Jeff Fowler’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a direct sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and, in a limited way, the recent Knuckles TV series. The voice actors are Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails the Fox, Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, and, new to the series, Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog. Rounding out the cast are James Marsden and Tika Sumpter as the pseudo-adoptive parents of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and Jim Carrey plays Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the perpetually unkillable baddie.
Buy Sonic The Hedgehog 2-Movie Collection Blu-raySonic the Hedgehog 3 opens with the revelation that, 50 years ago, a mysterious hedgehog named Shadow crash-landed on Earth and was quickly captured by the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.). Imprisoned and experimented on, Shadow’s only happiness is brought in the form of the granddaughter (who also lives in the facility) of a G.U.N. scientist. One bad, not-very-well-explained day, Maria is killed while trying to escape with Shadow. There were already quite a few questions regarding why a young girl was living on a military base; none of those questions are answered by Maria’s death. Shadow becomes obsessed with revenge but G.U.N. holds him in stasis for the next 50 years.
Considering that Jim Carrey absolutely ate the scenery in the previous two movies (and he did it in the fun ’90s way that was the hallmark of movies like The Mask and Dumb and Dumber), it is no surprise the writers decided that, this time around, Carrey should play two characters. Introducing Ivo Robotnik’s grandfather, Gerald Robotnik. Gerald led the research on Shadow and has fed Shadow’s inner turmoil and desire for revenge against the government he believes took his best friend from him. Having two Carreys is an extreme amount of entertainment. The prosthetics are superb and give Carrey even more toys to play with in his truly fun performance.
In an earlier film, Sonic saves the day by utilizing the Master Emerald – a gimmick that contains the seven Chaos Emeralds and can turn Sonic into Super Sonic, a golden superhero who is so fast and strong that he is virtually unstoppable. It would be easy for the writers to fall into the trap of constantly using the Master Emerald to get Sonic and friends out of their latest jam, but Sonic gives an excellent speech explaining why they can not use the Master Emerald. He tells Knuckles and Tails that it is too powerful and too dangerous to ever be used again. It is a great speech because the audience is led to believe the writers have found a new angle and we will get something different on this outing. Then, not five minutes later, Sonic uses the Master Emerald to save the day. It is a truly great disappointment.
Keanu Reeves joins the adventure this go round as Shadow the Hedgehog – the dark, mysterious version of Sonic. Shadow has been isolated in a remote military prison for half a century – ever since it was decided he was too dangerous to experiment on. Reeves gives a strong performance though it isn’t far out of his wheelhouse of the gravelly voiced anti-hero. Shadow is an interesting character, and his deep caring for the lost Maria adds a dimension to this sequel that is missing in the previous outings.
Sonic the Hedgehog was an excellent opener to the series with great action, lots of humor, and strong ties to family storytelling. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 added the entertaining Tails and Knuckles to the mix. But all three films have been anchored by Jim Carrey. This is especially true of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Carrey easily carries what is already a strong family comedy.
