Double Carrey, double the fun
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Double Carrey, double the fun

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hits theaters on Friday, December 20th.

Whatever amount Paramount Pictures paid to lure Jim Carrey out of supposed retirement, it was worth every penny. The rubber-limbed comedian was pretty open about his financial motivations for playing Dr. Robotnik, the megalomaniacal mad scientist with the exaggerated brush mustache, stockpile of deadly electronics and unbridled resentment of fast space mammals. But just because it’s a salary gig for Carrey doesn’t mean he’ll come forward. On the contrary, the man behind “The Mask” sees his recurring role as Sonic the Hedgehog’s capricious, brash nemesis as a license to commit heists like he hasn’t done since the heyday of the Genesis. Every time the camera hits Carrey in the Sonic films, he’s performing tireless tricks – dancing with goofy aplomb, contorting his face into an expression no other human would have ever thought of, and hurling Grinchian insults in front of no one .

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Carrey has finally found a scene partner who can compete with his freak. It’s… Jim Carrey. One catch with this latest sequel is that it casts the actor in a dual role, allowing him to play both a returning Robotnik and his distant, estranged relative. Just watching the comedy legend in these films felt like watching a one-man show on the sidelines of an expensive all-ages comedy (which is even more true since half of the other characters on screen are digital generated on a green screen). But there are parts of Sonic 3 that are really just about Carrey playing both sides of a crazy family reunion. And as it turns out, two of him Are better than one.

So far, Carrey’s haughty approach to Eggman has been not only the highlight, but also the saving grace of these video game adaptations. The first Sonic the Hedgehog was strangely popular for such a touchy, talky family film. Why, one had to ask, did die-hards warm to a film that took their favorite blue blur from a 16-bit kingdom of speed and color and instead dedicated it to a drab buddy comedy starring James Marsden? Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was a slight improvement, primarily because there were fewer scenes with Sega’s speed demon in the passenger seat of a passing car, but it still relied heavily on wacky pop culture references and filling subplots for the wholesome human characters. Luckily, third time’s the charm for the franchise, which is finally picking up steam with a faster-paced adventure for Team Sonic.

Other than the bug-eyed Robotnik, the people in these films aren’t particularly interesting. Part three shortens the appearance time of the pig’s adoptive parents, little townies Tom (Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), even further, although the cast list expands to include cameo roles for Krysten Ritter, a lonely islander, and Bob from Mad Men . With fewer destination weddings and one-on-one conversations about Tom’s career goals, Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington’s script is freed to focus on our colorful alien menagerie: the bold, witty hedgehog Sonic (Ben Schwartz). . ; bright adolescent flying fox Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey); and the irony-immune Echidna Knuckles (Idris Elba), whose straightforward, brutal performance is clearly due to vocal and temperamental influence Drax the Destroyer).

The plot revolves around the introduction of fan favorite Shadow, who is like an angsty reflection of Sonic: a brooding anti-hero hedgehog (it feels a little silly typing those words) who has endured years of government containment, electricity in his eyes, and… Revenge against humanity escapes in his brain. The character is voiced by Keanu Reeves in his usual gruff Zen monotone and has a tortured backstory; Returning director Jeff Fowler lays it out through soapy flashbacks that give Shadow a defining, motivating, even vaguely Wick-esque loss. If that seems like an overly serious direction for a Sonic the Hedgehog movie (since when did that spiky-haired, finger-wagging mascot have to deliver a monologue about grief and revenge?), trust that a little melodrama is preferable to the trendy stuff Floss jokes that marked his film debut.

Speaking of which, this third film is inches away from being uncalled for Hop Redux of the original and closer to the geeky adventure plot of a Saturday morning cartoon – a much better fit for the character, and not just because Sonic and friends have raced through this landscape before. I really see the little guy runas in a pleasantly animated early chase through the streets and skyscrapers of Tokyo, a reminder that kinetic eye candy is what makes the best Sonic games. Part three also has more conceptual imagination than its predecessors: it picks up easily Moonraker And Mission: ImpossibleKaiju films and anime. The dialogue is a less encouraging mix of jokes, life lessons, and breathy declarations of conflict like “That. Ends. Now.”

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Carrey has finally found a scene partner who can compete with his freak. It’s… Jim Carrey.

Given the current improbable rate of improvement, the Sonic series should prove to be a success Toy Story 2First-class masterpiece in maybe five years. For now, it’s nice to report that these films are establishing themselves as kid-friendly blockbusters that don’t completely insult children’s intelligence or make their parents yearn for the quickest possible exit. If there’s a common denominator that unites the demographics, it’s probably a shared appreciation for the film’s comic star, who is as much a cartoon as our wide-eyed and – per internet demand – Dentally appealing hero. You could say that the star’s one-man buddy comedy is an example of successful sequel calculation: double Carrey, double the fun.