Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Review: Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey’s brilliance cannot alone conceal the chinks in this mostly entertaining threequel

3/5

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Review: Plot - Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), and Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) are all good boys now living with Tom (James Marsden), who has found his redemption in them. But just like their peace is not long-lasting, an adversary named Shadow (Keanu Reeves) is creating havoc in Tokyo, and now Team Sonic needs to save the day. However, Shadow’s powers are unlike anything the world has seen, and there is no way these three can beat him in combat and strength. What will they do? Also, Robotnik (Jim Carrey) is back, and I know we all are confused about whether he can ever die. Well, we now have a definite answer (probably). Watch to find out.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Review

Everything about Sonic The Hedgehog 3 should begin with this question: Did they manage to convince Jim Carrey to return for a third film? What else explains the range of stars that the makers of the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise have managed to collect over the past few years? What probably started as an experiment to convert a video game into a live-action-animation movie aimed not just to attract religious gamers but also to engage an audience that had never seen even the opening screen of the game. The franchise grew at its own pace, and the slow and marinating approach in the first two films managed to keep the audience hooked. The power of those two films was that they were not overstuffed but cleverly structured, which made them novel and increased their recall value.

The same franchise now comes back with a third film, and they convinced Jim Carrey to come out of retirement for a bit, you guys (imagine if I were the casting agent now—I would brag about this to a mountain). Sonic The Hedgehog 3 stands exactly at the juncture where the movie has to branch into something that paves the way for a complete universe of movies with possibilities and parallel stories that give birth to much more than the main timeline. So, the responsibility of the third film is very high because the approach can no longer be a limited story with a small set of characters. The pace needs to be increased so more elements can walk in, stay, and bloom in the world by the time the makers think about the fourth film.

The writing by screenwriters Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington shows that it is under pressure to bring back as many faces from the past as possible while introducing a lot from the future. The good part is that they do not succumb to this pressure for most of their screen time. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is written with the idea of giving everyone something to do and making them pivotal to this vehicle. So when the trio of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunites, it feels more like the Avengers because even the government machinery believes in them. The responsibility has grown by leaps and bounds, leaving little room for clumsiness. How can you afford to be clumsy when the villain is voiced by Keanu Reeves himself?

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The story they chose is indeed interesting because now we see the Hedgehog save the day in a more mature way. There is no room for trial and error because the villain is not a human trying to steal their power but someone more powerful with a mission to destroy the planet. Amid all this is the beautiful story between Robotnik and Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), who are now much more than just two bad men. Stone is looking for a friend, and Robotnik is too scared to form a bond with anyone. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 develops their relationship so well. They are no longer just villains but humans with beating hearts, and that is one of the most beautiful things. Add to that the brilliant chemistry Jim Carrey and Lee Majdoub share, which does most of the job.

While everything works well with great talents like Keanu, Jim, and Ben involved, they cannot conceal all the chinks in this world. Director Jeff Fowler, while in control of his material, is also trying to tell too much with the team. What this turns into is a broad-stroke narrative that, at many points, doesn't evolve into the storyline the makers probably intended. For instance, Shadow, a massive villain, doesn’t get to do much in the first half. 

He is not even a mystery for most of it and only gets to shine as the final act approaches. Or how we are never given more insight into Knuckles and Tails, especially when they also have a major part to play in the future of the franchise. Commander Walters’ end feels abrupt, almost as if someone in the writer’s room said, “We don’t need this character anymore,” and simply cut it off.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3: Final Verdict

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is indeed a fun watch but not as strong as the first two, and that does bother us because franchises going off track is something we have been witnessing for a long time now.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 hits the big screen on January 3, 2025. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

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