de facto film reviews 3 stars

The 2020 film adaptation of the classic SEGA video game character helped launch a new era of video game adaptations. Despite the occasional Borderlands flop, the genre of adaptations has flourished in recent years with the successful Mortal Kombat reboot, HBO’s harrowing The Last of Us series, the smash-hit Fallout series from Amazon Prime, even Netflix’s Arcane has been pushing the boundaries of animation while producing one of the most emotionally complex and gripping stories in current television. The Sonic the Hedgehog films haven’t been outstanding works of art, but are entertaining enough family films that do just enough to please die-hard fans of the games. The latest film in the franchise marks a considerable upgrade in quality and outshines the previous films in every possible way.

Courtesy Paramount Pictures

Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and his newfound family consisting of pals Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey), alongside their guardians Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), have been living relatively peaceful lives since the events of the second film. When agents from the mysterious agency G.U.N. including Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter), show up at Sonic’s door, they recruit the alien hedgehog’s to help take down a new foe. The foe is a fellow alien hedgehog named Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves) who has broken free from a military base where he has been held captive for decades. Shadow, who is far more powerful than Sonic, is on a quest for revenge after the death of his friend. In order to successfully take down Shadow, the gang enlists the help of their old foe Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). However, Robotnik’s long-lost grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, enters the picture with ties to Shadow and hopes to manipulate his grandson into joining forces.

Director Jeff Fowler has returned after helming the first two films and not only has Fowler grown more ambitious as a filmmaker, but the film is easily the best in the franchise so far. While the first two films coasted on the charm of its core character and the manic energy of Carrey’s villainous Dr. Robotnik, the third entry manages to up the ante in every conceivable fashion. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a far more involving film all around, one that generates some major thrills. Fowler’s action sequences have tension and stakes to them whereas the previous films treated their action as mere spectacle. Brandon Trost’s cinematography fills the screen with striking primary colors that compliments the action. It also feels like there’s more of an attempt to showcase the different abilities each character has, bringing some more variety to the set pieces. Tom Holkenborg’s score is rousing and incorporates some of the game’s classic themes in some key areas.

Courtesy Paramount Pictures

The real star of the film is once again Jim Carrey in a dual performance. Carrey’s villainous Dr. Robotnik has given the iconic actor plenty of material to sink his teeth into, but the added role gives more room for the actor to play around and the results are deeply hilarious. Watching Carrey play opposite himself never fails to be a joy in what might be his best comedic performance in over a decade. There is an impromptu dance number between the two Robotniks set to “Galvanize” by The Chemical Brothers that is laugh-out-loud funny. Carrey’s dynamic with Robotnik’s assistant Stone (Lee Majdoub) contains some heart for what was otherwise a disposable character in the previous films.

Keanu Reeves gives an affecting performance as the tragic Shadow. This is a character with depth and a well-scripted backstory that keeps you invested in what the character will do next. The fan-favorite character is an intimidating foe for Sonic and the gang who makes a sizable impression early on. Ben Schwartz continues to give vibrant work as Sonic, whose character goes through his most meaningful arc yet. Idris Elba brings some of the more underrated laughs as the stoic Knuckles. The filmmakers make the wise decision to pivot away from the bland human characters, namely Tom and Maddie who still get their well-earned moments at the heart of the film. Fans and audiences want to see the characters they know from the games, making this a far more focused film, moving away from the bloated narrative of the previous film. In centering the film away from the humans, we get to know these characters on a deeper level. The script, penned by franchise writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington, settles down on occasion for some frank discussions about death and processing grief. These moments are handled well and never feel out of place with the rest of the film. Some jokes do still fall flat and the family moments early on contain the weakest writing of the film, but the pacing moves at a fast enough pace to not linger on them.

Courtesy Paramount Pictures

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a sizable improvement over its predecessors and serves up a great deal of fun in the process. Director Jeff Fowler shows more directorial ambition here and Jim Carrey delivers some of his best comedic work in a decade. Fans and general audiences alike are sure to be won over by this exciting, funny and thrilling third chapter.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters.