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Sonic 3 is finally here, and that means that it's time for all of us to grab our gold rings, race to the cinema, and get ready to see everyone's favorite hedgehog speedster face his biggest challenge to date. Here, we tell you everything you need to know about the new movie before you lock yourself in!
If you didn't know already, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 came out just before Christmas in 2024. The sequel to some of the best adventure movies of all time, this outing sees Sonic finding an unlikely ally in Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik in order to face his most terrifying enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog. The new character is voiced by the legendary Keanu Reeves, and, after seeing the latest Sonic 3 trailer and knowing he has done extensive research for the part, we can tell already it is iconic.
Sonic 3 release date
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released just in time for Christmas in 2024. The United States got it first on December 20, before it was released in the United Kingdom on December 21.
We are currently still waiting on a streaming release date. However, there is no doubt that it will be announced sometime in early 2025. So, keep your eyes on this page!
Sonic 3 reviews
While sequels are always a tricky issue in terms of quality, the good news is that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reviews have so far been wildly positive. Currently, the film has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This score is significantly higher than the previous two films, making Sonic 3 arguably the best video game movie of the year.
While we still prefer the first film, we also gave the new flick a positive rating in our Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review, writing that it is "a fine, wheel-turning installment in a continually burgeoning franchise that will no doubt continue for many years to come."
So, in short, if you were wondering if this film was worth your time, then yes, it is!
Sonic 3 plot
Sonic 3 is inspired by the video game Sonic Adventure 2 and picks up with our ragtag group as they face a new enemy. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles face a powerful adversary in Shadow the Hedgehog. Out of their depth, they decide to make an unexpected alliance with Dr. Robotnik in order to save the planet.
Speaking to GamesRadar+ earlier in 2024, producer Toby Ascher told us that he thinks the movie is "probably the most exciting thing that we’ve done in the franchise." He continued: "It’s going to be this giant, fun, incredible movie that obviously takes a lot from Sonic Adventure 2 and some of the games that I know the core Sonic Team grew up loving."
We don't want to give away too many spoilers here, but let's just say that there are plenty of Sonic easter eggs for fans to enjoy and that the film does leave the door open for Sonic 4. If you want to dive into all the spicy details, you can also head on over to our guide breaking down the Sonic 3 ending.
Sonic 3 cast
The Sonic 3 cast is pretty stacked, as many of the major stars return for the threequel. Alongside the major names too are some newcomers, including Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter and John Wick's Keanu Reeves.
The latter has apparently been doing a lot of research to get in character as Shadow, with the director Jeff Fowler revealing "he really wants to get it right." In a recent interview, Fowler said: "He really wanted to create a very fan-faithful version of the character. He did research. In our first meeting, he very clearly had gone and done his homework, which was awesome."
Check out the full voice and live-action cast list below.
- Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog
- Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails
- Idris Elba as Knuckles
- Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog
- Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik (and Gerald Robotnik)
- James Marsden as Tom Wachowski
- Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski
- Krysten Ritter as Director Rockwell
- Natasha Rothwell as Rachel
- Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone
- Alyla Browne as Maria
- Shemar Moore as Randall Handel
- Adam Pally as Wade Whipple
- Tom Butler as Commander Walters
- James Wolk as a young Walters
- Jorma Taccone as Kyle Lancebottom
- Sofia Pernas as Gabriella
- Cristo Fernández as Pablo
Sonic 3 trailer
You can watch the latest Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer above, where we can see Sonic and his pals enjoying a peaceful lunch at the Chao Garden when Tails is mistaken for Detective Pikachu, and some killer robots turn up. We also get our best look yet at Shadow, who looks like a terrifying new foe. This isn't the only trailer we've had, as an earlier trailer showed us Shadow for the first time.
"He's too powerful," Sonic says at one point before the team decides they need help from none other than Dr. Robotnik. "If I can't rule the world, I might as well save it," Robotnik says as he joins the gang in their fight to beat Shadow. Oh, and we also see Robotnik reunite with his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, in the final few moments too.
We also had a new clip released for Halloween also gave us another look at Shadow as well.
For more, check out all of the new movie release dates still to come.
