Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Review: A Fitting End to the Year of Shadows

In April, Sega dubbed 2024 the Year of Shadows, in celebration of Sonic's Adventure 2's nemesis. We've had Lego sets, mobile gaming events, a motorcycle tour, and of course, the excellent Shadow campaign in Sonic x Shadow Generations. But everything has been prior to this, the main event: Keanu Reeves, as Shadow, in Sonic 3.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a lot like Sonic x Shadow Generations, actually, in that it's the best the Sonic film franchise has ever been, but the blue blur has once again been overshadowed. Shadow the Hedgehog is Sonic's darker, bolder, and more mysterious counterpart, first introduced in the sequel to the Dreamcast game. He's cooler, not just because Reeves voices him, but because he rides a motorcycle and then Akira slides down the side of Tokyo Tower. Sonic is left in the dust eating chili dogs.

The film's director, Jeff Fowler, wastes little time establishing Shadow as the antagonist of this film. While the first film established Sonic (Ben Schwartz) as an alien now living in the American town of Green Hills, the second film brought in Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) to more closely follow the original Mega Drive games. (i.e. Sonic 3). Sonic 3 (the Movie) continues this trajectory as the addition of Shadow brings the film even closer to the gaming world, with a story heavily influenced by Sonic Adventure 2. Tokyo, for example, is a suitable alternative to Radical Highway, blurring the line between movie and game.

In short, Fowler has got it right with this third film. Fittingly, the pace of the story is fast and concise: Shadow is a seemingly evil hedgehog who escaped from a research facility after 50 years in stasis, and only Sonic and his friends (the Sonic Heroes, if you will) can stop him. Robotnik, or Eggman (Jim Carrey) is also back, although Carrey had previously expressed his intention to retire from acting. This particular golden script was obviously enough to get him back and he's clearly having a lot of fun – he's in typically flamboyant form here, love him or hate him, and his new bald head helps bring his cartoonish characterization even closer to the games.

Shadow brings a darker, more mature tone, with a particularly tragic backstory told in flashback to keep the pace going. He is the stoic shadow of the mischievous young Maria, and their friendship (based on their independent play) is handled tenderly, while giving Shadow relatable bad boy motives. While games often struggled to show relationships between humans and pigs (looking at you Sonic '06), it's more compelling here thanks to concise, natural writing. The film even dips a gloved toe into the horror along with the rain-soaked nighttime action, for a welcome contrast to the brilliantly jocular antics of the film's heroes. Shadow is a cold and distant older brother-like figure compared to Sonic's impatient petulance.

Still, this is very much a family film, literally, with its central theme focusing on the importance of family. There's a strong balance between cutesy, heartwarming storytelling and animated, anime-inspired action for Sonic fans young and old. As for the jokes, there are some groan-inducing dad jokes that come right through the fourth wall, as well as fun puns and winks to the audience, like the Detective Pikachu reference in the trailer, for example. However, there are certainly more rights than wrongs.

While Sonic 3 works quite well as a standalone movie, it's also a fun game to find reference to. Sonic Adventure 2 is packed with features, with its iconic Live and Learn hook appearing on the soundtrack on multiple occasions, and even direct quotes from the game made me smile in recognition. I won't spoil the rest (let alone the post-credits sequences – there are two!), but there are nods to many games from the hedgehog's past, similarly to the previous films.

So Sonic 3 feels authentic to the games, and as a result, the human characters from the previous two films are mostly sidelined. It's these characters that, to some extent, gave the films their own identity, rather than some sort of direct live-action retelling of the games. However, it's as if the writers have run out of ideas on what to do with them. Tom (James Marsden) and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) barely appear, while Maddie's sister Rachel (Natash Rothwell) and her husband Randall (Shemar Moore) follow up their wedding from the previous film with a shoehorned cameo. This is a welcome change, as the film focuses on witty action rather than absurd comedy, although it's a shame to see Lee Majdoub's Agent Stone become such a wet blanket and Krysten Ritter's director Rockwell is underused as villain. Adam Pally also returns as Wade Whipple fresh off starring in the TV show Knuckles, but thankfully only for a brief moment.

In fact, you don't need to know that TV show to enjoy Sonic 3. Franchise producer Toby Ascher previously stated that the films were aiming to be “Avengers-level events” with TV shows as character studies, and Sonic 3 certainly has the feel of an explosive movie. cinematographic event that brings together its most beloved characters. Its action sequences feel more like anime, with plenty of slow-motion poses (not just Akira's slide) that will make fans of the box art happy, and an out-of-this-world climactic sequence that feels more like Dragon Ball Z than Dragon Ball Z. something more. He exudes confidence and calm, and most of the time Shadow is at the center.

If anything fills the gaps between the games and the movies, it's the movie DLC that was added to Sonic x Shadow Generations. It takes place in Tokyo as players control Shadow escaping the Shibuya Crossing pursued by the military organization GUN, and while the level design isn't as strong as the main game, it's a nice nod to the film, as Sonic becomes more of a character. Cross-media franchise.

Sonic 3 is a smash hit and a fitting end to the Year of Shadows. It's playful and self-aware, balancing mainstream pop culture appeal with the authenticity of its source material, while its flashy action thrills along with an unbridled sense of cool that's only enhanced by Reeves as Shadow. Between the games and this year's movie, Sonic shines with Shadow in tow.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will hit UK cinemas on December 21 courtesy of Paramount.