Starring: Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Krysten Ritter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves

Directed by Jeff Fowler

Paramount, out now

Team Sonic are sent to help the Guardian Units of Nations (yes, GUN), bring in a dangerous criminal on the loose in Tokyo. A criminal who looks like Sonic. And may be faster than Sonic…

This ridiculously fun series sprints into its third act with a movie that manages to be bigger, louder, faster and smarter. After the heavy team building of Sonic 2, this time around things hit the ground running and never really stop. Ben Schwartz and Colleen O’Shaughnessy as Sonic and Tails have a great back and forth Batman/Robin banter rhythm and Idris Elba’s cheerful Klingon-like Knuckles provides both the muscle and the deadpan humour.

On the human side of things, things are both crowded and a little less successful. The charming James Marsden and Tika Sumpter take a back seat as Tom and Maddie, Team Sonic’s human parents. They’re both very, very funny and it’s wild seeing Marsden do a bit with a ventriloquist dummy version of himself the same week he does haunting work as a terrified president in Paradise. Neither of them are used enough, and Natasha Rothwell and Shemar Moore as their sister and brother-in-law are relegated to cameos but also fun. Likewise, Kristen Ritter and Adam Pally, the former the new director of GUN, the latter Wade, the deputy sheriff of Green Hills and Knuckles’ best friend/sidekick. All these folks are great comedians. None of them get enough time aside, perhaps, from Marsden who provides the literal heart of the movie.

That being said, Jim Carrey is genuinely excellent as Doctor Robotnik and…Doctor Robotnik, Ivo’s grandfather. He gets both a full-on dance number and a surprisingly poignant meditation on abusive families as the Doctors Robotnik realise they’re ethically poles apart. Plus it’s not possible to praise Lee Majdoub enough as Agent Stone, Robotnik the Younger’s loyal acolyte. Like Carrey and Marsden he gets some dramatic beats this time around too and like them, he aces them.

That brings us to Keanu Reeves who plays Shadow as John Wick. That’s not a criticism either. Reeves’ determined, steely delivery gives the new hedgehog on the block the poignancy he needs and he’s a legitimate threat to the team. There’s a beat in here which will shock you, and shocks Shadow and Sonic alike. Reeves and Schwarz play it supremely well and there’s an emotional element to this movie that people who’ve pre-emptively decided video game adaptations are stupid will have no idea what to think about.

That huge cast orbits a surprisingly nuanced exploration of family and obligation. Shadow’s tragic past is twinned with Sonic’s own, and the movie explores the way the two hedgehogs were brought up with surprising delicacy and intelligence. Robotnik Sr too ends up a much more nuanced, tragic figure than you’d expect. As a whole, Sonic 3 put me in mind of Superman, and the movie explores found and chosen family in very similar ways.

It also has a robotic crab fight in the Thames, a mountain being destroyed by a black hole and a hedgehog heart to heart on the Moon. So trust me, the action doesn’t skimp either.

Verdict: No third entry in a franchise should be this good and I’m so glad Sonic 3 is. It’s very funny, heartfelt without being manipulative and has a bouncy, big design aesthetic that makes it a pleasure to watch. Honestly if you’ve not seen the others yet, do a triple bill. These movies are enormous fun and well worth taking a run at. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart