After watching the third installment, it’s clear that the “Sonic” movies have helped set a new standard in video game adaptations. The franchise has raised the bar several times now to the point where “Sonic 3” is now telling one of my favorite stories in all of video games, in a satisfactory way for both adults and children. Overall, it’s a fantastic movie for kids with a bunch of highlights for nostalgic adults. 

The way the “Sonic” movies, and especially “Sonic 3”, showed their respect for their source material through the insane amount of perfectly crafted references. Parts like the Robotnik ringtone, the Sonic Adventures 2 helicopter jump, Shadow’s first entrance, his motorcycle scenes, and the exact replicas of the startup cutscene from the Shadow the Hedgehog game. Even the movie dialogue from Sonic and Shadow featured bits of references to the games. 

I definitely worried the most about the portrayal of Shadow and how accurate he would be to his source material. However, after watching the movie, it’s safe to say that they’ve nailed it. “Sonic 3” represented Shadow’s narrative of developing his character, all within a plausible realm that felt up to standard in the games. Also, the wonderful fan service came to the point where I was constantly pointing at the screen, especially the jump from the gun helicopter, Shadow’s motorcycle and gun, the super Sonic and Shadow end, etc. 

Another highlight was knowing that Jim Carrey is still at the top of his game playing both Robotniks in Sonic 3. I enjoyed seeing him having fun with both roles, especially with how hilarious the son and grandfather Robotnik relationship was developed throughout the movie. Furthermore, Jim Carrey’s physical acting was truly on point with Robotnik as a character. Along with the banger new suit they gave him really became a stellar portrayal of how much Sonic 3 respected the original character designs and attitudes. 

It was also absolutely awesome to see Jeff Fowler direct and craft the storyline to incorporate what felt like genuine characters from the games that were simply put into a movie format. Fowler’s work on the Shadow the Hedgehog game and his genuine connection to the characters shined through the vivid emotion of the movie, because, unlike writing Sonic’s funny or cartoonish behavior and catchy one-liners, Shadow’s entire backstory and character had no room for humor, which felt accurately illustrated. It was great to see that “Sonic 3” was able to balance every kids’ movie cliché possible with a darker story from Shadow. Additionally, Keanu Reeves is perfect for the role, and he killed it, especially when knowing Keanu excels in playing dark characters with haunted pasts, like Duke Caboom from Toy Story. 

There were only a few disappointments from the movie. First, “Sonic 3” ran with an admittedly wobbly plot. Certain situations and conflicts were brought up, given weight, and then somehow inexplicably dealt with in the next five minutes. “Sonic 3” as a whole was definitely a speedy blur considering movie standards. Second, it was understandable that “Sonic 3” wasn’t going to directly follow the games. They obviously weren’t going to open fire on child Maria, so the next safest thing to do was to make it happen in an explosion, although many fans (including myself) were hoping to continue the tradition of cheering when Maria was shot. But the tragedy still had the same weight to it even if it differed from the original source, considering it was a cause of death that was restricted to a PG rating. 

I’m happy that some of my favorite characters were done justice, and it has become arguably one of the best pieces of Sonic media to date easily without question, right next to the games like Sonic Adventure One and Two. “Sonic 3” was action-packed, hilarious, and sometimes a little corny. Watching well-voiced characters and great character arcs that come full circle that build on some great existing lore presents the “Sonic” franchise with a really bright future ahead. Sonic 4 has been confirmed for 2027, and I can’t wait to see what the game adaptation series has in store.