SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3…& KNUCKLES:
PARAMOUNT PICTURES, SEGA, AND PARAMOUNT+
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3:
LIVE AND LEARN, THE BLUE DEVIL’S THIRD CINEMATIC OUTING IS HIS BEST YET!
By Nico Beland
Movie Review: **** out of 4
PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND SEGA
Sonic and Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 3
The Blue Blur and his friends are back and this time they’re up against 2 hammy Jim Carrey (The Mask, The Truman Show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) performances and a mysterious black hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the third installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog film series based on the beloved Sega video game franchise of the same name. If you read my reviews for the previous movies (or any of my reviews for Sonic media), you should know that I am a huge fan of the Sonic franchise and have been one since I was a kid with Sonic Adventure 2 (The debut game of Shadow the Hedgehog) being the very first game I played.
So, I am very familiar with Shadow’s storyline and this isn’t the first time it was adapted outside of video games as there was already an arc in the 2003 anime series, Sonic X based on the plot of SA2 and the for the most part it’s a relatively faithful retelling of the story. I was excited for this movie ever since the mid-credits scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 where Shadow was teased for the next movie, speaking of which I should give my quick thoughts on the previous films before moving forward.
The first Sonic movie from 2020 I like fine though it wasn’t exactly the movie I would have wanted as a child as it felt more like a generic kids film in terms of its story and execution, but the charm of the character and Jim Carrey’s over-the-top performance as Dr. Robotnik made it an entertaining enough time. The second movie in 2022 I really enjoyed as it incorporated more elements and characters from the games like Tails and Knuckles, the Master Emerald, and Super Sonic, it felt like the Sonic movie I wanted to see as a kid.
However, where Sonic the Hedgehog 2 felt like the Sonic movie I would have wanted to see as a kid, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 actually IS that Sonic movie for me. I loved every minute of Sonic 3 and it’s not just because of nostalgia, as a movie this one is the best paced, the story is far more engaging than its predecessors, the comedy is really damn funny, and there are some genuinely strong character moments here.
Sometime after the events of Sonic 2 (and Knuckles), Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by Keanu Reeves-Speed,The Matrix franchise, John Wick franchise) has been awakened from his 50-year sleep and escaped a top secret military base seeking vengeance upon the world. The government organization, G.U.N. enlists the help of Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz-Parks and Recreation, The Walk, DuckTales (2017)), Miles “Tails” Prower (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey-Digimon, Danny Phantom, Naruto; reprising her role from the games), and Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba-Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Jungle Book (2016), The Suicide Squad) to locate and stop Shadow.
But when they discover Shadow is too powerful to defeat, Team Sonic must form an unexpected alliance with their arch nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik “Eggman” (Carrey) in order to save the world. However, during their team-up Eggman encounters a mysterious person from his past, his long-lost grandfather and scientific genius, Gerald Robotnik (Also played by Carrey) with a plan of his own.
The film also stars James Marsden (X-Men franchise, Enchanted 1 and 2, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues) and Tika Sumpter (Get On Up, Southside with You, The Old Man and the Dog) reprising their roles as Team Sonic’s adoptive parents Tom and Maddie Wachowski, Krysten Ritter (Veronica Mars, Breaking Bad, Jessica Jones) as Director Rockwell, Lee Majdoub (See No Evil 2, Dead Rising: Endgame, The Mountain Between Us) reprising his role as Robotnik’s lackey (and coffee maker) Agent Stone, and Alyla Browne (Three Thousand Years of Longing, True Spirit, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) as Gerald’s deceased granddaughter and Shadow’s only friend Maria Robotnik.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 doesn’t just feel like another fun Sonic movie, it is a feature-length love letter to those who have followed this series of video games since childhood. There are so many references, callbacks, music cues, and characters quoting iconic dialogue from the games in this movie, I was smiling ear to ear during my viewing.
The first two Sonic movies are a lot of fun don’t get me wrong, but they weren’t exactly that great in terms of storytelling. That is not the case here as Sonic 3’s plot retains the deep emotional core and heavy edge of Shadow’s backstory from Sonic Adventure 2 and it can be gut-wrenching at times especially for a PG-rated family film.
The scenes involving Shadow’s past with Maria are very well-handled in the film and the backstory is even expanded upon by showing their lives together before her death. It was adapted perfectly to live-action cinema and it doesn’t feel like a drastic tone change compared to the rest of the film.
Keanu Reeves knocked it out of the park as the voice of Shadow and really captures the brooding, lone warrior antihero from the games while still being incredibly sympathetic and shares some great moments with Sonic over the course of the film. Not to mention the Shadow design looks great in live-action with the added details to his quills and seeing him in motion whether running or fighting Sonic and friends, this is also coming from the same person who gushed over seeing Super Sonic on the big screen in Sonic 2.
Jim Carrey is once again as gleefully cartoony as ever and now there’s two of him with Carrey putting his all into Eggman and Gerald and delivering the funniest moments. Seeing two Jim Carreys dancing together to avoid lasers and having a hilariously demented father/son montage is both really funny and actually kind of touching.
This movie also has the right amount of non-Eggman human characters, James Marsden and Tika Sumpter are still in a fair amount of the film, but they never hijack the movie for a random subplot or take the focus away from Sonic. All you wedding scene-hating Sonic 2 viewers can rest easy.
The action scenes are some of the best out of the three movies and Knuckles with some of the best being a glorious chase sequence in Tokyo between Sonic and Shadow on his motorcycle and one great big homage to Sonic Adventure 2 in the climax. It also has one of the funniest deaths I’ve seen all year.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 works as a love letter to fan-favorite games in the series while also being an entertaining film on its own. This film took me back to being an 8-year-old boy in 2002 experiencing SA2 for the first time and after seeing the post-credits scenes, give me Sonic the Hedgehog 4 right now!
KNUCKLES:
SONIC MOVIE SPIN-OFF SERIES NEEDS A STRONGER PUNCH!
By Nico Beland
Series Review: ** ½ out of 4
PARAMOUNT+ AND SEGA
Knuckles the Echidna in…Knuckles
The super strong but not very bright space echidna makes a splash (or rather punch) in Knuckles, the new Paramount+ miniseries and spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog film series based on the Sega video game franchise of the same name. The Knuckles character made his big screen debut in 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 voiced brilliantly by Idris Elba (Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The Suicide Squad) and was a massive standout in the movie.
I guess it makes sense to give Knuckles his very own show since he already had a spin-off comic book line fromArchie’s Sonic the Hedgehog series as well as a game on the Sega 32X, Knuckles Chaotix but let’s not get into that. The miniseries looked promising from the marketing and given that I enjoyed the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movies and eagerly await Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s release this December, of course I was going to watch Knuckles when it came out.
So, how’s the echidna’s first adventure without the hedgehog or two-tailed fox? It’s fine, I guess.
I don’t think this is a terrible show as there are plenty of fun moments and the dynamic between Knuckles and Adam Pally (Assassination of a High School President, Taking Woodstock, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life) reprising his role from the Sonic movies as Tom’s dim-witted deputy sheriff friend, Wade is quite entertaining. But for a show about a character this badass and interesting, it left me feeling kind of empty.
The series is set after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and follows Knuckles the Echidna (voiced again by Elba) struggling to adjust to life on Earth and sets out to find an apprentice. That apprentice turns out to be the dim-witted deputy sheriff of Green Hills, Wade Whipple and begins to train him in the ways of the Echidna warriors to help him prepare for a bowling tournament in Reno, Nevada where his estranged father (Cary Elwes-The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Twister) is participating in (So, very much like the first Sonic movie it’s a road trip but replace Sonic and James Marsden with Knuckles and Adam Pally).
Along the way, this unlikely duo encounters corrupt G.U.N. agents, Mason (Kid Cudi-Don’t Look Up, X trilogy, Trolls Band Together; who also performed the end credits song for Sonic the Hedgehog 2) and Willoughby (Ellie Taylor-The Lodge, The Mash Report, Ted Lasso) out to get Knuckles’ power, a bounty hunter with a hat that would look really good on an echidna known as Jack Sinclair (Julian Barratt-The Mighty Boosh, Flowers, Bloods), the ghost of the echidna tribe leader, Pachacamac (voiced by Christopher Lloyd-Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Addams Family (1991 movies)), a diabolical former lackey of Dr. Robotnik known as The Buyer (Rory McCann-Hot Fuzz, Game of Thrones, Jumanji: The Next Level), and probably the most frightening guests during their quest Wade’s mother, Wendy (Stockard Channing-Six Degrees of Separation, The First Wives Club, The West Wing) and FBI agent sister, Wanda (Edi Patterson-We Bare Bears, Knives Out, Violent Night).
The series also stars Rob Huebel (Childrens Hospital, I Love You, Man, The Descendants) and Paul Scheer (The Onion Movie, NTSF:SD:SUV::, The Disaster Artist) as ESPN commentators Dylan Beagleton and Gary N. Sinclair, and features guest appearances by Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation, DuckTales (2017), Renfield) reprising his role as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Digimon, Danny Phantom, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes) reprising her role as the voice of Miles “Tails” Prower, and Tika Sumpter (Stomp the Yard: Homecoming, Ride Along 1 and 2, Get On Up) reprising her role as Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails’ adoptive mother Maddie Wachowski.
Overall, Knuckles may serve as a passable diversion from the Sonic movies and time killer for Sonic 3’s release, but as someone who grew up with this character (along with the entire Sonic franchise) this echidna deserved better for his solo miniseries debut. Whether in video games, other shows, comic books, and even what was shown in the second movie, Knuckles is and always has been a fascinating character with enough interesting traits and storylines that could have made for an engaging miniseries or even his own series of movies.
Instead, the series makes the boneheaded decision of pushing the thing the show is named after off to the side and heavily focuses on the human characters, particularly Wade because that worked so well with most of Paramount’s Transformers movies. When Wade and Knuckles are together, it’s fun and they do have a likable chemistry throughout the six episodes with one being all serious and mighty and the other is a bumbling doofus, but about halfway through Knuckles becomes less and less significant with Wade practically hijacking much of the story similar to the fake wedding subplot from Sonic 2.
If the show was called Knuckles and Wade, I would have been fine with this and Adam Pally is clearly giving his all. But because the series is called Knuckles and given the potential that character alone has, it’s a very disappointing decision and a big slap in the face to some great lore.
It’s a shame because the first two episodes started off very strong and I was thoroughly invested in what was happening (While also geeking out over the Sonic references). But then by Episode 3 it started to go downhill with the introduction of Wade’s sister who constantly tries to talk tough like she’s in an action movie, making wise-ass remarks and quips about the current situations and it gets old really fast. I’ve only seen Edi Patterson in a few other things and I don’t have anything against the actress herself, but her character is probably the worst female supporting character I’ve seen since Kat Dennings’ Darcy in the MCU.
The fourth episode however (which was a rock opera episode involving Wade learning how to unlock his inner strength), was so completely bonkers and insane that I kind of loved it. Things finally did pick up again in the last two episodes and did lead to a fun climax with Knuckles and Wade fighting The Buyer inside a robot suit that reminded me of The Rhino from The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The animation on Knuckles is amazing and about on par with how he looked in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie and despite his very cartoony appearance, it really does look like he’s actually there interacting with real people and objects. The CGI also compliments the action scenes because when Knuckles is in battle in this show, it’s some of the coolest action you’ll ever see in a form of Sonic media.
While a lot of the humor felt like leftover Adam Sandler jokes (And believe me, there is a ton of cringy jokes here!), there were some moments in the show where I laughed quite a bit. The scene in the first episode where Knuckles builds his own throne out of what’s in Maddie’s dining room and challenging people to fight for it to the point of kidnapping is great and a line where Wade takes Knuckles to his “Battlefield” only to discover it’s a bowling alley and he says, “This isn’t a battlefield, this is a playground for adult idiots!” I ugly laughed when he said that.
I also found the villains to be pretty weak and a huge downgrade from Jim Carrey’s manic portrayal of Dr. Robotnik in the Sonic movies. Honestly, the concepts of these villains are fine and the actors give decent performances, but because of the show’s unfocused narrative and how the series is paced it doesn’t really give them much time to shine.
Sadly, the Knuckles miniseries is a mixed bag for me despite enjoying a lot of elements in it. It’s not a terrible show and I’ll likely revisit it again closer to when Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters later this year, but a series based on this character needed a stronger punch and less filler and awkward humor, glide on in and judge for yourself.
