TheSonic the Hedgehogmovie franchise has been extremely kid-friendly in the first two installments, butSonic the Hedgehog 3needs to break a franchise trend because of how intense it looks. When it came time to bring SEGA’s iconic blue speedster to live-action, the originalSonic the Hedgehogmaintained the same level of fun and levity that is common in the video games and otherSonicmedia.Sonic the Hedgehog 3is continuing to explore the same group of characters, but Team Sonic’s encounter with Shadow the Hedgehog is notably different already.
Building offSonic the Hedgehog 2’s post-credits scene, the third film in the series pits Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails against Shadow, one of the most powerful characters from the video game series. The introduction of Shadow was expected to bring a certain level of darkness and seriousness to the movie, as both characteristics are tied to the black hedgehog. This understandably brought concerns about how the franchise would blend the fun, comedic vibes of the first two movies with Shadow’s more intense nature. Now thatSonic the Hedgehog 3’s traileris out, the franchise needs further adjusting.
Who Voices Shadow In Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 officially brings Shadow the Hedgehog into the franchise, and the movie cast a major actor who voices Shadow in Sonic 3.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s Story & Villain Makes It The Most Intense Movie In The Franchise
Shadow’s Arrival Changed The Franchise Tone
One of the big takeaways for me when theSonic the Hedgehog 3trailer came out was seeing just how much more intense the movie looked compared to the previous two live-action/CGI films.The previous movies were very much aimed at younger audiences, including juvenile humor at times, even as the stakes were raised by the end of each installment. They maintain a rather light-hearted tone from start to finish and rarely dive into territory that could be too intense, scary, or violent for kids. ButSonic the Hedgehog 3looks to be much more intense all the way around.
There is still humor featured in the footage that has been released to the public, butI can’t shake the more serious nature and potentially darker story thatSonic 3appears to have. Shadow is shown to be an extremely formidable opponent, one who pushes Team Sonic to the edge physically and emotionally. Furthermore,Shadow’s originstory is dark and tragic, and the movie is not going to shy away from those elements by all accounts. By tackling this villain and story,Sonic the Hedgehog 3looks significantly more intense than the PG entries from before.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Needs The Franchise’s First PG-13 Rating To Properly Tell Its Story
A PG Rating Could Be A Disservice
The story thatSonic the Hedgehog 3is promising to explore and its darker nature shows how badly the movie needs to be the franchise’s first movie to have a PG-13 rating. Paramount found success with the PG ratings that the first two movies received, as the first film made $319 million and the sequel made $405 million. Changing up the franchise formula could be risky, butSonic the Hedgehog 3needs a PG-13 rating based on Shadow’s inclusionand how the sequel appears to have utilized the video game character.
The marketing forSonic the Hedgehog 2made Knuckles look like a menacing threat, but Idris Elba’s villain proved to be more comedic than expected.Sonic the Hedgehog 3cannot do the same with Shadow without significantly undercutting the emotional impact of his story. The movie gettinga PG-13 rating would be a great sign that the franchise is maturing in its storytellingand characters with the third installment. It would signal thatSonic the Hedgehog 3is not going to pull any punches when it comes to bringing Shadow to life properly.
