Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Film Review

                                    Sonic 3

            Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails have had quite a ride. The three best friends/siblings have each other’s backs through thick and thin

though. Surely, nothing could stop them now.

            Enter Shadow, a moody, revenge driven hedgehog who escaped from a top-secret prison base after 50 years of imprisonment. He’s

angry and his chaos energy is strong. If Sonic and Co want to defeat him, they will have to learn that despite their different personalities,

they’re stronger together.

            Positive Elements: Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails love each other, despite their bickering. Each one cares, asking questions, and trying

to reason with one another. Tom and Maddie care for them too, and willingly put their lives on the line. They throw Sonic a birthday party

as well.

            Tom and Sonic revisit the latter’s former cave, and have a heartfelt conversation about Longclaw. Sonic admits that he misses her, to

which Tom replies “Though you lost her, you didn’t let your pain change who you are in here,” pointing to Sonic’ heart. Tom also says “Life’s

all about the choices we make.”

            When Sonic lets his pain consume him, he leaves Tails and Knuckles behind. However, he apologizes to them, even hugging

Knuckles after a close call. Sonic spares Shadow after remembering Tom’s words. He sagely concludes “There are no winners with

revenge.”

            We learn quite a bit of Shadow’s backstory here. While inside a laboratory, he makes a sweet, platonic connection with Maria (Gerald

Robotnik’s granddaughter). Both learn to trust each other, and have fun. Maria doesn’t see Shadow as a monster, instead she brings out

his soft side.

            (Spoiler Warning): Both Shadow and Ivo Robotnik sacrifice their lives to save Earth from global destruction. Sonic tells Shadow

about losing Longclaw, but confesses that love is deeper than the pain. “One thing I’ve learned is when you really screw something up,

you can’t fix it on your own,” Sonic admits. Both hedgehogs risk their lives for mankind. Ivo records a message for his assistant Stone

before a powerful weapon ends him.

            Spiritual Content: The golden rings are still here, serving as teleportation devices. Both Sonic and Shadow turn super from the

stones inside the Master Emerald. Their powers cause destruction, though Sonic backs off when his rage hits a breaking point. Ivo and

Gerald bond with each other through virtual reality headsets.

            As mentioned, Shadow’s chaos energy runs rampant. He can teleport anywhere (which results in some jump-scare moments).

Knuckles mentions that “there is no such thing as a friendly ghost” (complete with a brief scene from the 1990s film Casper).

            Sexual Content: Ivo laments that he is unappealing to “all possible genders.” He watches a Spanish soap opera where one woman

fights between two twin brothers (she’s wearing a revealing dress). In a scene reminiscent of Dirty Dancing and Mission Impossible, Ivo

and Gerald dance their way through security lasers. Ivo also rips off a part of Stone’s tuxedo to stitch up his costume (Stone’s chest is

partially visible.

            Violence: Sonic video game fans and parents, this a fair warning: Sonic 3 is a bit more darker than the first two films. Please read

with caution.

            Shadow escapes a high level security prison and knocks out every guard standing in his way. Each guard hits the floor hard, and one

of them breaks a glass window. Shadow causes a couple blackouts without remorse, and hits Tom (disguised as Commander Walters)

with somewhat brute force. Tom is okay, but it’s still alarming.

            Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails try to reason with Shadow more than once. But when push comes to shove, each of them cause major

destruction in their wake. Sonic and Shadow battle each other several times, punches and slams galore. Knuckles breaks glass (once from

a clock, the second time in a headquarters building). Robotnik’s drones fire lasers before someone deactivates them. Commander

Walters is killed during one action scene.

            Team Sonic is nearly sucked into a black hole. Sonic saves Knuckles and others from a huge chunk of debris. Anti-gravity

technology suspends characters for a time. Knuckles saves Sonic and Tails from death (all of them land on a corn field). Shadow uses his

powers to turn on a highly destructive weapon. This said weapon narrowly misses Earth, but incinerates some part of the moon.

            (Spoiler Warning): True to the video game lore, Maria is inadvertently killed in a lab explosion. We don’t see what hit her, but Shadow

rushes to Maria’s lifeless body. Walters tries to stop the soldiers, but one of them fires at a chemical tube. Almost every time Shadow is

reminded of Maria, his rage boils. Both him and Sonic engage in a climatic battle, their powers supercharged to the max. They use those

powers a bit later to destroy space robots and a large weapon.

            Sonic battles metal versions of himself before someone rescues him. He, Knuckles, and Tails jump out of a helicopter, but land safely.

            Language: Small smatterings of “a—,” “h—,” God’s name, “d—n,” and “b—tard,” along with name calling insults such as “dorkqupine”

and “robot-skink.”

            Drugs/Alcohol: When Shadow is first introduced, he’s in tank with water and fast asleep. The implication is there are drugs to keep

him in comatose state. Minor characters in London are presumably drinking alcoholic beverages.

            Other Negative Elements: Sonic and his friends act brash at times, and don’t think clearly. Two men tried to escape imprisonment

for a past incident. Gerald and Ivo double cross multiple characters. When Shadow tries to stop the global genocide, Gerald emotionally

manipulates him, saying “Remember what [G.U.N.] did to Maria.” Even military characters act a bit shady.

            There’s a reference to Mr. & Mrs. Smith though it’s not clear whether it’s the PG-13 movie or the TV-MA rated show. Ivo has a

condiment machine that causes flatulence noises. He also bangs his bare belly.

            Sonic comes close to fighting Knuckles in his quest for revenge against Shadow. Shadow mocks Sonic saying “Where are your

friends?” Maddie (disguised as Rachel) gets aggressive towards a guy, threatening to fire him if he doesn’t comply.

            Conclusion: Fans who waited over a decade to see Shadow in his film debut felt overjoyed. Indeed, not only does actor Keanu

Reeves bring a faithful character adaptation to light, but his voice provides equal parts emotion and rage as Shadow. Several Easter eggs

from the video games pop up frequently as do other pop culture references.

            But unlike the first two films, Sonic 3 pushes a bit harder. The violence has several perilous moments including a few character’s

deaths. Even the language has risen slightly despite the PG rating. There’s moments of betrayal, slight sensuality, and actions that could

be deal-breakers for some families. Also, the film feels rushed in spots.

            However, Sonic 3 still shines through with themes of grief, self-sacrifice, friendship, teamwork, and listening to challenging advice.

There are laugh out loud moments, and sweet scenes as well. Every actor/actress (live-action and voice) delivers dialogue without feeling

forced.

            Sonic and Shadow both know about loss. But while Sonic relies on family and his teammates, Shadow thinks revenge is the only

answer.  “I thought I had no choice,” he confides. “You always have a choice,” Sonic replies, extending his hand to which Shadow takes.

            Sonic is right: we do have a choice. But our human nature often chooses the wrong path, leading to more shame and negative

emotions. The right choice is hard, the film says, but it brings healing. Proverbs 2:11 (NLT) states “Wise choices will watch over you,

understanding will keep you safe.”

            As for the revenge part, the Bible is clear. Romans 12:21 (NIV) says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NCV) takes it a step further; “Be sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to do what is good for

each other and for all people.” Like Shadow, we all have wicked hearts that are unreliable with making decisions. However, when

someone’s positive influence rubs off on us, cracking our hard shells open, our mindset begins to change. As Shadow notices the bond

between Sonic and his clan, he begins to question the revenge plan.

            Sonic 3 is not perfect (as noted in the content sections), but it delivers on the emotional and heartfelt moments. It’s a love letter to

video game fans and the best film in the Sonic franchise. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.