On Dec. 20, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” was released in theaters. I attended the film’s opening day and did not have high expectations. I had only seen the first film in the series and remembered it containing long and uninteresting scenes. I heard that the second film had slightly better pacing. Supposedly, although it contained less drawn-out scenes like the first movie, some important scenes ended up being cut a little too short, making some parts feeling incomplete. 

The third movie also had a few issues with pacing, but overall, its pacing improved dramatically, with a lot of the most important parts being given an appropriate length. The biggest problem was an unnecessary scene near the end that went on for a little too long.

Overall, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” broke my expectations and was such a fun and action-packed film. It is definitely the best movie out of the two I have seen. The film introduces two new characters to the series — both from “Sonic Adventure 2,” the game on which the film is loosely based on. The first new character is Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic’s rival, played by Keanu Reeves. His story is one of the film’s highlights, making the viewer feel empathetic for his character and understand why he felt betrayed by the world. The movie also introduces Gerald Robotnik, Dr. Eggman’s long-lost grandfather. Gerald and Eggman are both played by Jim Carrey, and they shine in every scene they appear in.

While the entire film is great, the comedy by Jim Carrey and Shadow’s story are definitely the highlights of the film. Not only is the story funny, however, it also contains serious scenes that complement the story and make the movie more interesting to watch. 

This film also drastically cut down the amount of screen time for human characters — besides Dr. Robotnik and his long lost grandfather Gerald Robotnik — one of my least favorite parts of the previous films. The previous movies spend too much time on the humans rather than the main character, a common flaw in many live-action hybrid films. It was nice to see “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” perfect this blend of human versus cartoony main characters.

The ending of this film is both satisfying and unexpected. The final battle is action-packed and fun to watch. Afterward, Sonic and Shadow decide to team up, just like in the game that the film draws inspiration from, and the theater even erupted into cheers. 

Overall, this film is a significant improvement compared to the previous installments. It retains aspects that made the past two enjoyable, while also cutting down on negative aspects of the previous films, such as revolving the story around the human characters. I can’t wait to see how the next film picks up, and overall, I appreciate that each film in the franchise seamlessly connects to the others. Due to the story and improved pacing in this film, I give it a solid four out of five.

Verdict: 4/5