Read this review to determine if Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is worth watching.
About Sonic the Hedgehog 3
- Directed by Jeff Fowler
- Written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Whittington
- Synopsis: Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.
- Release date: December 20, 2024
- Starring: Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Keanu Reeves, Tika Sumpter, Tom Butler, James Marsden, Alyla Browne, Jim Carrey, Lee Majdoub, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Krysten Ritter
If you want to avoid spoilers for this movie, skip to the overall section at the end.
Warning: Spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Recap Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
The opening is fantastic. The movie begins on Japan’s Prison Island. Shadow The Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves), who has been in stasis for fifty years, is being watched by G.U.N. security personnel. Shadow has flashbacks of Maria (Alyla Browne), a girl. Shadow reawakens when someone unexpectedly breaches the security mechanism. As Shadow erupts from his containment pod, more G.U.N. agents storm the scene. He attacks the agents using his teleportation abilities, knocking them all out before escaping. It perfectly sets up the character and the flashbacks are dramatic.
In the film, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are brought to Japan by G.U.N. agents led by Director Rockwell. They encounter Shadow, a powerful and fast-moving character who causes destruction. Sonic chases Shadow, but he flees. Commander Walters reveals Shadow was discovered in a meteor and possessed Chaos Energy. The lab where he was experimented exploded, and the professor who tested him was arrested. Egg Drones attack, but Walters gives Team Sonic a key card to a secret weapon. A mysterious biker disables the drones, and the trio flees before Rockwell and other agents arrive.
Team Sonic encounters Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), who claims he and Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) are not responsible for Shadow’s escape. They ally with Ivo and Stone, and Shadow visits the old G.U.N. facility. Ivo meets Shadow for the first time with his grandfather, Gerald (Jim Carrey). Carrey does an amazing job giving both characters life and interplaying with each other.
The Robotniks tie up Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and Gerald needs a second key card to activate the Eclipse Cannon. The villains leave Team Sonic, but Shadow takes the key card. The trio escapes the facility, and Ivo and Gerald spend time together in a virtual simulation, feeling neglected by Stone. This scene was shown in the trailers and they’re even funnier in context.
Team Sonic follows the Robotniks to London to G.U.N. HQ. Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and Maria (Alyla Browne) disguise themselves as Rachel and Randall. They hack into the system and disable an energy shield for Sonic. They find the room with the key card, but Rockwell manipulates the gravity before they can access it. Knuckles saves them, but Rockwell smashes the gravity keypad, causing everyone to float or get stuck to the ground. Tom disguises himself as Commander Walters to trick Rockwell into giving him the key card.
Shadow sees Tom in disguise and punches Walters in retaliation, knocking him out. Sonic rushes to Tom’s side, recalling his final moments with Maria. He is taken to the hospital, and Sonic seeks revenge against Shadow. Knuckles eventually refuses the location of the Master Emerald, which Wade keeps. Sonic takes the Emerald, and the villains raise the Eclipse Cannon from the River Thames, revealing Gerald’s plan to destroy Earth. A flashback reveals that G.U.N. agents stormed the facility to kill Shadow, but a stray bullet caused an explosion that killed Maria. This led Gerald and Shadow to seek revenge against humanity. Super Sonic crashes through the facility and fights Shadow, but Shadow taunts Sonic about abandoning his friends and family for revenge. Sonic delivers a fatal blow to Shadow but realizes this is not who he is. They express their pain over their lost loved ones, but Sonic tells Shadow that revenge will not solve things.
Ivo is shocked to learn his grandfather’s plan to destroy the earth. The two fight, and Ivo, Tails, and Knuckles use Sonic’s quill to vaporize Gerald, and they redirect the Eclipse Cannon’s trajectory using the Chaos Emeralds. They save Sonic and Tails from the moon, but Sonic loses consciousness. Ivo uses his final moments with Shadow to save the Cannon from Earth. Ivo sends a final stream to Earth to reach Stone, who sees the Cannon from London. Shadow pushes the Cannon away before it is obliterated. The heroes return to Green Hills, where Tom recovers from injuries. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles race to see who is the fastest. The number of Easter eggs in this scene, from Maria to Robotnik’s classic costume, is insane.
Post-Credits Scene: Sonic runs to New York Park, confronting Metal Sonic, which he defeats. A group of Metal Sonics, led by Amy Rose, attacks Sonic, but Shadow survives and picks up one of his inhibitor rings.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a charming sensibility and cross-cultural mash-up. The script by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington is funny and punny, making it better than it has a right to be. The rest of the film is fine, with product placement and cheap sentiment being minor issues. Carey’s anarchic style and physical comedy deliver precisely what it promises, but there is no coherence. The big moments are bigger, and the small moments are fewer, adding unlikely stakes to the story. The life-and-death dilemma adds unlikely stakes to the story, but it’s all gone in a blur, but it’s fun while it lasts. The film also features two Jim Carreys engaging in sanctioned buffoonery.
Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Whittington
Find out if Sonic the Hedgehog 3 2024 is worth watching
Overall: Watch Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, John Whittington
