Grade: 9/10
The third installment to Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise is a tasteful adaptation of the video game Sonic Adventure 2 that caters to new fans of the series while paying tribute to the game’s longtime followers. While the previous two movies were blind fun, this addition levels up by telling a more dramatic story and keeping the heart of the series.
The movie takes inspiration from Sonic Adventure 2 while integrating parts of the movie’s new lore and characters to make a fresh new take on the game’s original conflict. The story follows Team Sonic as they face a mysterious entity known as Shadow.
While similar in appearance to Sonic, Shadow has lived a more tragic life on Earth. His only friend, Maria Robotnik, was murdered in front of him.
Jim Carrey reprises his role as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the main antagonist of the Sonic franchise, and plays a new role, Gerald Robotnik, Maria Robotnik’s father and Ivo Robotnik’s long-lost grandfather.
It’s revealed that Gerald Robotnik intends to bring about the destruction of Earth to avenge Maria’s death. Shadow realizes his crusade for vengeance is wrong, betrays Gerald Robotnik, and teams up with Sonic to foil the doctor’s plans.
While Sega is known for being a titan in the video game industry, the company’s ventures in television and film have seen limited success. Sega’s recent TV adaptation of the popular franchise Like a Dragon: Yakuza has been criticized for not being faithful to the original games.
Fans were excited and anxious to see the beloved Sonic Adventure 2 adapted. There were doubts about Sega adapting a Sonic game that had a deeper story and a new character that needed context. Sonic 3 succeeded in adapting the story in a tasteful way, giving nods to specific parts of the Sonic Adventure series, such as the Chao Garden, while also working as a standalone piece that doesn’t require much knowledge of the games to enjoy as a new fan.
Most of the story cut from the source material revolves around Gerald Robotnik, who had a much darker role in the games, having been executed after losing his sanity. While the essential parts of Gerald Robotnik were preserved, the movie character follows in the footsteps of Dr. Robotnik in taking on a comedic role.
Keanu Reeves’s portrayal of Shadow the Hedgehog works amazingly. The action icon is able to perfectly capture the edgy vibe that is embedded into Shadow’s character. This isn’t his first rodeo in the video game industry: he voiced a crucial role in the game Cyberpunk 2077.
The film had one of the greatest climaxes in video game-to-film history, in which Shadow and Sonic transform into their Super forms to the tune of Crush 40’s “Live and Learn,” which is also featured in the original game.
At the end of the movie, Sega teases a new installment in a post-credit scene introducing fan-beloved Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, one of the main antagonists of Sonic CD.
Sonic 3 is a movie for everyone. Its great action sequences, beloved characters, and comedic relief brought by Jim Carrey make it a standout in the video-game movie franchise.
