Cinepals - Just Watched SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3! | Non-Spoiler Review! | Ben Schwartz | Jim Carrey | Keanu Reeves

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

Jaby & Courtney just finished watching Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and shared their thoughts on the highly anticipated third installment of the beloved franchise! CAST: Sonic.................. Ben Schwartz (Invincible, Star Wars The Bad Batch, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie)  Tails............. Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Sonic Frontiers, Tom & Jerry, Final Fantasy VII Remake) Knuckles............. Idris Elba (Cyberpunk 2077, Extraction II, The Suicide Squad, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Avengers Infinity War, Zootopia, Pacific Rim) Shadow................ Keanu Reeves (John Wick, The Matrix, Bill & Ted, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, Toy Story 4) Tom Wachowski... James Marsden (X-Men, Enchanted, Disenchanted, Westworld, Anchorman 2, 30 Rock, Modern Family, X2: X-Men United, Zoolander) Dr. Robotnik........... Jim Carrey (Ace Ventura, The Mask, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Cable Guy, Dumb and Dumber, Man on the Moon) Captain Rockwell.... Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Jessica Jones)   SOCIAL MEDIA ~CINEPALS~  YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals   ~CORTNEY WRIGHT~ Instagram: @CortneyScottWright

Um, excuse me. We just got back from watching Sonic 3 Hedgehog. The Hedgehog, hold on. Because the way, the way-Hedgehog. Because the way it is on the poster, it's like Sonic 3, the Hedgehog, especially the way it comes up during the movie. Anyway, this will be a non-spoiler review.

I don't think there's a need for us to dive into any spoilers, and I think that we can actually talk quite lengthy about this movie without going into any spoilers. This is one of the few instances that I feel confident that we can accomplish that. This is rich with possibilities of conversation. But let's give you a quick summary. Sonic, Tales, and Knuckles reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow,

a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they've faced before. With their abilities outmatched, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance. Who might that be? Who might that could be? I really wasn't sure what to expect going into this, because the thing is, like, we're our third installment in. Usually you get diminishing returns. And by the end of the movie, I was like, dang, this might be my favorite Sonic movie to date.

The last one was so amazing with, you know, we get to see Sonic in Tales. They're battling knuckles in Sonic 2. And so I was like, where are we going to go with this? Because I wasn't as familiar with Shadow. I was a little bit on the fence, and I just went in as a blank slate. And I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was a lot of fun. It was really about them solidifying the team of three.

So, like, saving the world. For me, what stood out most was the humor and the comedy. I think they amped it up. Like, I mean, definitely Jim Carrey never really fails in bringing something, like, ridiculously comedic to the show. I think he went above and beyond with this one, and that was probably my favorite part. Yeah, I mean, I definitely have complaints. There are things about this film that I think are flawed for sure.

But I think that might be just me as a grown-up watching this. Because as a kid, I imagine that it was. would be way more funny, especially my biggest complaint is Sonic himself, because I thought everybody else around was funny and all of Sonic's jokes, most of Sonic's jokes, were tired. Well, he's the straight man. Sonic is completely the straight man. Like, Knuckles, when Knuckles was introduced into the show as part of Team Sonic, he's the best. He really took over. He's like the Drex of Sonic the Hedgehog. You really can't top. I'm like Star Lord's funny, but Drex steals every scene. And so that's how I felt about knuckles. It's been that way since the second one.

Yeah, to be perfectly honest with you, I barely remember the second one. I more so remember the first one, the introduction into this whole saga. The second one, I think I was a little bit distracted because there was a dude next to me doing some weird. Don't do that. No. I talk about this in the previous review we did for Sonic 2. It was just highly distracting. But this one was just so much fun all along the way. There were instances where I felt like Jim Curry, Jim Carrey was like very extra Jim Carrey. And I'm like, you're going to dial that back a little bit. But there were instances that definitely made me laugh hard. There were. What you said about like, you know, maybe like little kids would definitely enjoy the humor more. I think that there was a lot of that

humor that was geared towards the 90s and things that happened that were very specific to that era. Even some of the jokes that I think are going to go over kids' heads. And that was really for the parents. Yeah. So. You know what was a weird comparison being drawn in my mind as we were watching the film was, is Deadpool and Wolverine or just Deadpool in general. Deadpool has this tendency to be very comical, very self-aware, breaking the fourth wall. But at the same time, there's a lot of heart and there's moments that are very, very touching. And then it'll swing right back into humor again. And this film definitely did that. that. Not in such a way that felt like it was undermining the emotional aspects of the film,

but just kind of helping it. It's all like, I agree. You know, just all one big ball of fun. Like, there is so much humor in the film to be extracted. Even in the small things of where they decide to have a meeting is just like the most random spot ever, right? A lot of small stuff where there is definitely like humor where if you're just paying attention is hilarious because it's so odd. I'm just trying not to say too much. It's just very nuanced and smart, also very silly and goofy and over the top and slapstick. It's like the whole spectrum of humor is here. Kind of like talking without talking about the moments that you're referring to in terms of like the setting really helped to create moments of comedy throughout the entire movie because it's almost like it was a character in and of itself.

Our natural villain, Dr. Robotnik, is it Dr. Eggman? You can say either one and it's fine. Okay. So because, you know, I got confused. And I was like, he's always been Dr. Robotnik to me. So I don't know. I don't think anyone's going to fault you for either one. one, honestly. Okay. I loved the way that we got to see different levels for him and how the setting,

you know, because I was already talking about the setting, that leaned into the introduction of this version of him that we haven't seen yet before, you know. And I'm just talking about the main doctor, this new, you know, we all know what he went through, even though you, you don't really remember the second one. I don't remember the second one at all. Not at all. I was surprised to see him. I'm not going to lie. But I just think that Jim Carrey always finds new levels of ridiculous comedy that is, you know, unexpected. I appreciated that because, you know, he's one of my favorites anyway. One thing that you might hear people talk a lot about is the visual effects.

I think the visual effects was stunning in this movie for the most part. Especially in the third act, there were moments of like the way sunlight would hit Sonic or Shadow and just how lifelike they looked in that moment. I was just so, like, blown away at what I was seeing on screen. Yeah, and you said something when we were in the theater. about this series has come a really long way from where it started and how it's become this, like, popular icon. And if you think about where the initial trailer,

the very first trailer, somebody was so up in arms about the way that the character looks. And then to hear you just say right now, like how visually stunning it was. And I found myself noticing. No, I found myself noticing the look of his face, of shadow's face, of knuckles and tails, like the real definition that it was,

still playful, reminiscent of the Sonic games that we have come to know, I couldn't look away. There was some definite nods that I picked up on to The Matrix, to Dragon Ball Z maybe. Just in anime action in general, like, the action in this is actually quite phenomenal. Watching what's happening on screen, it's mind-blowing at times. I'm like, this is actually really fun. It's like riding that edge of PG.

It's like a really hard PG. There's like choreography in the fight scene. going on between Sonic and Shadow and everybody. And it's really creative, really fun, and it feels on par with the kind of stuff that you would see in Dragon Ball or anime in general. There was, like, a music nod to The Matrix the moment Shadow shows up

because he's played by Keanu Reeves, right? I don't know what that sound is called. It's, like, very iconic that I always associate with The Matrix. It sounds like glass or something like that. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah. Yeah.

There are a couple of, I definitely a couple of nods to The Matrix and given, like, who was voicing Shadow. And I was there for all of it. Like, I loved it. I loved Shadow. There was something really fun for me. Because when Keanu Reeves did the voice in Toy Story of the motorcycle guy. Of the motorcycle guy.

Like Duke something. I think his name was, I don't even remember. But he was so funny. So I was kind of wondering, is he going to develop this funny persona? And he did not. Like Shadow was completely straight going through his own journey. It was really interesting to see the depths and levels that, this character, which is, you know, kind of different,

even from the journey that Knuckles went through in the last one. You know, there were still moments of bits of humor within Idris Elba's performance as Knuckles in two as well as in this one. He had a real interesting and kind of powerful journey, and I was really there for it. This might be one of my favorite roles for Keanu Reeves, actually. Me too. Yeah, because the emotion that he brings to it and the gravitas he brings to it,

the coolness, like everything you love about Keanu Reeves, is here in this movie. And it's wicked. It's so dope. So good. Yeah. So good. Like, right down to it.

And I know he didn't design the character, but I literally told, I literally told Jaby, I was like, listen, they come out with those shoes. I might have to own a pair. Yeah. Because, like, Shadow was doing the most. Yeah. When we were sitting in the theater waiting for the film to start, because it's a screening, right?

They had Shadow on his motorcycle. And I'm just looking at the design of the character with the, whatever, the hair or whatever, and the motorcycle and the shoes. I'm like, damn, this bitch is, like, cool looking. He is coming to win, and he did. Even when he, you know, like you said, in the third act, when we get to see a different version of our hero characters, the beauty that was the design was so gorgeous.

And I can't wait for you guys to, like, comment once you see it. So in terms of just the story progression in this film, I think that it does such a good job of doing this, climb. And you deal more with screenwriting professionally more than I do. How did you feel about the structure of the story? Because I thought it was quite strong. The way it came in with the introduction, the way it just kind of slowly like ramped up. And when I thought it was over, it just kept going up. But not in a way that was off-putting. Like I enjoyed Man of Steel, but like the third act of that film is full of chaos in a way that is off-putting, right? For me, not to rub anybody the

wrong way. But I'm just saying like this film definitely like kept upping the Annie, but in a way that kept me engaged somehow. Sometimes obnoxious because of the humor. It got on my nerves sometimes, but overall, my enjoyment level was high. I thought that the story was great. I love the way that they introduced Shadow. I thought it was very, I don't want to say special, but I love the way that they just got into it. Because a lot of times I find in, like, animated films, like, there's this slow buildup where they're revealing the villain, or there's this, like, it comes too fast, and I don't really know what's going on. and the way that they just kind of like slowly open the door to him

and then like metered out the history of his story, I really love the way that they crafted it. I thought it was very well told. Jim Carrey is back as his kooky self. He hasn't lost a beat. He hasn't slowed down. Age has not slowed this man down. And there is like some epic scenes in here where I wondered if it was him

because of the agility in the movement. I'm like, is that Jim Carrey? Because it looks so good. I mean, I was wondering the same thing. I was like, how are we doing this? Exactly. I'm like, is that actually him doing these, you know, like movements? Like, there was a smoothness to it.

Yeah. That was really funny. But at the same time, I was like, yes, get it. Yeah. Every talent of Jim Carries is on display in this movie. But the physicality is really brought to the forefront in this film in a very, very profound way. And I'm like, dang, he still has it. I don't know how.

he does it. This takes me actually back to the visual effects because there is a sequence in the film. I don't want to say too much. I don't want to give anything away. When you get to the film, it's full of lasers and Jim Carrey. So that'll clue you in as to what I'm talking about when you think back to this part of the conversation. There is some next level visual effects going on in that scene where I was looking for the seams and I couldn't find it. This is crazy. This is just like a kid's movie. It's like you didn't have to go all the way like that, but you did. And the visual effects, I just want to keep harping on that. Like they did such a phenomenal job. with the visual effects in this.

And I think, for me, like, the coolest part of that scene, this is going to sound silly. The costuming was so simplistic that the visual effects, when added on and layered onto this very simple seeming outfit, enhanced it and made it the scene all the better. Like, I can't even, like, I was just like, wait, this is, oh, my God, this is ridiculous. And I love it. at the screen, just to kind of, like, butter people up.

Let's just call it what it is. They were giving out toys, like these little plush dolls. I got a little frustrated because they said you could only take one. I'm like, why are you giving me choices? Now, I just, I would rather have this. Keep us a set of four. Don't present this to me at all if I can't take all four with me. Because as the movie started, I'm like, I want Shadow now.

Like, I took Knuckles. I wanted Shadow and Tails, because Tails is my favorite. Yeah. Obviously, we don't have them on us right now because they're downstairs. But the thing is, after the film, Courtney was. Like, I wonder if anyone left their toys behind. And she, like, looked around the theater just out of curiosity. And I'm like, Courtney, no one left it behind because they all enjoyed the shit out of this movie.

So everyone kept their plush dolls. So even the guy next to you. Even the guy next to me who didn't even want his Sonic. He was like, oh, I didn't know which one to get. Do you know, which one I have chosen? You know, I got the blue one. That's the hero. I'm like, sir, what are you doing here?

Yeah. If you don't want it, can I have it? Because, you know, like, I got tails, but he needs a friend. Yeah. Yeah. That dude, he kept asking you questions. I'm like, what the hell's going on over here? Like, well, that guy stopped.

But yeah, anyway, I enjoyed the crap out of this film. From end to end, it was just like a nonstop ride. And if you've got kids with you, they will not be bored. It touches it on some of the, I guess the touchstones of what you would hit with a Pixar film. Because Pixar films often have an emotional core to it. And this film definitely has that, which was very surprising. Again, I don't remember. remember my experience with Sonic 2 very well.

And Sonic 1 for me was more of like, oh, this is fun, and then it was over. It felt like an 80-minute movie to me. And what I remember in my mind, it felt very quick, you know. Sonic 2 had a very fast and the furious feel. It's about family. You know what I mean? But this one, like, it really roots you into something emotional.

I'm like, this is actually really good. I damn near cried in this movie. I was like, you've got to be kidding me. In a Sonic movie? No, no, no, no, no, no, monsieur. I am not crying today on this. Wow, I was like, okay, I am staying to the end because I got to know some things.

Yeah. What are the things? You can't just leave me here. Yeah. And I was not disappointed. Oh, yeah. You get two after credit scenes, if you guys are curious about that. Yeah.

So one mid-roll and then one at the very end. So make sure you stay all the way to the end for that. That about does it. I strongly recommend this movie. I hope you guys watch it. I hope you guys enjoyed as much as we did. And that's it for now. I'm Jabby Coy. This is Courtney Scott Wright.

Peace out.