[spoilers ahead]

My husband and I trudged to central London on New Year’s Eve 2024 to watch Sonic 3 at Leicester Square Odeon – that's the one they use for film premieres, and we were very excited to be there, but unfortunately Sonic wasn’t deemed important enough to be shown in Screen 1, which is the grand theatre-style room. We were instead shoved into a much smaller screen, and sat beside a lovely family whose father took the chance to have a nice long nap through most of the film. Leicester Square Odeon is a “Luxe” venue, and although it doesn’t offer the truly glamourous experience of the Angel Islington branch (which is my favourite), I was still comfortable with my big leather seat and a tray of nachos. 

To say I was excited for this film is an understatement. Ever since Sega/Paramount turned it all around after the disastrous first trailer, these films have been dear to my heart. What I love about the whole production is the enthusiasm of the cast and crew, which feeds into every scene, characterisation, and reference. Shadow is my favourite character after Knuckles, and his lore is so rich and nuanced, so I highly anticipated how they would adapt his origin story for the film. He’s also voiced by Keanu Reeves, who stated in several interviews that he was nervous about the role after finding out about Shadow’s popularity, but he gave it his all. And I could tell.  

In my opinion, Keanu’s interpretation of Shadow is the closest to the original voice actor, David Humphrey, who gave the character a soft, unsettled tone, perfectly complemented by a transatlantic accent to allude to his older age and period in stasis. Keanu’s Shadow is just as quiet and wary, and his fish-out-of-water bluntness feeds through in comical ways. For example, when he eventually turns over to the hero side and teams up with Sonic, he says “don’t tell me you have a catchphrase?” in the most disdainful, pitying tone. I’m amazed at how well Keanu understood the character having not known much about him before.  

The film’s first 30-45 minutes is breathtaking. We go from scene to scene in quick succession as Shadow’s escape from the GUN Headquarters is revealed, then Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are recruited to help stop him, and then they go through an action-packed standoff in the middle of Tokyo (with an Akira reference thrown in for good measure), promptly defeated by Shadow, dragged into a quick conference meeting in Chao Garden with GUN Commander Walters, and then whisked away to Eggman’s hideout by the wonderful Agent Stone after Chao Garden is attacked by rogue Robotnik explosives. They cover a lot of ground, and it doesn’t seem rushed or overly crammed. In a way, they managed to encapsulate the vibes of City Escape and Radical Highway in a single opening sequence.  

After learning about Shadow’s history and discovering that Eggman’s grandfather is alive and has been waiting for Shadow’s revival to enact revenge on the world, Team Sonic is roped into infiltrating GUN Headquarters in London to retrieve the second half of a key to the Space Colony Arc’s eclipse cannon, and in doing so prevent the canon from being activated. It obviously doesn’t go to plan, as they’re thwarted by a senior GUN agent who seems to have her own ulterior motives which the film doesn’t fully cover (I assume we’ll learn more of her angle in Sonic 4), and then the two Robotniks manage to get the key for themselves and escape into the Canon with Shadow in tow. Everything leads to the final standoff in space, with Shadow finally coming to terms with his trauma and finding friendship in Sonic, sacrificing himself to prevent the canon from hitting earth – and Eggman also sacrifices himself to destroy the canon with him still inside. Throughout the space battle, we’re treated to a fantastic OST interspersed with the Live and Learn riff, a stunning Super Sonic-Shadow fight scene which oftentimes mirrors the Final Hazard boss level in the game, and a touching moment between Eggman and Agent Stone. I loved it.  

The middle third of the film is its weakest, as some scenes tend to drag compared to that brilliant opening, and some gags run on for a bit too long. This was also a part of the film that took the most adjusting to as it detracts from the game lore in the biggest way. In Sonic Adventure 2, Gerald Robotnik is already dead after his execution fifty years before the story’s events. He remains mysterious and palpably vengeful due to GUN’s slaying of Maria. In Sonic 3, he’s just as wacky and unhinged as movie Eggman, and of course, alive. The contrast between chaotic Gerald Robotnik and Shadow’s solemn flashbacks was a little jarring. I simply couldn’t fit movie Gerald into those sequences with Shadow and Maria. He came across as someone who had never been normal.     

There were a few other changes, for obvious reasons: Maria isn’t shot in cold blood directly, although it's implied that if the GUN soldiers had their way, she would have been. Instead, a soldier misfires his weapon and accidentally starts an explosion in which Maria dies. There is no Rouge in this story, and the Master Emerald plays a smaller, but similar role in helping Sonic defeat the canon. Conversely, the direct references to the games were loud and obvious to anyone who knows anything about Sonic. Before jumping out the plane to apprehend Shadow in Tokyo, Sonic says the iconic “talk about low budget flights! No food or movies? [I’m] outta here!” line which opens the first level of Sonic Adventure 2. Knuckles is revealed to fear ghosts, which is likely in reference to his levels in the game, Pumpkin Hill and King Boom Boo. The mention of Team Sonic comes directly from the game also, and when Tails establishes their roles in the team, he’s basically describing both Adventure 2 and Heroes. Chao Garden is another reference, which is of course the much-loved secondary world levels of Sonic Adventure 2. Finally, when Sonic and Shadow fight the eclipse canon, they strike the same pose that ends the game. A bit cheesy, but a nice tribute all the same. 

There are other small touches to this film that shows the team is doing their research and properly committing themselves to telling a well-rounded story. They’ve given Jim Carrey free reign to be Jim Carrey, and his Eggman is nothing short of genius. I also noticed that when the team arrived in London, they didn’t do the typical Hollywood thing and have some variation of the national anthem or God forbid, Rule Britannia playing in the background. Instead, we got Giggs and Mr Eazi’s London Town. I don’t know if this was Idris Elba’s suggestion, but it warmed my heart that the Sonic team knew that such a song would be a more fitting soundtrack for today’s modern London, which has been heavily culturally enriched by the Black community.   

Almost everyone else in the theatre promptly left as soon as the credits rolled. Clearly not real Sonic fans, as it’s already been stated that there are two additional scenes at the end. The first sees Sonic being assaulted by an army of Metal Sonics, and he’s saved at the last minute by a cloaked figure who turns out to be Amy Rose! I’m so glad I wasn’t spoiled on this. At this point, there was one other couple in the room. The theatre lights went on, and the security guard stood on the stairs by our row of seats, tapping his feet with Sonic-style impatience. “Just wait,” I told my husband, “there’s another one”. A moment later, and the credits end with Shadow retrieving one of his fallen rings from the ground. As with the games, he survives.  

Sonic 3 took the franchise to a different level. The consensus seems to be that Sonic 1 is the weakest of the three, which is to be expected as it’s mainly world building and setup, and the film was still very much in the shadow of its earlier controversy. Sonic 2 added in Knuckles, and the first major star VA in Idris Elba, as well as confirming Colleen O'shaughnessey for Tails, which was a huge win as she’s arguably the best VA Tails has ever had. With Sonic 3, the world has expanded, the stakes have been raised, and now we’ve been teased for a truly epic 4th outing, with Metal Sonic, Amy – and the return of Shadow. I assume we’ll get an adaptation incorporating Sonic Heroes and Sonic CD, and I’m intrigued by who else they’ll include, how they’ll reintroduce Eggman, and which aspects of the games they’ll keep. It’s safe to say the quality of these films isn't a fluke. I'm fully invested in whatever else the team will cook, and I’m already hyped for the next film.  

Oh and of course – much love to Lee Majdoub. He is so special. I love Agent Stone.