“Sonic 3 – The Movie” is a 2024 film directed by Jeff Fowler and is the third chapter of the film saga based on the Sonic The Hedgehog video game series. The cast includes Jim Carrey (this time, in a double role), James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Lee Majdoub and Krysten Ritter.
In the original dub, there are Ben Schwartz (Sonic), Keanu Reeves (Shadow), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Tails) and Idris Elba (Knuckles). In the Italian dubbing, however, there are Renato Novara (Sonic), Claudio Moneta (Shadow), Benedetta Ponticelli (Tails) and Maurizio Merluzzo (Knuckles).
A new enemy on the horizon and unexpected alliances
This time, Sonic and his friends Tails and Knuckles will have to deal with a new fearsome enemy that threatens the entire world: Shadow, a hedgehog who has the same abilities as Sonic or even greater than the blue hedgehog himself. Shadow proves powerful and unstoppable, managing to knock out the entire team in just a few minutes.
Given the critical situation, Sonic and his friends will ask for help from an old acquaintance of theirs, as well as their greatest enemy: Doctor Igo “Eggman” Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Having established a truce, the team Sonic, Robotnik and Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub), Eggman’s henchman, will begin a mission that consists of an investigation into Shadow’s past and finding a way to stop him, before he can put the entire planet is in danger.
Sonic’s impact on cinema
The Sonic film saga has been able to attract both video game fans and those who have never met the blue hedgehog before he began his run in the cinema. It is mainly aimed at an audience of children and teenagers, but can also be seen and appreciated by adults. The blue hedgehog films don’t take themselves too seriously and should be taken as they are and that’s why they work, because of the ability to entertain the audience with extraordinary adventures and also make them have fun, but at the same time, with a simple language and accessible to everyone, it also transmits beautiful messages that can be an inspiration for children and also for adults.
Sonic is such a positive hero (very reminiscent of characters like Superman) and likeable and maintains these characteristics, despite the various difficulties and always finds the way out to face situations… and run faster than light to move forward and achieve his altruistic goals. This leads him to be appreciated and taken as an example and the third film maintains this style adopted from the beginning and presents itself as the most mature chapter with the intention of sending messages on important issues.
The best film of the saga (so far) and the most mature chapter
Not all sagas manage to maintain, or even improve, their quality as the chapters pass. However, that of ‘Sonic’, despite having few pretensions, succeeded. Diametrically opposed to the speed of the hedgehog, the cinematic universe gradually lays the bricks to continue the construction of the project which can be seen to have a very specific narrative direction and without falling into forcing. The new film expands this universe even further, introducing new elements and new characters (not only here, but also for the future) and proving that it still has something to tell and useful for Sonic’s growth.
“Sonic 3” can be considered the best of the saga, both from a technical and narrative point of view. As regards the technical sector, there is a clearly superior direction and a more precise and consolidated writing, where this time they don’t waste time with useless subplots and almost put the humans aside to concentrate more on the horizontal plot, flowing with an almost on a par with Sonic and still remaining understandable, and on the characters created with character design (the Sonic team and Shadow himself). All accompanied by an improvement in CGI, colorful photography and a soundtrack that remains imprinted in the mind.
As for the narrative, it is not forced and also appears very mature, given that it deals with important issues such as the processing of mourning and the personal reaction to certain tragic events that mark the person in question. If a couple of flaws are to be found, it lies in the acceleration of the pace towards the end and in the predictability of some events but at the same time, there is no shortage of surprises.
Shadow works and the clash with Sonic is more ideological than physical.
The new film brings back old characters, but also introduces new figures. Among these, the antagonist Shadow stands out, well managed and interesting to discover. Shadow is a character with powers similar to those of Sonic, but they are two characters with diametrically opposed characters and ideologies, only to discover that they are not so different. The clash between the two, as well as physical, is ideological, focusing more on their opposing visions than on the fate of the world.
Shadow is a well written and characterized character (voiced excellently by Claudio Moneta and it would be interesting to hear the original dubbing done by Keanu Reeves) and his background makes you want to empathize with him, because he appears as a villain but is not a real villain (those who know video games know). Their clash demonstrates how everyone can react differently to tragedies and this is what fuels the clash between Sonic and Shadow, which will be useful for the growth of both.
Jim Carrey steals everyone’s show
In this chapter, more space is dedicated to the Sonic team and Shadow, while old characters make their return. While most humans are overshadowed, one actor stands out above all: Jim Carrey. His Robotnik is one of the main reasons for the success of the saga, and you can see how much Carrey enjoys playing him. Jim Carrey shows a typical energy that he had in the 90s and his acting style adopted for Eggman is very reminiscent of the one he had in his golden years. He plays a menacing but at the same time funny villain, so much so that it doesn’t make you want to root for him but every time one of his scenes finishes, you can’t wait to see him again.
In “Sonic 3” he also has a nice narrative development and for a while he does everything expected of him, and then offers a pleasant surprise. But the novelty lies in the fact that this time, not only does he resume the role of Robotnik but he also takes on the role of a new character introduced: Gerald Robotnik, Robotnik’s grandfather. The different characterization that he gave to both characters and the make-up adopted for Gerald makes it seem like we are seeing two different people playing the two villains, but in reality it is the same Carrey and he was so exceptional for both characters, so much so that he stole the scene to everyone. Even in this case, the genius of the actor is highlighted.
“Sonic 3” has all the potential to be a good entertainment product for the general public and is absolutely worth seeing in theaters.
