, and forgiveness. For all of the action, gags, and spectacle, this trilogy actually seeks to impart some valuable lessons on children (and adults) without becoming preachy and doesn’t shy away from tackling heavier subject matter. The increasingly epic scope of the plot does detract from those themes a little bit this time around, but they are still brought to the forefront often enough to make this another wild ride with lots of heart that reminds kids that they can do anything they set their minds to, especially if they’re willing to accept the help of whoever they call their family. ★★★★