Let’s not mince our words: SonicThe cinematic adventures of are now significant. Impossible to ignore, even. Sonic 2 is a great movie, but it also became the highest-grossing film adaptation of a game of all time. And you know what? It is deserved.
Beyond just creating a few good big-screen adventures, the Sonic movies have done a compelling job of creating a new take on the Sonic canon; a universe in which it is easy to get involved. With Sonic 3 officially coming, that means we can’t help but ask… what should be in it?
We have a few thoughts; certain selections of things we feel should appear in sonic the hedgehog 3, whenever it hits theaters. What would you like to see?
Chaos and a Sonic Adventure mash-up
Thanks to the post-credits stinger at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, we all know what the driving force behind the next movie will be: Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow was of course introduced in Sonic Adventure 2 and has a clearly established backstory (more on that later), but I don’t think that means this story has to be a pure SA2 adaptation.
The pieces of this adaptation are in place, to be fair. Sonic 2 introduces GUN, a key military organization in Shadow’s story. But I actually think the next movie should take inspiration from both Sonic Adventure titles.
SA2’s ultimate big bad is a dead man, Gerald Robotnik, the iconic villain’s grandfather. But the final stages of the fight are against a genetically modified lizard that was meant to be a prototype of the ultimate life form, like Shadow. Anyway, for my money the ‘Biolizard’ is a bit cheesy.
This is where the two stories could be combined, however. What if Gerald Robotnik had experimented on an ancient god-like being instead? That being Chaos, from the first Sonic Adventure. Chaos has a strong connection to Chaos Emeralds, and Shadow can use emeralds for the power of Chaos Control – so perhaps Chaos experiments were involved in Shadow’s creation?
This all lines up and would allow the film to visit iconic concepts and scenes from SA1 and SA2 in equal measure. This would match how the second Sonic movie was largely a mix of Sonic 2 and Sonic 3, allowing more nostalgia to be delivered at the same time.
live and learn
If you’re going to do a Sonic Adventure homage, one thing that really needs to happen is an appearance of Sonic’s go-to music from that era – the cheesy hard rock of Crush 40.
It’s true that the Sonic movies have their own musical signature, with Sonic dancing to pop music and hip-hop tunes marking the credits of both movies – but if this movie adapts an important track from Sonic Adventure 2, so be this song. or Escape from the City must appear. This is integral to the feel of these games.
Crush 40 wouldn’t cost much to fire, and they’ve already publicly stated how eager they are to get involved. Even a cameo, like the appearance of the Green Hill Zone theme in Sonic 2, would do the trick. But as the Sonic movie moves to use the Dreamcast era as its playground, the signature sound of that period deserves a nod.
Maria gets blown away
Earlier we mentioned Shadow’s backstory – and that’s what it’s all about. Sonic 3 should go there and portray the story as it was in the game, implying that Shadow’s main motivation for hating GUN and humanity being that Maria, a young human woman he was close to (and also Robotnik’s aunt, by the way) got cruelly killed by GUN, as did its creator, Gerald Robotnik.
It’s a pretty dark story for a cartoon character, but I think the Sonic movies have it in them to do it justice. And besides, there’s worse in a lot of Marvel movies. So let GUN shoot Maria. Let Robotnik learn that his grandfather has lost his mind. Go all the way. Why not?
Amy Rose
I have to admit, I didn’t think Sonic 3 was going to adapt any of the 3D games. The natural next step for me felt like a Sonic CD adaptation – introducing Amy and Metal Sonic, and completing the first cast of Sonic characters as introduced in the games.
But I understand. Shadow is a big deal, he’s incredibly iconic, and the reaction of the kids at the screening I saw proves the power of his introduction. There were audible gasps and excitement! Which is cool.
But there remains a void in this series; there are no female heroes. In the early games, Amy was obviously just a damsel in distress, then an annoying Sonic fangirl – but she’s come into her own in recent years. The whiplash-and-funny Sonic Boom version of the character is particularly good, and probably where the Sonic movies should draw inspiration from. Although the best Amy, for my money, was in the British “Fleetway” comics, where she was a crossbow-wielding freedom fighter.
Casting Amy seems easier than Shadow; I can imagine any number of comedians who could do an amazing job as her. And just as Sonic 2 had room to introduce Tails and Knuckles, I believe there’s room for Amy in Sonic 3. And that, in turn, could lead to…
A Little Planet Tease post-credits
The Sonic movies owe a lot structurally to the Marvel franchise – and one thing removed from the superhero business is the post-credits stinger, which of course is where we first learned of Shadow’s existence.
What could be the post-credits scene of Sonic 3? Well, to me the answer is obvious: I think it should be what I imagined it could have been for Sonic 2. A mysterious little miracle of a planet appears in the sky, chained to Earth by a huge chain. Perhaps we see a Sonic-like figure with a metallic sheen…
So, the stage is set for a loose Sonic CD adaptation – a time-traveling adventure that might even go back and forth alongside the other three movies. It seems natural.
And, as a bonus? Knuckles TV Show Should Have Chaotix
Before we get Sonic 3, there will be another dose of the Sonic Cinematic Universe; a spin-off TV series for Paramount+ where Idris Elba’s Knuckles will star.
Because this is a TV series, there’s a concern here that this will just try to be about Knuckles’ adventures on Earth, him and a group of humans. But…I really hope that’s not the case. It’s an obscure reference, but the Knuckles show is a perfect opportunity to once again expand the universe of traditional Sonic characters. You can take inspiration from the games for this – let Chaotix enter the fray!
