Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the third film in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie series. It continues the series’ trend of introducing new characters with each installment, this time bringing Shadow into the story.

Watching Sonic 3 felt like stepping back into my childhood (and half of my early middle school years) obsession with the franchise. It embraces its dramatic humor, corny jokes, and pure nonsense in a way that’s authentic and true to Sonic’s spirit—never taking itself too seriously while showing a genuine understanding of the community. Shadow takes center stage for most of the movie, while another major plotline follows Dr. Eggman reuniting with his grandfather Professor Robotnik.

The film focuses on Shadow’s trauma and his battles with grief and anger after Maria’s death. More specifically, it creates some beautiful parallels between Sonic and Shadow on how differently their lives and personalities turned out despite both hedgehogs experiencing loss. With Tom’s and Maddie’s guidance and love, Sonic was able to keep true to his light, while Shadow fell to his rage, sadness, and pain due to the lack of familial love in his environment. This was handled with so much empathy and care for Shadow’s character, and Sonic 3 was able to find a delicate balance between this topic and its typical humor.

The Humor

Keanu Reeves was an absolutely perfect choice for Shadow. He nailed Shadow’s signature edgy tone, and he did great in portraying the more vulnerable version of the hedgehog that this movie was trying to show fans. Meanwhile, Jim Carrey’s acting was contagious, and he was just as over the top as usual—something he does best. In his scenes, you can tell just how much fun he has playing his role as Dr. Eggman, and that extends to Professor Robotnik. His presence led to many hilarious scenes, with my favorite being the dance scene in the laser room. The Eggman and Robotnik duo was one of my many favorite things about this film. Those two had a lot of absurd, goofy moments, and I found myself laughing so often throughout the 2 hours. It was brilliant.

This movie also had some wonderful references to the SEGA video games. One reference I specifically noticed happened when Sonic rushed to Dr. Eggman and Professor Robotnik during the laser room scene. In his sprinting, he bounced against the wall and briefly sprung in the air. The way he jumped in the air was a subtle yet specific callback to the old games. Tiny details like these show the team’s knowledge of the game.

Overall, seeing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was a fun, mentally soothing experience that I loved more than I initially thought I would. I walked into the theater with high expectations, and those expectations were greatly exceeded. And after what was revealed in the two post-credit scenes, I’ll be back at my local theater to see Sonic 4 in 2027.