Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Reader’s discretion is advised.
It has been over a month since the third installment of the Sonic movie series was released. To many viewers, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 has proven itself to be the best movie of the trilogy and the greatest adaptation of a video game in history. Even to moviegoers who aren’t very familiar with the Sonic games, this movie is a fun ride the whole way through.
The most anticipated element of the film was Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves, was done incredible justice. In the game continuity, Shadow was created by scientist Gerald Robotnik on his spaceship, the Colony Ark, as a way to cure terminal illnesses, particularly Gerald’s ill granddaughter, Maria. Shadow and Maria were both connected by their desire to finally experience living on Earth after living their entire lives stuck on the ark.
Only one of them would be able to live that desire, however. Maria was fatally shot after G.U.N (Guardian Units of Nations) raided the ark. Shadow was sent plummeting to earth in a containment vessel. This is changed in the movie however, both Maria and Shadow still reside on Earth with Shadow being held in one of G.U.N’s facilities. This is understandable, having two characters randomly living on a shuttle in space would be contradicting to the semi-grounded universe of the Sonic movies. Rather than being shot, Maria died as the result of a catastrophic accident at the facility. This is also reasonable with the movie needing to maintain a PG rating. Despite these changes in Shadow’s backstory, he is still the powerful and edgy adversary he is in the games.
Personally, I prefer the movie’s rendition of Shadow and Maria’s story. Despite how connected both characters may seem in the games. They never had any real moments of them bonding together. The games just tell you that they deeply cared for each other. On the other hand, the movie has an entire montage of them being best friends, making it all the more emotional when Maria is eventually killed off.
Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, makes his return in Sonic 3. The first time we see Eggman in this movie is him watching telenovelas in a crab-shaped aquatic robot after wallowing in his defeat after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 where Sonic defeated Eggman with the power of the seven chaos emeralds, powerful jewels that grant immeasurable power to whoever wields them.
Strangely, Jim Carrey plays two characters in the role of Gerald Robotnik, Eggman’s long-lost grandfather. Jim Carrey remains to be the comedic backbone of these movies. Dr. Eggman and Gerald consistently steal the show in every scene they’re in. Jack Mutuc, a senior at Mt. SAC Early College Academy, agrees. He says, “Jim Carrey’s ability to play two characters at the same time carried the show. The Robotnik duo had a lot of golden moments.”
Where the movie really shines is in its action sequences. Despite having a budget of $122 million which is cheaper than most Marvel movies, the CGI work in this film is some of the greatest in a while. The scene where Sonic and Shadow both go super with the use of the chaos emeralds especially looks stunning. It genuinely looks like a Dragon Ball fight scaled up to eleven. The animation team at Marza Animation Planet absolutely knocked it out of the park.
Eventually, Sonic and Shadow make amends to thwart the Eggmans’ evil agenda, making for one of the coolest final battle sequences ever. Super Sonic and Super Shadow destroy a fleet of G.U.N robots while being complemented by the fan-favorite song Live and Learn by the band Crush 40, who have collaborated with Sega to make music for the Sonic franchise since 1999.
Ultimately, both Shadow and Eggman sacrifice themselves for the greater good, saving the Earth in the process. Tying in with the overarching message of Sonic 3, you always have a choice to do what’s right. This appears to be the end of Eggman’s character arc but we’re still not sure whether or not Jim Carrey will return in the next sequel. Finally, the movie ends with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles having a family-race.
After the main story, there are two after-credits scenes. The first features Sonic overshooting the finish line and ending up in a New York national park. Suddenly, a mechanized replica of Sonic creeps up behind the blue rodent, seemingly blasting him to smithereens. Sonic appears behind him, unscathed punches him in the head. The mysterious robot summons an entire army, ambushing Sonic. Out of nowhere, a red and gold hammer tears up the army with ease. The carrier of the hammer was revealed to be a pink hedgehog.
These two new characters are Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. Both originated from the 1993 Sega CD add-on exclusive, Sonic CD. These two characters are from a dark future, where Eggman has taken over the globe. Metal Sonic being created by Eggman and Amy being a survivor. This sets up the next movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 to be based on Sonic CD, taking place in the future.
Mt SAC Early College Academy senior, Sophia Limon is eager to see what comes next in the fourth installment. She
says, “I’m really excited about Amy, And I heard that they’re going to have a time travel feature in the new Sonic [movie].”
The second after-credits scene shows the aftermath of the final battle. The smoke clears and reveals one of Shadow’s inhibitor rings which he had removed during the climax. Shadow walks in with only his shoes on screen, picking up the ring. I’m not sure how to feel about Shadow being shown to survive the explosion of the Ark so soon after. It takes away the impact of his sacrifice. Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was a blast of a movie, if not a little fast-paced. You’ll love this movie if you’re a diehard Sonic fanatic or a casual moviegoer. For that, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 earns a 9/10.
