‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3’: Review

Dir: Jeff Fowler. US. 2024. 110mins 

A bigger, more rambunctious adventure than its predecessors, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 throws so much action, comedy, drama and pathos at the viewer that it never slows down to catch its breath. No doubt fans of the popular series based on the Sega video games will not complain — these films have always been hyperactive — and certainly there are large sections of this third instalment that are as rousing and touching as anything in the franchise. But whether it’s Jim Carrey playing not one but two supervillains, or the introduction of even more supporting characters, Sonic 3 wears out its welcome, resulting in an entertaining but exhausting affair.

A frantic spectacle borrowing from decades of bygone blockbusters

Paramount unveils the new film on December 20 in the US, with the UK rollout planned for the following Friday. The 2020 original grossed a surprising $320 million worldwide, with the 2022 sequel collecting $405 million. All the principal players have returned, joined by Keanu Reeves as a deadly new foe, and the expectation is that this latest entry will be a yuletide hit.

Ben Schwartz reprises his voice role as Sonic, the mischievous hedgehog leader of a lovable gang of super-powered creatures that includes stoic warrior Knuckles (Idris Elba) and wisecracking Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey). They are shocked by the arrival of an antagonistic new hedgehog, Shadow (Reeves), who easily defeats Sonic and his friends. Forced to team up with their enemy Ivo Robotnik (Carrey, reprising his live-action role), who may be able to track down Shadow’s origins, our heroes discover that Robotnik actually has a long-lost grandfather, fellow mad scientist Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey), who is working with Shadow to take over the planet.

Director Jeff Fowler, who also directed the first two films, delivers his most eye-catching instalment, reuniting with Sonic 2 cinematographer Brandon Trost to craft a sci-fi spectacle with some dynamic set pieces. What helps Sonic 3 is a much-needed de-emphasis on Sonic’s sarcastic quips and pop-culture riffs; in their place is a more streamlined action narrative. Unfortunately, this also means less time for the amusing odd-couple pairing of Sonic and his long-suffering human best friend Tom (James Marsden), whose main task here is to remind the impressionable young hedgehog that nothing is more important than listening to your heart.

Such trite life lessons underline the fact that these films are targeting the family audience, as does the presence of Carrey, going as broad as possible as Ivo Robotnik. The Sonic pictures have allowed the veteran star to be as robustly silly as his Ace Ventura days, although his unbridled tomfoolery can be a very mixed bag. That’s even more true with Sonic 3, in which he is often in the frame alone as the two Robotniks, aging grandfather and snarky grandson blasting one-liners back and forth. Carrey clearly seems to be ad-libbing some of his lines, and Sonic 3 often rises or falls on the strength of the actor’s manic improvs.

Schwartz has never been more appealing as Sonic, who has grown up a little as he embraces his role as the protector of Earth. Yet his rapport with Elba and O’Shaughnessey remains far too jokey and juvenile, and frequently the characters’ dialogue is a mishmash of dull exposition and on-the-nose declarations connected to this sequel’s central themes of family and forgiveness. Reeves does good work as Shadow, a pitiless fighter who, as we will discover in flashbacks, is consumed with anger because of a past tragedy. Sonic 3 tries to illustrate the futility of vengeance, but the lack of emotional complexity robs the platitudes of any real power.

An end-credits sequence hints at future sequels featuring more iconic characters from Sonic’s video-game universe. Considering that Sonic 3 is, to this point, the series’ highwater mark, one might be slightly optimistic that these films will continue to trend in the right direction, shedding the immature slapstick and embracing stories with more scope and stakes. Even so, this new picture still feels like little more than a derivative, frantic spectacle borrowing from decades of bygone blockbusters. Sonic 3 has a lot of heart and energy, but not enough new ideas to run with.