Sonic The Hedgehog 3: Franchise Takes One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

By Chris Knight

Rating: B-

You know who likes to say, “Third time’s the charm?” People who have failed twice. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) was a perfectly serviceable movie for greying millennials wanting to relive their video-game glory days in a way their young’uns could also enjoy. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) was if anything a small step up in quality.

But Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (what nomenclature!) erases any gains made by the second, and then some. We’re more or less back where we started.

Oh, except that it’s a much more crowded Sonic-verse, or whatever the studio wants to call it. Whereas the first movie gave us the origin story of Earth-stranded alien Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), the second then piled on sidekick Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and misunderstood villain Knuckles (Idris Elba).

And now the third presents Shadow (Keanu Reeves), yet another bad guy with a tragic backstory. It’s an underdeveloped one at that, a vague heartstring-tugging flashback about Shadow being captured by scientists but also befriended by a little girl named Maria (Alyla Browne) after he arrives on Earth Superman-style, via meteorite.

Before we leave this sweet friendship, may I just say how frustrating it was to hear Maria and Shadow rocking out, circa 1974, to “End of the Line,” a Travelling Wilburys song from more than 10 years in the future? Although in the film’s favour, there’s an odd joke in which someone divides the speed of light by the speed of sound, then by the speed of the bus in Speed. They got that one right; I checked.

Anyway, after Shadow escapes his Shadow box, where he’s been held for 50 years, Sonic and friends are recruited by a government agent (Krysten Ritter) to stop his vengeful rampage. But before they can fully engage with the dangerous hedgehog, who should make an appearance but Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik and his 110-year-old grandfather, played by Jim Carrey and a pair of moustaches. I guess evil skips a generation, because the Robotniks are both looking for trouble.

And I haven’t even mentioned James Marsden and Tika Sumpter as Tom and Maddie, a neutered married couple who act as adoptive parents to Sonic and friends but get relatively little to do in this outing.

But that sidelining is to be expected, given how crowded things are getting. If this were the MCU, I’d suggest we’re now roughly at Iron Man 3, and ready to ditch those numerical titles in favour of the more inclusive Avengers moniker. Oh, and perhaps set up a Thanos-type villain who could cut the dramatis personae in two with a snap of his fingers.

But not yet, I’m afraid. After all the quippy references and fourth-wall-breaking and quiet moments of wisdom and loud scenes of giant, laser-wielding spaceships, it’s time for a quick victory roll, followed by yet another mid-credit sequence and a not-so-subtle tease of who will be the next mid-sized-mammal-turned-video-game-character to make an appearance in the franchise.

I fear for the calibre of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, as I’m certain they plan to call it. The series still has lots of heart, but its quality is moving in the wrong direction. Still, if anyone can reverse decline on a dime, it’s that speed demon Sonic. So, here’s hoping.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Directed by Jeff Fowler. Starring Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, and Keanu Reeves. In theatres December 20.