The third installment in the Sonic franchise, “Sonic 3,” has been catching the eyes of children and adults alike. The children’s movie was originally adapted from the video game “Sonic the Hedgehog” and each sequel has added new characters to the group. Tails and Knuckles were the new characters in “Sonic 2,” and “Sonic 3” kept up the tradition, introducing Shadow.
To appeal to older Sonic fans, the movie made many references to the older games and to their fan creations, featuring many jokes from Snapcube, a Fandub YouTube channel. A Fandub is a dub over a movie, show or video game that changes only the dialogue to add humor or change the plot. “Sonic 3” references the channel throughout the movie, causing knowledgeable fans to chuckle throughout the scenes. The movie also seems very appealing to kids, with most of the humor targeting a younger audience. The familiar characters’ basic character development also contributes to the children’s enjoyment, giving a simple moral and a storyline they are able to fully understand. On top of this, there is some humor targeted at adults who were not fans of the older games, most of them from Jim Carrey, who plays Dr. Eggman/Robotnik.
Other notable actors include Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog, Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Idris Elba as Knuckles, Colleen O’Shaugnessy as Tails and Lee Madjoub as Agent Stone. Most of these actors have no physical screen time, as they simply voice animated characters, but they fulfill their roles adequately. Carrey is a classic and perfect pick for the main villain, also playing his grandfather, who seems to be a nod to Eggman Nega, or simply Nega, from “Sonic Rush” on the Nintendo DS. Reeves is an amazing actor for Shadow, voicing his lines perfectly and getting the sarcasm mixed into many of the lines without it becoming annoying. Schwartz did a great job as Sonic, as he did in the previous two installments. Although the voices for Knuckles and Tails were great, the characters themselves seemed one-dimensional, causing a need for multiple characters when in a scene. Madjoub plays Agent Stone perfectly, who continues to be the best character in the series, despite the lowered time on the screen, which may have been the most disappointing part of the movie. His undying loyalty to Eggman may make Stone seem superficial, but it’s obvious he has a life and a soul behind the movie, showing Madjoub’s perfect execution of the character.
Overall, “Sonic 3” was great for children, but the humor is too simple, and was trying to get an easy giggle. On top of this, the stakes seem unreal and not as heavy as they should be. Despite these downfalls, the movie is decent. “Sonic 3” is not something to avoid, but not something to bend over backward to go watch.
