Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Originally published Jan 13, 2025

It’s an extraordinarily rare occurrence for a film franchise to get progressively better with each installment. Similarly, up until a few years ago, it was seemingly impossible to make a good movie based on a video game. Leave it to Sonic the Hedgehog to do both, with enough room left to ask, “Was this so hard?”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is everything you could possibly want out of a video game movie. The filmmakers clearly have nothing but love for this speed demon, striking a proper balance between fan service and relative faithfulness to the games. The action sequences set a new standard for the series, with fight scenes akin to some anime. While the movie’s writing is somewhat predictable, its pacing will nonetheless keep you invested. Additionally, the characters are easily at their best in this movie. Owing in part to his writing and Keanu Reeves’ commanding vocal performance, Shadow the Hedgehog is as brooding and imposing as he is sympathetic and captivating. Returning as the dastardly Dr. Ivo Robotnik, Jim Carrey also succeeds in playing off his own trademark goofiness as Professor Gerald Robotnik, Ivo’s grandfather who shares Shadow’s desire for vengeance on humanity. While this dual performance may pull some focus from Shadow, it does produce an unexpectedly compelling character arc for Ivo, one that Carrey could retire with pride in. Sonic (Ben Schwartz) likewise experiences natural character growth, and his chemistry with Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) makes their camaraderie believable. Even the movie-original human characters, with one glaring exception, are well implemented! That alone is worthy of praise.

Suffice to say, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the best video game movie I’ve seen to date, and I look forward to seeing where this blue blur goes next.

Rating: 8.8/10