Game on – again! Jim Carrey (The Mask, Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber) thought he was done after the second movie and told Director Jim Fowler he would only look at the script if it was printed with gold ink. It was! And that gold laden script is now worth $100,000! He plays TWO mustachioed characters.Carrey liked the idea of a dual role. He plays Dr. Ivo Robotnik who is Sonic’s arch-nemesis, and now, also, Ivo’s grandfather, Gerald (also Jim Carrey) who might have some nefarious machinations.
Director Jim Fowler never thought he’d get this far when he started working on Sonic Hedgehog at Tim Miller’s Blur Studio before it became a franchise starting as a TV series in the 1990’s. He’s directed all three feature films since 2020.
Ben Schwarz (all 3 Sonic films, Parks and Recreation), is back providing the voice, attitude and comedy for Sonic’s iconic character. He is the soul, the conscience and the essence who carries the film. The script was written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington, with space left for improv for Schwarz and Carrey. John Marsden as Tom (X-Men, Enchanted, Westworld) and Tika Sumpter as Maddie (The Sonic franchise, The Old Man and the Gun), are our Hedgehog’s good-looking live-action best friends. Marsden’s character is severely injured spending two thirds of the film off-camera while igniting Sonic’s own revenge instincts.
Carrey likes to get involved in his projects. Here, he’s credited with the title of Artist Consultant. He even helped design some of the prosthetics for the elder of his two characters, plus getting involved with the editing. And between Schwarz and Carrey, there’s always room for improvisation and physical comedy. Carrey had let his hair grow since shooting Hedgehog 2 and in the scene where you’ll see Dr. Ivo get his head shaved, Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub) buzzes all of it off live on camera. One take only!
Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) once again play Sonic’s animated creature-buddies. Elba puts his deep, mellifluous voice to good use here. They’re a family, there for Sonic no matter what. Krysten Ritter, in the role of Agent Rockwell, of G.U.N.(Guardian Units of Nations), is a tough cookie purportedly trying to help save the world. But she is totally underused and a minor plot device.
Fowler teased the character Shadow (Keanu Reeves) mid credits in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as having great powers. He’s given an extensive backstory. Shadow was very devoted to a young girl, Maria, the live action character played by Alyla Browne (young Furiosa), Shadow seeks revenge for what happens to her. He is a dark character in this film and Reeves plays him with a John Wickian edge. He even has his own theme song by Crush 40, called “Live and Learn” which introduced his character in the second Sonic movie, now played again when Shadow appears in this film.
There are a lot of colorful characters based on the popular video game with vivid action as superheroes fend off those trying to, once again, take over the world. Stay to the very end of the credits for a clue to what’s next. If you haven’t seen the first two films, and are not into the game, you may be lost. No matter, these animated heroes interacting with live actors present enough mindless action and fun.
Paramount Pictures 1 hour 49 minutes PG
In Theaters… date
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