Sonic 3 Is Way Past Cool!

     Watching the Sonic the Hedgehog movies as an adult feels like I go back to being a little kid again, reliving the best parts of my childhood. I remember hours spent reading and rereading Sonic Archie comic books, even though I had never played any of the games. It's pretty funny when I think about it, despite never having played a single Sonic game, I was an avid fan of the comics and TV spinoff shows, to the point I had a few Sonic themed birthday parties when I was younger!

    The other interesting thing about the Sonic movies is that each one was released at a particularly interesting point in my life. The first Sonic movie had been released in theaters in early 2020, and I remembered it being the last movie I saw before the COVID-19 quarantine was placed on us, signalling the last I'd see of my friends in person for many months. The second movie had been released in 2022, and if I recall correctly, it was the first movie I had gone to watch in theaters since the COVID lockdowns. So in a way, these movies have served as bookmarks to remember tough times in my life, which is pretty goofy to say out loud.

    Having said all of that, I was super hyped when I heard that the third installment in the Sonic franchise would hit theaters right as I got home from college for winter break. Though the first one was admittedly kind of mid, the second film had struck every note I had hoped to see from a proper Sonic movie, especially considering the stellar performances from Idris Elba and Jim Carrey! So, as I knew that this movie would be an adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2's story, I had gone into the viewing with some expectations for how the movie would handle certain things, like Maria's death and Shadow's moral development.

    After seeing the movie, I have to commend the movie for not just meeting my expectations, but surpassing them completely! The way that they adapt the story to fit Shadow into the already established cinematic universe of Sonic had been done seamlessly, with no major plot holes or loose ends to be wrapped up. Jim Carrey playing both Ivo and Gerald Robotnik was something I expected that would be played off a little heavy-handedly, but it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the movie, especially because of the fourth-wall breaking joke they make when they first meet.

    Keanu Reeves as Shadow was unexpectedly good, so much so that I almost forgot it was him doing the voice acting! The way he just melts into the darker role is done with the subtlety and grace I couldn't have dreamed for, and he also nails making him a more emotional character than usual, allowing general audiences to understand and relate to him. The inclusion of the iconic track "Live and Learn" revived the audience at one of the most hopeless points of the movie, and it granted us one of the hardest "dap up" GIFs to ever be conceived.

Still no official screenshots...

    Overall, I liked the movie, but I'd be lying if I said that my nostalgia didn't give me that extra boost of satisfaction for the length of runtime it had, which was the longest of any of the other movies before it. Despite that, I don't think I could say that any moment in the film felt like it dragged or stalled for time: it was a tight, well-written and well-edited movie. I can't wait to see what they cook up for Sonic 4 in 2026!