Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a fun and satisfying entry that caters to fans of the franchise as well as to families.
Based on the SEGA video game series, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 follows Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), and Tails (Colleen O’Shaugnessy) as the three face a new threat – Shadow (Keanu Reeves). Filled with rage, Shadow seeks revenge against G.U.N. (Guardians Units of Nations), causing global havoc. To stop Shadow and help G.U.N, Team Sonic becomes forced to join forces with Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey). All the while, Ivo must contend with his past and the return of his Grandfather – Gerald.
Live and Learn in Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Regarding Sonic the Hedgehog 3, director Jeff Fowler made a satisfying third entry. It’s complete with dazzling visuals, major surprises, and a heartfelt story. The latter comes from screenwriters Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington. Plus, the three of them not only fully understand the characters. But they also write the characters in a way that respects the source material. This extends further to how they write new characters, like Shadow. We see this in the cinematography, where cinematographer Brandon Troast utilizes light and dark shadows. It allows Troast to focus on the characters and to match their color scheme with the CGI. Thereby matching it with the live-action elements.
Because of that, VFX companies Industrial Light & Magic, Fin Design + Effects, Rising Sun Pictures, Rodeo FX, & Untold Studios managed to make the CGI pop on screen. A prime example is the fight scenes, where the CGI emits an anime-like style. This winds up expanding the scope and scale of the fights. Moreover, production designer Luke Freeborn makes the sets more video game-like, matching the aesthetic of Trost’s cinematography. With the editing, editor Al LeVine whittles the film to a compressed hour and fifty minutes and uses it effectively. This is because LeVine draws attention to scenes of humor and drama. As a result, this allows the film’s tone to stay consistent while still being fun.
Performances in Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Led by Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, Schwartz maintained the character’s fun-loving persona while giving him dimensions. Schwartz furthers this with his chemistry with Tails (Colleen O’Shaugnessy) and Knuckles (Idris Elba). As for O’Shaugnessy and Elba, both actors kept their personalities consistent while exploring new things about them. But, in the voice cast, the standout is Keanu Reeves as Shadow. Reeves displays a sympathetic side to the character while also showing menace.
With the live-action cast, James Marsden and Tika Sumpter continue to have natural chemistry with the voice cast as Tom and Maddie. Yet, Jim Carrey takes the cake regarding the standout performances. Pulling double-duty as Ivo and Gerald Robotnik, Carrey does an impressive job highlighting the differences between the two. Rounding out the cast, Lee Majdoub and Krysten Ritter give standard performances, with Majdoub having nice chemistry with Carrey’s Robotnik. Meanwhile, Ritter was fine as Director Rockwell. But Ritter barely gets anything to work with.
Conclusion
With Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Fowler created a satisfying third entry in the Sonic franchise. So, it toes the line between being for all ages and all fans. Additionally, Fowler was still respectful of the source material. Furthermore, the action sequences and CGI continue paying homage to the games by giving them an anime-like feel. Finally, both the live-action and voice cast deliver solid performances, with the standouts being Reeves and Carrey. Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a fun time for both fans of the games and fun for families of all ages.
