Michael's Movie Grade: B+
A wonderful movie adaptation of the beloved video game franchise.
The third movie in this series does exactly what a sequel should do. It ups the stakes without taking away the charm of the previous films. In fact, it even adds to the charm of the previous films. The action scenes are more exciting and fun to watch here, and the humor is often funnier. However, what makes the movie the best of this series so far is that underneath all the silliness there is a surprisingly emotional story. The storyline borrows much from the 2001 video game, Sonic Adventure 2. That includes Shadow's tragic and heartbreaking backstory. It remains just as effective here. Through a series of flashbacks, we grow to care about this brooding black hedgehog, just as much as we do about our blue hero. To a lesser extent there are some emotional stakes with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles learning to work together as a team. These scenes may not have the emotional urgency as the ones with Shadow, but they do their part to keep us emotionally attached to our heroes. Yet despite any emotional stakes, the filmmakers never forget that this is a movie about a blue hedgehog who can run really fast. Because of this they never forget this is supposed to be fun first and foremost and it is exactly that.
Jim Carey can be quite funny in his dual roles here. However, the filmmakers do seem to be too in love with his over-the-top comedy style. There are comedic bits with him that go on far too long and when the story simply seems to come to an unwanted halt for him to do his comedy.
This film will be a sheer delight for Sonic fans but will entertain those who have never played a video game just as well.
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