Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Braveheart.

(Note: This is copied in part from my own LetterBoxd review.)

With this film, Sonic the Hedgehog has become a delightful rarity in the world of cinema - a franchise that gets better and better with every sequel!

When a mysterious superpowered hedgehog called "Shadow" (Keanu Reeves) escapes from a secret government test-facility, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and his friends are dispatched to take him down. However, they are unaware that this new mission will place them on a collision course with a foe unlike any they've faced before... At the same time, the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) re-emerges and has an unexpected reunion with his even crazier grandfather (Carrey)...

Once again directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 builds off the strengths of the previous movies while throwing in enough twists and turns to take longtime fans by surprise.

One of the more interesting things about this threequel is how it sensitively handles darker elements in a way that is both rewarding for adults, but also accessible to younger viewers. Shadow's storyline in particular has heavy themes of grief and vengeance, and the script wisely knows just how much detail to give viewers without overwhelming them. I also very much loved the way Dr. Ivo Robotnik's story was handled. Though he is still very much a dastardly villain, this is the first time in the series he's given a bit more dimension to play with. And it builds to an appropriately fitting series of third-act revelations that change who Ivo is as a character in some unexpected ways

And I do have to say, as much as I love the other human characters, I appreciated that this film finally pushed them (mostly) to the side in order to focus almost exclusively on our CGI heroes. We still get a fistful of scenes with characters like Tom and Maddie, and they are charming. And bringing Sonic to Earth in the 2020 film was a nice way to give him a character arc and a quirky fish-out-of-water story. But now? I think a potential fourth film could perhaps go an entirely animated route. Perhaps even do a movie inspired by the old cartoons like Sonic Sat-AM. And I think it could result in an even better film.

If they can maintain this momentum and keep even a portion of the quality of this third outing, this series could go on for many years to come!

4.5 out of 5 (Round up to 5 for this site.)

TedStixon