Story
Sonic the Hedgehog (voice of Ben Schwartz) and his friends Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) are enjoying a family picnic with their adoptive parents, Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), when an army helicopter lands unexpectedly next to them. Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) informs the group that Sonic and his friends are required to help the agency arrest an evil hedgehog named Shadow (Keanu Reeves) who has broken out of a prison in Tokyo.
Team Sonic sets off to prevent Shadow, who is intent on destroying all those who have wronged him, from using his ‘chaos energy’. Shadow has teamed up with Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), an evil human who has built the Eclipse Cannon – the most powerful weapon the world has ever seen. Robotnik’s desire for world domination is nearly equal to his evil grandfather Gerald Robotnik’s (Jim Carrey) desire to destroy the Earth and all who live in it. Team Sonic, however, is equally determined to save planet Earth.
Themes
Science fiction; loss of a loved one; revenge; action/adventure
Violence
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has a lot of violence. For example:
- Shadow manages to break out of his imprisonment. He knocks out all of the guards, smashes a window and escapes.
- Shadow destroys everything in his path. He picks up and throws cars, and creates carnage.
- Shadow shoots at Sonic and crashes into him on a fiery motorbike, and then takes off into space where he collides with Sonic, causing a widespread blackout.
- In a flashback, a massive explosion destroys the lab where Shadow was originally kept, killing many people including Maria, a young girl who had befriended Shadow.
- A man on a motorbike crashes into a cafe, crushing Commander Walters underneath a missile launcher.
- Sonic and his pals are tied up inside a building which explodes. They are seen floating in the centre of the building, before being sucked up through a hole in the roof into space. A whole mountain collapses beneath them.
- Shadow knocks out Commander Walters who looks dead. Sonic can’t wake him.
- Grandfather Robotnik repeatedly hits his grandson with a large hand. Grandson Robotnik then drills an electric screwdriver into his grandfather’s foot.
Sexual references
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has some sexual references. For example:
- Characters watch a romantic movie involving a love triangle between a woman and two brothers.
- ‘Man boobs’ are mentioned.
- Robotnik strips his agent’s shirt off, leaving him with a jacket on but bare chested and embarrassed.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no substance use in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Nudity and sexual activity
There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Product placement
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has some product placement. For example, Starbucks.
Coarse language
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has some coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the third animated adventure/science fiction movie in the series. This time Sonic is confronted by an evil and very dangerous Hedgehog who wants to destroy the world. The movie is fast paced and action packed but it does have a high level of violence. Some of the violence is done for laughs but there are also several upsetting scenes, which make the movie unsuitable for children under 8 years and more suited to older children and teenagers.
The main messages from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are that it’s important to try to make the right choices in life; and that love remains even after a person is gone.
Values in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 that you could reinforce with your children are courage, duty, teamwork, loyalty, selflessness and love.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 could also give you the opportunity to talk with your children about what it means to be driven by hatred and revenge. And whether anyone really wins when it comes to revenge.