SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 – Review

Oh my, it looks like the animated critters have taken over the multiplex during this pre-holiday weekend. While Mufusa’s growls and roars are echoing through the hallways, another CGI-rendered creature is threatening to dash right off the screens. Now, they do have a few other things in common as they are both sequels, with this flick actually the third in a franchise. And it’s not based on a beloved thirty-year-old animated classic, but rather a still-adored video game dynasty (which predates THE LION KING by three years). Oh, and this one includes “real live” actors alongside the “pixel pals”. So what new kicks (and spins and dashes) are in store after two previous outings in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3?

Well for one thing we’re introduced to a new character (to the film series that started four years ago). At a Tokyo Island G.U.N (Guardian Units of Nations) prison, a creature floating inside a liquid containment chamber is stirring after being dormant for fifty years. A heavily-armed squadron leaps into action but they don’t stand a chance when this black and red hedgehog named Shadow (voice of Keanu Reeves) breaks through the glass. Using his speed and teleporting powers (think Nightcrawler of the X-Men), he escapes into the night. GUN acting director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) has to call in back-up, namely Sonic (vo: Ben Schwartz), Tails (vo: Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Knuckles (vo: Idris Elba), a trio of small super-powered alien animals. The trio bids farewell to their adoptive parents Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter) and are whsked to Japan…where they’re defeated by Shadow. Before pursuing him, Sonic and his pals stop to “refuel” at a local eatery and are attacked by floating egg-shaped drones. Luckily they’re helped by a mysterious man in black. It’s none other than an old nemesis, Agent Stone (Lee Mahdoub). He informs them that that drones aren’t sent by his boss, then leads them to the floating underwater home (the “Crab”) of Sonic’s arch-enemy, the now flabby and disheveled Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Hearing of the appropriation of his tech he springs into action, theorizing that Shadow is returning to the long-scrapped GUN facility in England. The trio becomes a quintet as they discover the man behind the release of Shadow and the egg drone assault, Ivo’s long-lost grandpa Gerald (also Carrey). It’s all part of his plan to rule the world with his ultimate invention, a space arsenal satellite, the Eclipse Cannon. Can the Sonic crew shut it down despite its defender, the formidable Shadow, before it levels the planet?

Most of the cast (both live and voice) are returning after at least one previous installment of the franchise (and even a streaming series). Schwartz has that rapid vocal delivery to match Sonic’s jet-like speed as he spews wisecracks and zany retorts. Elba has a hesitant humorless stoic line-reading as Knuckles seems to take everything literally and needs to spell things out (like another Marvel staple, Drax). Shaughnessey exudes youthful enthusiasm and sweetness as Tails. This is the exact opposite of the dour, somber Shadow given the proper icy tone by newbie Reeves. The most prominent of the “live-action” actors is Carrey, who’s so frenetic they don’t try to contain him in one character. As Ivo, he’s still the superlative comic villain, full of snarky zingers and rubbery bits of physical schtick. But he’s also Grandpa Gerald the gravel-voiced manipulator who only wants to bond with Ivo to fulfill his dreams of world domination. Sumpter and Marsden are still an engaging couple though they’re on the sidelines for most of the action, only getting a chance to “step up” in the prelude to the big action finale. They’re the warm, nurturing counterpart to newbie Ritter as the tough-as-nails Rockwell. Mahdoub as Stone is still the over-accommodating doormat of a sidekick. Happily, we get a terrific cameo by Adam Pally as goofball lawman Wadw Whipple.

Also returning to the director’s chair for the third time is Jeff Fowler, who strives to keep the slapstick and verbal asides coming at us with the speed of the title character. And that works well for most of the story although the film stumbles a bit during the “ET-like’ flashbacks about Shadow’s friendship in the 70s with a pre-teen girl. It’s to establish Shadow’s arc, but it’s a tad clunky. As are a few other bits of business including a riff on Telenovelas that loses its spicy salsa satire. Ditto for an Ivo and Gerald bonding montage that stops the story in its tracks (plus I kept getting a Jim Gaffigan vibe from elder Robotnik). Other detours are non-sensical as when Tom and Maddie must pass themselves off as her aggressive sister and vain hubby. After so many sideroads the plot concludes in an outer space showdown that piles on the climaxes to the point of exhaustion (lots of action involving those golden ring portals). The youngest fans of Sonic and his various games and off-shoots will probably be amused and engaged, but for the older folks, it may feel like a big party at an unfamiliar office (which happens this time of year). Of course, we get end-credit bonus scenes, so as to hype up their fanbase for continued IP merch long after most have forgotten the few pleasures (mostly from Carrey) in SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3.

2 Out of 4

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 is now playing in theatres everywhere