Video gaming is at an all time high. The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular consoles of all time and PlayStation and Microsoft are crafting big, epic and expansive worlds for people of all ages. It is no surprise that video game culture has entered the film industry with numerous adaptions being worked on and in the works. It has become a very lucrative and creative endeavour for Hollywood, especially considering people who were brought up on video games are the ones making films these days too. This leads me to Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest blue hedgehog in the world. It was surprisingly a risky film to adapt due to the huge fanbase and the speedy nature of the games. What could have been a misfire on arrival turned into a huge success story with most of the thanks going to the filmmakers involved.
Jeff Fowler, the film director behind the first two Sonic the Hedgehog films, is back in the director’s seat for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. His love and commitment for the character shines through the films. It is also bittersweet to see him make it to the third adaption because he has previously worked on one of the games himself. He worked on a game called Shadow the Hedgehog, a character with a dark and tragic backstory, and he brought a level of emotion to that game and now in a bittersweet turn of events he is bringing Shadow into the film world with this third film.
Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are back as Team Sonic. Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Idris Elba are all back in their respective voice roles. The three of them are all called to action after an attack in Tokyo, caused by the mysterious Shadow the Hedgehog who is voiced by Speed actor Keanu Reeves in what is truly inspired casting. Shadow is a complex adversary with a tragic backstory which gives him a lot of depth and brings some much needed weight and levity to the film franchise. Yes, the story is fun and aimed at families but the best family films must also have jeopardy which this film definitely has.
Jim Carrey is also back as Dr. Robotnik and he also plays the grandfather of his character too, Professor Robotnik. It goes without saying that Carrey is truly in his element with this film. His physical humour, his over the top acting and his personality is perfectly mixed into the film’s story and comedy. He has a lot of stand-out scenes in the film and the film does risk going a bit too goofy at certain moments but luckily these moments are carefully restrained. There is a lot of humour too, a bit too much I think, and it does distract a little from the emotional weight of the story.
Shadow’s purpose and his goal for revenge is the compelling arc this third film needs and audiences will feel their heartstrings tugged several times during the film because of this. Sonic, although still childish and naive, does feel like a lesser character this time too with a lot more emphasis on Shadow and Dr. Robotnik but this is also a team-up film, with a lot of superhero “Avengers”-esque moments too, and seeing these characters fight and battle on screen is a joy where new audiences and fans will truly gain something out of this experience.
★★★★☆
4/5
Final Verdict:
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the best of the series so far. With more characters than ever before the film starts to feel more akin to the games. Bringing Shadow into the film universe was inevitable and it is great to see the character honoured in such a respectful way that he deserves. Keanu Reeves brings a lot of depth and pathos to the voice role, and Jim Carrey steals every scene he is in too as two Robotnik characters. This is one film franchise that could easily carry on and there is a tease into the future too, which is a great thing as I for one would love to see these characters on the big screen again.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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