Dr. Robotnik Joins the Good Guys vs. Shadow

Jim Carrey really goes for it in the “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies. In the third of the trilogy, he’s not just (a shaggy, flabby) Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik, he also plays the character’s own long-lost dad.

Things are about to get weird(er).

This time, Robotnik is forced to join the forces of good to help take down the powerful Shadow the Hedgehog (no relation to Sonic; this one is voiced by Keanu Reeves). But before his does, Eggman has to shave his head and let out his form-fitting suit.

So it’s Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and Robotnik vs. Shadow, a “mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before,” the logline reads. “With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.”

No spoilers, but we bet the strategy involves running really, really fast. And “Knuckles,” who has his own spinoff series on Paramount+, is probably going to punch some stuff.

Jeff Fowler returns to direct the Paramount Pictures film, which also stars James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, and Lee Majdoub, along with newcomers Alyla Browne and Krysten Ritter. “Sonic 3” marks Reeves’ debut as Shadow.

In addition to Paramount, Sega Sammy Group, Original Film (yes, that’s a production company’s name), Marza Animation Planet, and Blur Studio produce “Sonic 3.” Individually, it is Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara, and Hitoshi Okuno who produce. Fowler, Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi, Yukio Sugino, Tommy Gormley, and Tim Miller executive produce. The film’s story is by Pat Casey and Josh Miller, who wrote the screenplay along with John Whittington.

The “Sonic the Hedgehog” films are based on the classic Sega Genesis video games.

“Sonic 2” the movie was not exactly a classic, according to critic Siddhant Adlakha. In an April 2022 review for IndieWire, Adlakha wrote that “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” was “lifeless” and “without charm or personality.” Adlakha believes a “rushed” CGI job was at least part of the problem.

“It’s visual soup where nothing pops or stands out,” Adlakha wrote. “Almost nothing anyone does or says feels rooted in recognizable character traits.”

In 2020, IndieWire’s chief film critic David Erlich gave the original “Sonic” film the same grade as Adlakha gave the sequel: C-.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” zooms into theaters on December 20; watch the trailer for here: