Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Review: Sega’s Cinematic Adaptation Achieves The Rare Feat Of A Third Entry Upping An Entire Franchise's Game

If you had asked anyone who saw the “Ugly Sonic” trailer for the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie how they’d feel about a full trilogy of Sega adaptations, they’d have probably laughed at you. Oh how far we’ve come, in the course of four years and three chapters in director Jeff Fowler’s ongoing series of fan favorite films. It’s all flown by like a blue blur, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 shows that there’s no signs of stopping when it comes to this sci-fi action extravaganza's potential. And the best part is that this viewpoint should be openly welcomed by fans, as Sonic 3 represents the rare leveling up of a saga as it reaches trilogy status.

Taking a healthy dose of inspiration from the Dreamcast game Sonic Adventure 2, the world of Team Sonic is expanded with new anti-hero: Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves). Armed with a tragic backstory and the decades-long grudge that it spawned, his presence represents the greatest threat that Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles (Idris Elba) have yet faced.

It honestly wouldn’t be a “third movie” without making that sort of promise, but where Sonic 3 truly delivers is in how it handles its elevation of stakes. The returning writing team of Pat Casey & Josh Miller, along with franchise newcomer John Whittington, show that they truly understand the difference between merely making a bigger, louder adventure and properly scaling up the thrills worthy of a second return to the movies. That sort of thinking is exhibited by this burgeoning cinematic universe, which isn’t afraid to walk a fine line between the funny and the dramatic.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is a rare example of a third entry being the best, while still showing plenty of room for growth.

As a fan who’s admired the Sonic the Hedgehog mythos since the Sega Genesis days, being able to claim the pictures inspired by those titles as fond favorites already feels like a rarity. So for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to be able to land as a third chapter that doesn’t try too hard to be an “epic conclusion” meant to attract a wider audience is practically alchemy.

There’s no ill-founded pretense of trying to even sell Sonic 3 as an “end of an era,” as there are numerous characters and storylines that can still be pulled from the extended canon for future movies. While certain aspects of this still developing series do feel like they come to a natural end, there’s an understanding that this world always has a surprise waiting.

You could even apply this lesson to the fact that not only is Jim Carrey back in the Sonic 3 cast, he’s pulling double duty as both Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his grandfather Gerald. Doubling the comedic genius’ presence is a move that, on the surface level, feels like another play from the “bigger and louder” playbook. It's the notable differences between both characters that actually leave us wanting to see them on screen together, which leaves Carrey with even more opportunities to stretch his comedic and dramatic muscles.

Keanu Reeves’ Shadow successfully helps bring the third chapter of the Sonic franchise into more mature storytelling.

I still remember the days when the Shadow the Hedgehog spin-off game had Sega fans laughing at how it was clearly obvious the series was trying to get “gritty.” Providing another benchmark for how far Sonic’s pop culture imprint has evolved, the escalation of stakes in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is not a fluke or a misunderstood opportunity like that much maligned 2005 video game. Instead, it manages to implement what so many trilogies get wrong with their capstone entries: proper storytelling that knows the lane it’s in, and never waivers.

Keanu Reeves’ Shadow is the key ingredient that allows all of this to happen, as he represents the constantly adjusted vibe of the first two Sonic movies. The fun and games, reference-filled buddy comedy aspect has died down, which has allowed characters like Shadow and Knuckles to properly be added to the fold. The tone encompassing black and red hedgehog is especially important to get right, as his tale includes a tragic death that defines his worldview – a detail that the beloved John Wick star absolutely nails in his vocal performance.

Yes, there are actual human deaths in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, including one that fans have clocked since the trailers dropped. If we were still dealing with the atmosphere of previous installments, those events would look as out of place as Shadow the Hedgehog all of a sudden being given a gun in the Sega games.

This steady progression of understanding the tone and the lore of the Sonic movies also treats us to even more dramatically nuanced performances from the returning cast. Sure, Ben Schwartz’s Sonic is still a kidder who loves a good joke. While that element doesn’t change, plot beats where the friendship at the heart of Team Sonic is fractured land as examples of natural pivots between seriously threatening moments and lighthearted action-comedy.

Director Jeff Fowler’s visual eye, paired with Tom Holkenborg’s energetic score, allow Sonic The Hedgehog 3 to look and sound like a proper video game experience.

It’s fitting that director Jeff Fowler has been allowed to make the best Sonic movie of the series with Shadow the Hedgehog: a character he directed in the aforementioned spinoff game everyone looked down on. Like a gleaming golden ring, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 brings Fowler, and the fans, full circle in the most beautiful way possible.

Matching his efforts every step of the way is composer Tom Holkenborg, who once again writes a score that sounds like you’ve just pressed start on something big. Sonic 3 allows him some extra time to shine, as he works in even more of the most beloved musical signatures from Sega’s library into this three-quel’s auditory landscape.

Frankly, that same praise could be offered for any one who’s returned to the Sonic movies. The love that’s shown by the creative talents and the cast is so readily apparent, it sells this world of wonder all the better. With the big emotional and dramatic swings that are taken here, that would have been a requirement no matter who was involved. Even in something as small as the hysterical cameos from Shemar Moore and Natasha Rothwell, you can tell that they were more than happy to keep playing this rather enjoyable game.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 isn’t just a fantastic video game sequel, it’s a lesson in how to continually reward a loyal fan base. Which, again, makes thinking back to the “Ugly Sonic” debacle all the more laughable. For as much as all invested wanted a good time out of the Sonic movies, no one could have predicted they’d be this good.

I do hope that this is merely the beginning of a larger and wider world for these Sega icons, but at the same time, the same patient pacing and craftwork that’s gone into everything we’ve seen thus far needs to be present. If Sonic the Hedgehog 4 does everything in its power to continue this upward trajectory of invested storytelling and heartfelt integration of canon, I’ll continue to speed into the theater to enjoy it all.