By Lucas Castillo ‘25
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is a quality film, but I can’t help but feel that the film could have been a true cinematic masterpiece, akin to other “kids” films like the The Lego Movie, The Incredibles, etc., if they had only made the film as enjoyable for adults as it is for children. However, this does not change the fact that this is not only the best film of the trilogy, but a really good movie at that.
The film definitely had a much darker tone than the rest of the entries, as promised in much of the promotional material, even if it was a bit watered down for my taste. Still the elements and themes present were well handled for what it’s worth, with the contrast and development of Sonic and Shadow’s characters concerning how their pain and troubled pasts affect them in the present serving not only as a solid emotional core, but also as a good speaking piece for the messages in the film.
As for the main draw for the film, Shadow was all anybody could really ask for. His backstory was handled very well and was pretty emotionally provoking. I will also say that Dr. Robotnik’s story arc in the film was also incredibly fitting and cathartic for his character, without spoiling too much. Yet, the rest of the characters were pretty much the same as they have been for the previous entries, if not a little better and, in some cases, less irritating than before.
The quips and incessant pop culture references were better utilized and less prevalent in this entry than the previous entries, a blessing to be sure for anyone who is adverse to cringe. With that being said, the only times I laughed during this movie was with Knuckles and the Robotniks. Idris Elba (Knuckles) had the best lines, the best delivery, and the best jokes of the whole Sonic gang. On the flip side, Sonic’s jokes never landed, and every time he tried to say anything remotely funny, I wanted to bunt him into the sun. Listen, I do understand that these jokes were geared towards children, ones with attention spans comparable to those of goldfish, but I still stand by the fact that Jessica Jones should have kicked him out of that helicopter!
On that note, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is a fun, quality full and, in my personal and all but factual opinion, I would give it a solid 8/10. Go see it now!