Movie: Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Adult viewers of the Sonic The Hedgehog  movies haven’t necessarily needed to know anything about the Sega video game on which the franchise is based.

But in the first two instalments of this hugely popular live action-animated series it has helped.

In Sonic The Hedgehog 3 you may only need to refer to the ‘experts’ once – and that’s a scene that occurs after the credits have rolled (one of two after-credit teasers.) The rest of the story is pretty straightforward.

As in past instalments Sonic The Hedgehog 3 tells of the battle between good and evil.  The ‘goodies’ include Sonic  (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and his fellow super hero critters – Knuckles the echidna (Idris Elba) and Tails the fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessey).

Leading the ‘baddies’ is Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) who is joined by Shadow (Keanu Reeves), a red striped hedgehog similar in appearance to Sonic and Gerald Robotnik (also played by Carrey).

The film starts with Shadow breaking out of Prison Island, where he’s been held for the past 50 years. He’s one very angry hedgehog. The reasons for this anger are explained through flashbacks during the 109-minute film.

At the same time Sonic, Knuckles and Tails have been enjoying a quiet life in rural Montana with their human adopted parents Tom (James Marsden) and his wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter).

When the future of the world is threatened by the actions of Shadow, Sonic is called on by the powers that be to save the day.

Shadow’s strings are being pulled by mad scientist Gerald Robotnik, who also is full of anger and rage.

As it turns out Gerald is Ivo’s long-lost 110-year-old grandfather. The interaction between the two Robotniks provides many of the movie’s laughs.

Sonic and his team’s actions to save the world from Shadow (who has similar powers to Sonic) and the Robotniks provide the movies numerous colourful action scenes many of which occur over the skies of Tokyo and London.

Shadow’s sad backstory, which includes the death of his only friend on earth, provides the movie’s emotional pull.

The film’s moral compass comes from Sonic’s anger towards Shadow and the actions our hero is willing to take to stop him.

Jim Carrey provides the movie’s many humorous scenes which highlight his comic talents.

It’s thanks in part to Carrey’s  work that  Sonic The Hedgehog 3 caters for a range of age groups. For youngsters there’s plenty of frenetic action and colour together with corny jokes and some very cute animated characters. For adults there’s the joy of watching Carrey in action both physically and in the delivery of some laugh out loud adult targeted dialogue.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 opens in cinemas around Australia on December 26.

*Photo credit: From Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.