Everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog returns to action, this time facing off against the rogue alien Shadow. With no other options left, Sonic & co. must team up with their old enemy Dr. Robotnik to take on this new dangerous threat.
Sonic The Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) is living peacefully with his family on Earth, alongside Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy) and Knuckles (Idris Elba). But, Sonic’s peace is shattered when the government recruits him to stop the escaped government experiment Shadow (Keanu Reeves), whose path is similar to Sonic yet filled with hate and sorrow.
Outmatched against this dangerous new threat, Sonic is forced to team up with the washed-up Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his aging granddad (also Jim Carrey) to protect his home once more.
I found myself more mixed on this trailer than most. While the cast remains pitch-perfect in their roles, particularly Carrey who has finally completed his metamorphosis into the bald fat egg that Sonic fans love, the trailer felt oddly flat. Newcomer Reeves injects his a huge amount of gravitas into his role, but the film doesn’t sell the higher stakes it claims. If anything, the trailer highlights just another Sonic adventure, rather than the upped danger compared to the previous films.
Additionally, the trailer’s storytelling structure feels slightly choppy. Fans of Sonic lore know that Shadow was originally created by Robotnik’s granddad Gerald (played by Carrey doing his best Ebenezer Scrooge voice). But the trailer’s decision to focus on Gerald’s debut without signifying his relation to Shadow makes the moment feel like a cheap tag rather than a story beat.
Overall, the trailer felt designed to push the buzzworthy moments to casuals, but risked making the story feel more generic. Further trailers will likely showcase the more unique elements the threequel has to offer, and if the final film can live up to the lore, Paramount may have a solid Christmas hit on their hands. Hell, Carrey supposedly came out of retirement to reprise his role, so the film can’t be that bad!
Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic The Hedgehog 3 will release theatrically in the US on December 20, 2024. The movie stars an ensemble cast led by Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey.
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