Star Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Idris Elba, Jim Carrey

Director: Jeff Fowler

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Movie Review Synopsis:
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 is the story of three friends reuniting against a new adversary. In Prison Island, Tokyo Bay, Japan, Shadow (Keanu Reeves), a powerful hedgehog, kept in suspended animation, suddenly gets activated after 50 years. He escapes from prison and reaches the city of Tokyo. The Guardian Of Nations (GUN) urgently summons Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) for help. The trio reach Tokyo and try to fight Shadow, but they are unsuccessful. Team Sonic meets GUN Commander Walters (Tom Bulter), who shares the story of Shadow’s past and origin. Suddenly, he is killed by Doctor Ivo Robotnik’s (Jim Carrey) drones. This is when Team Sonic realizes that Robotnik is also responsible for the happenings. But soon, they meet him and find out that Robotnik didn’t activate the drones. Robotnik is aghast that his technology is being misused and he forms an uneasy alliance with Team Sonic to stop Shadow and to find out who got him out of prison after five decades. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Movie Story Review:
Pat Casey and Josh Miller’s story is quite good and thrilling. Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington’s screenplay is very pacy and gripping. But it doesn’t leave much scope for humour. The dialogues are very witty and hilarious.

Jeff Fowler’s direction is supreme. The film is shorter than the earlier and Jeff packs in a lot in 110 minutes. The USP this time is not just Sonic and Robotnik’s adventures but also Robotnik’s bond with his grandfather Professor Gerald Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Their scenes take the cake, especially their dance sequence. Some other scenes that work are madness in Tokyo, Shadow’s flashback and how team Sonic infiltrates GUN’s headquarters in London. The finale is nail-biting.

On the flipside, the film gets a bit dark this time. In the earlier parts, the humour was given a lot of prominence but that’s not the case here. Also, there are too many tracks and characters, and the narrative gets messy in some places. Lastly, there’s a post-credit scene for the first time in this series and it’s not worth it. The mid-credit scene, however, adds to the fun.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Movie Review Performances:
Keanu Reeves is a welcome addition and aptly voices Shadow. Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Idris Elba are impressive yet again. Jim Carrey once again rocks the show and it’s clear that he’s having a blast playing the dual characters. James Marsden (Tom Wachowski) and Tika Sumpter (Maddie Wachowski) lend able support. Tom Butler and Lee Majdoub (Agent Stone) are decent. Alyla Browne (Maria) leaves a huge mark.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 movie music and other technical aspects:
Tom Holkenborg’s music is satisfactory. Brandon Trost adds to the film’s grandeur. Eleanor Baker’s costumes are realistic while Luke Freeborn’s production design is well-researched. The action is a bit gory this time while the VFX is top-class. Al LeVine’s editing is slick.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 is a decent entertainer. The film’s advance ticket sales are encouraging and hence, it has a chance to score at the box office in this dry period.