“Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” directed by Jeff Fowler, introduces a powerful addition to the colorful bunch — Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves). Set in 2024, the film focuses on Shadow’s backstory and sudden awakening after a 50-year stasis. Featuring an artful blend of flashbacks, character development and heartfelt moments among the cast, the lighter comedic moments balance out the heavy-handed content, keeping the movie engaging and enjoyable.
“Sonic 3” has made over $338.2 million in the worldwide box office since its December 20, 2024 release, more than double the film’s budget of $122 million. It also topped the box office during its opening weekend, grossing a total $60.1 million.
The first film in the movie series/franchise, “Sonic the Hedgehog,” was released in 2020 and set the scene for the majority of Sonic’s (Ben Schwartz) backstory. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” expanded the cast with the introduction of Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and Miles “Tails” Prower (Colleen O’Shaughnessey). “Sonic 2” also featured the creation of “Team Sonic,” composed of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles.
“Sonic 3” follows Team Sonic as they’re recruited by the Guardian Units of Nations to stop Shadow, deemed too powerful to exist out of containment. Team Sonic hesitantly forms an alliance with antagonist Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his assistant Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub). While tensions are high, the alliance is semi-functional for a short time, showing how the characters have learned to become more collaborative over time rather than focusing solely on their individual goals.
“Sonic 3” also introduces professor Gerald Robotnik (also played by Carrey), Eggman’s long-lost grandfather and the original primary researcher of Shadow, having used him for various experiments in 1974. The audience eventually learns that his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik (Alyla Browne), had formed a close friendship with Shadow, with her loss being the catalyst for Shadow’s vengeful attitude and rage.
The movie brings Shadow’s backstory to a whole new level, and Reeves’ voice acting brings him to life in a way that allows audiences to truly feel for Shadow despite his actions. Parallels drawn between Shadow’s memories of Maria and his interactions with the rest of the cast bring another heart-wrenching layer of hurt to his backstory.
The movie’s humor may seem childish at times, but there are still several jokes tastefully aimed to give older audiences a laugh. The film also draws its content from the franchise’s games, this time primarily from “Sonic Adventure 2,”and “Shadow the Hedgehog,” where Shadow received much of his backstory. These references — especially Shadow having his gun again, which trended on social media after the trailer’s release — excited older audiences, most of whom are more familiar with these stories and games than younger audiences.
The CGI sequences have improved from the previous two movies, and the lighting is wonderfully done. The instrumental score, composed by Tom Holkenborg, matches perfectly with the drama and levity of each scene. Other songs — most notably “Live & Learn” by Crush 40, the theme song from “Sonic Adventure 2” — are mixed in well.
While the cast as a whole is talented, Carrey’s performance is nothing short of phenomenal, with comedic timing that is always on point. Majdoub’s performance as Agent Stone is unforgettable, as he is completely immersed in his role and capturing the emotional turmoil he is put through on the side. Browne adds perfect dimension to Maria, allowing the audience to connect with her despite her relative lack of screen time.
As more characters are added to the cast, the focus shifts away from human characters not originally in the games, most notably Team Sonic’s “adoptive parents” Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter), who went from mains in “Sonic” to supporting characters in “Sonic 2” and “Sonic 3.” While Tom and Maddie are not poorly constructed characters, it’s nice to see more of the original Sonic characters fans know and love coming to life.
“Sonic” and “Sonic 2” were enjoyable, but “Sonic 3” shines through as the best of the three films so far, receiving significantly higher ratings. “Sonic 3” has earned an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes — a step-up from the first movie’s rating of 64% and the second’s 69% — and an average of 7.3/10 on IMDb, compared to the 6.5/10 ratings of both “Sonic” and “Sonic 2.”
“Sonic 3” most certainly deserves the praise it received, from a captivating beginning to a bittersweet ending that left fans with several unanswered questions. Two post-credit scenes give a peek of what’s to come, leaving fans in anxious anticipation for the upcoming “Sonic 4,” currently set to release in early 2027.