So, if you’re reading the title of this review and wondering to yourself, “hold on, if this is the review for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024), where’s the Legionnaire’s review for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)”? For those who were curious and wanted a review for the sequel to the first Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), my deepest apologies. I meant to write one during at the time it was released, but I got sidetracked and procrastinated to where you are now getting a review for the third installment in the trilogy before the second. Hopefully, I can provide you with a review for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 2025, but for now, here are my latest thoughts on the third entry of the live action Sonic the Hedgehog.

Unlike my experience going into Sonic the Hedgehog, I was super stoked for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 given my experiences with Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Take that as semi-spoiler on my thoughts for that review. Due to the character development, world build-up, and the introduction of the cult favorite Sonic character Shadow, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had the potential to be popular with fans of the series. My friend/co-worker and I have been talking about the film months leading up to it and we had planned on seeing it, which is a big deal for her due to the fact she is a big Sonic aficionado as well and she rarely goes to the theaters. In fact, I think Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was the last movie she saw in the cinema. Nevertheless, I did have the mindset of being critical as I shouldn’t let nostalgia dictate my overall thoughts on a given film. I’m reviewing this not just for Sonic fans, but casual movie goers as well. So, is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 the best entry in the series let alone a decent film? As usual, let’s find out.  

Unlike previous reviews where I describe the plot in chronological order, I’m going to do something a little different with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and tell it through a more linear perspective given how the film itself has flashbacks. Set fifty years prior to the story events, it first follows a mysterious hedgehog known as Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves) who looks just like Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), only with black fur and red highlights. Unlike Sonic’s origin, Shadow came onto earth via meteorite and has no memory of who he is. When discovered, he is taken and placed in a military facility orchestrated by the Guardian Units of Nations (GUN). In this facility, scientists begin testing Shadow as he has tremendous power that he harnesses within. The specific type of power is called chaos energy. Despite being constantly tested and place in test tube, Shadow does make a friend in the facility, a girl named Maria (Alyla Browne) who happens to be the granddaughter of top scientist Dr. Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who is working on Project Shadow. Unlike the scientists and military in the facility, Maria sees Shadow as a friend and a close companion and after some time, Shadow feels the same way. One day, however, Dr. Robotnik tells Maria that they have to escape as they are planning on taking Shadow away. During the escape, an accident happens, which triggers a small explosion inside the military facility. While the Dr. Robotnik and Shadow survive, Maria, unfortunately dies from the accident. This leads to Dr. Robotnik getting arrested and Shadow being placed in suspended animation in a tube as the military sees him too dangerous for the outside world, but too valuable to destroy. Fifty years later, Shadow is in a prison on an island off the coast of Tokyo being monitored 24/7. One day, however, the system that is keeping Shadow in suspended animation is hacked and he begins to awake from his fifty-year slumber. In the process of waking up, Shadow begins remembering the tragedy that led to his imprisonment, and these memories turn into anger. The guards in the prison hold their position outside Shadow’s tube but when he fully wakes up, Shadow begins to knock out the guards one by one and escapes, heading to Tokyo. Once there, GUN immediately surrounds Shadow but his anger and quest revenge are no match for them.  Meanwhile, life for Sonic hasn’t been better. Since his last adventure, he’s gained two new friends, Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Tails (Collen O’Shaughnessey), and his surrogate parents Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), throw him a surprise party to celebrate the anniversary of when he first came to earth. During the celebration, GUN agents drop in on the party to inform Team Sonic of a situation happening in Tokyo and the three aliens provide their assistance. Once they get to Tokyo and meet Shadow, they are unprepared for the much more powerful hedgehog and after a tough fight, Shadow escapes without a trace. Looking for answers, Team Sonic meets of with Commander Walters (Tom Butler), who informs them of Shadows origins. During the meeting, they are ambushed by egg shaped drones who happen to belong to Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey). After a couple of attacks, the drones are disabled by a mysterious figure, though he was too late as Commander Walters is fatally injured from the attack. Before he succumbs his wounds, his gives Sonic part of a key that operates GUN’s most powerful weapon. The team then follows the mysterious figure who reveals himself to be Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), Dr. Robotnik’s assistant. He then escorts them to Dr. Robotnik, who happens to be alive from the events of the last film and is now out of shape, hairy, and spends his days eating and watching Hispanic soap operas. After being informed of the events, Dr. Robotnik denies his involvement in the drone attack and responsibility for Shadow’s release, and then starts tracking on where the drone activity took place. Hesitant at first, Sonic and his friends form an alliance with Dr. Robotnik. After he cleans himself up, Team Sonic, Dr. Robotnik, and Agent Stone start tracking the drones, which will then lead to more questions answered. 

So, you know how certain trilogies will start off great with the middle entry still being good but the third one being the worst one? In a rare occurrence, the Sonic franchise is unlike most trilogies as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is undoubtably the best entry in the trilogy. While it wasn’t a perfect movie in general, it was the most fun I’ve had in a theater since probably Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). I am not sure if that’s a strong selling point, but I’m speaking from personal experience.

As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is not a perfect movie. In fact, I’m going to do something a little different and address some cons before the pros. For starters, some of the humor in it is very hit or miss with certain characters, particularly with Sonic. I still enjoyed his character, though his over-the-top personality didn’t contribute to some of the best jokes in the film. This is one of the main reasons why I didn’t love the first film. Though I will say, the third does maintain the strong character development of the previous films, a good element to have in a trilogy.

There’s a line in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 where one of Jim Carrey‘s characters says, “double your villains, double your fun!” which I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be a fourth wall break, but that was true in this film’s case. Jim Carrey (once again) steals the show in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, playing the humorous and energetic villain, Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather. The scenes involving both of them had me laughing throughout, and if you’re not a fan of these films but love Jim Carrey in general, then this might be worth a watch just for his scenes. Besides both Dr. Robotniks in the film, Shadow definitely stands out. Apparently, the film borrows a lot from two particular Sonic games: Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, both of which I’m familiar. Not only did the filmmakers understand the assignment when they made the film, but so did Keanu Reeves. I appreciated how they honored Shadow and his backstory given that he is a huge cult favorite within the Sonic the Hedgehog community. Just on a side note, I’m in no way glorifying these villains in any way, I just like seeing a film use their villain’s strengths to make a more compelling narrative with major risks at stake. The film could’ve worked, however, without these lofty villains as the team offers plenty of popcorn action and witty banter between the members of Team Sonic, but it’s the villains that amp up the overall film.

While Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has tons of fun moments, such as great performances from Jim Carey and Keanu Reeves and the cool action, there were some moments/themes that I was able to pick up that is worth mentioning here on The Legionnaire. In my review for Kraven the Hunter (2024), I mentioned how hate could lead to sinful actions. In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a tragic event involving someone close to Sonic triggers him to take drastic measures which lead him to leave his friends and start acting out of anger. While anger doesn’t always equate to hate, it can lead to sinful actions which in turn lead us away from Christ. Fortunately (and while not trying to spoil an important plot point), Sonic becomes aware of his sinful actions and prevents a major act towards a climatic plot point. A daily reminder that we can’t let anger get the best of us even if we are wronged.

If you’ve seen any of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies and don’t find them to be your cup of tea, you might still like Sonic the Hedgehog 3. I, on the other hand, enjoyed this tremendously, more so than I want to admit. It’s got plenty of action, fun humor, and a good amount of easter eggs that will satisfy any Sonic fan. Before the film was even released, the filmmakers announced a fourth film was in the works for 2027. While I will be nervous as to whether it can measure up to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, if they keep this momentum going, then we should in for a treat. In retrospect, I can’t believe we went from a universally hated Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer (YouTube it if you have forgotten) to a fun third entry in a video game series. I wish more films of this genre had the same track record/growth as the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise. It would save us from potential disappointment.