It’s time to look at one of the all time best films. Sonic 3 is the kind of title that reminds you just how awesome the franchise is. It’s got nonstop action and laughs for all of the viewers. You won’t be the same person you were by the time you finish this movie, that’s just how good it is. Now the tough part is going to be waiting for that sequel!

The movie starts out with the ultimate life form known as Shadow breaking out of his containment unit. He quickly takes down GUN and starts a fire fight in Japan. At this point they are forced to call in Team Sonic but the heroes are quickly taken out as well. Their only hope may be in Eggman but the villain is in retirement after his crushing defeat in the second film. Is he even in a position to help this time or the heroes are barking up the wrong tree here?

Within 15 minutes we’ve already got different action scenes and the film keeps that energy up the whole time. How much you enjoy the film will really be connected to how much you enjoy the action and the characters running around. Fortunately that is all handled really well by the film. There really aren’t any bad characters here and everyone has their roles to play. Additionally the fights are all really intense and show how far the franchise has come.

Naturally the highlight of the film is Sonic vs Shadow but beyond that it was fun seeing the various chase scenes. Eggman even gets a big fight of his own near the end of the film which was pretty fun. His battle is definitely super over the top which is really the whole point of it but it works well. You’ll probably be cackling the whole time. The effects have never looked better so you can expect to see top tier visuals throughout the movie. This really should have been 2 hours so the movie could show off even more but I have no real issues here. Naturally the climax is absolutely top tier. You will be at the edge of your seat here.

As for the soundtrack, quite a few really good tracks there as well. The Shadow danger theme works really well and there were some really nice nods to the games. Some jingles here and there and even a big remix. It’s clear that they really wanted to make this a nice tribute to the fans and it definitely worked out well. Of course the big deciding factor for folks was always going to be the humans. Would they be able to keep up with the creatures or would the humans hold all of the scenes back.

Well, fortunately the humans are really solid. Generally speaking the humor was operating at a very high level. I was cracking up for most of the jokes. In any comedy film there will be some that don’t land of course and that was the case here as well but the important thing is that most of them landed. I was consistently chuckling as the characters got up to all of their nonsense. Sonic has the best jokes for the most part and they really nailed his cocky persona. The fact that he is always making light of everyone and not feeling like he is in danger is a really big deal. I would expect nothing else from the blue blur! I guess some highlights are the marble scene, the play on kunichiwaaaaaat, and reminding an opponent that if you’re gunning for the fastest thing alive then you better not miss.

Sonic learns about teamwork and things here but for the most part he’s still a one man show. When the going gets tough, Sonic gets going and doesn’t have time to wait for the others. I could really appreciate this because Tails and Knuckles mean well but obviously they are nowhere near Sonic’s level. So when there is a big threat that needs to be defeated, it’s not like Sonic can just wait and let them help. Worst case, they would just get in the way. This solo effort is portrayed as a bad thing but if Sonic had waited then they all would have died.

So yeah Sonic was on point here. I’d also give a shoutout to both Knuckles and Tails for both getting some really important moments. Knuckles in particular saved the day on multiple occasions which was really impressive. Meanwhile on the human side of things, Sonic’s guardians got their moments to shine as well. The whole GUN scenes were pretty cheesy of course but it’s probably hard to write in a plausible way for them to help out anymore so I’ll cut them some slack.

On the villain side, Agent Stone looks pretty solid here. He gets a really intense opening scene to the point where I was wondering what character was easily taking out the drones. Stone’s got more of an emotional subplot compared to the others which is tactfully handled with a good blend of humor and seriousness. That’s what the movies really specialize in after all. It can be hard to tell when a scene is supposed to be serious and emotional or when you’re laughing with the characters. The movie really plays with your emotions in all the best ways.

As for Eggman, he gets a lot of good insults and burns the entire time. His opening scene may have been a bit rough but after that he was really ready for action. The way he easily betrays everyone reminds you how the guy is a complete villain through and through. Don’t let all the joking fool you, this is a man who will do whatever he needs to in order to win. Then of course we have Gerald as well who acts a lot like Eggman but a bit more serious. He was another fun villain. I may have preferred Eggman but he was a good contrast.

Now I’m not going to say the movie is absolutely perfect. For every fun comedy scene that really landed like Wade showing up briefly you would eventually get a joke that didn’t quite land. Well the ratio might be more like 10-1 of jokes that worked vs didn’t. I would say Sonic not knowing where his heart is might be a little weak for example. Still, nothing that would really knock you out of the film at any point. Then of course you always have a lot of fun moments where the film wins you back anyway.

A good example of this is the Chao Garden when we get a double fake out. It’s just a really brilliant scene because it shakes you up multiple times. I dare say that a lot of films would not be able to pull that off. The movie gets a whole lot done in under 2 hours so this is also an example of top tier pacing. This even carries over to after the film is over. There are two scenes after the credits and the second is solid but the first may be the best across all of movie history. I have to think about it carefully but I can’t see anything else passing it.

Typically these scenes are very short, maybe a few seconds or so. This one includes a whole fight, real dialogue, and just continues things really well. It was an amazing moment and I can only imagine all the yelling in theaters when this happened. This is absolutely great news for Sonic 4 and I will be there for sure. Sonic continues to prove why it is such a top tier franchise. After the climax of this film with all the DBZ type action, it’s pretty easy to see how they can handle the rest of the fights that will be coming up. This looks better than 99% of all live action movies and I expect that to remain as the case for the sequels.

Meanwhile Shadow’s character arc was really top tier. They did the game justice for sure and I can already see how they will adapt his future story arcs. There is a ton of potential here without a doubt. Because of his high power level it might be a little tough to balance him though. They properly showed that he is significantly stronger than Sonic to the point where we needed some plot armor so who could possibly come in to challenge him? The main villain for 4 seems like a good pick and then we have Infinite but after that it’ll get difficult. Well, at this point I trust the writers. They seem to really have a strong understanding of the characters so I have absolutely no worries here.

Overall, Sonic 3 is an absolute masterpiece! Definitely check it out as soon as possible. I’m definitely going to be rewatching the fight a whole lot! Right now the quality online isn’t all that great though so it’ll be more fun in a few months or so. This was really a great adaption of Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and really hit just about all of the major notes I could have hoped for. It may not have done everything and left a little meat on the bone but I was still content. The Sonic movies continue to be better and better each time so the stakes are really high for the 4th one.

Overall 9/10