This post contains potential spoilers and theories on Sonic 3.
The third installment of the live-action Sonic movies is coming out in just over 2 weeks, simply going off a little research and what I’ve seen on X, here’s why I think you shouldn’t bring a child under 5 to the big screens to watch the speedy hedgehog this Christmas season.
What we know so far from trailers is that Shadow the Hedgehog will be the main antagonist for Sonic and Co. for the film. Shadow seems to have been a lab experiment that was created by one of the Robotniks, went rogue, and is now out for revenge. (How ironic that he’s being voiced by Keanu Reeves, best known for his role as John Wick.)
IMDb gives us a little more to go off. (This is the spoilers, so last chance if you want to be surprised) IMDb gives us a plot synopsis that suggests Shadow’s mind was twisted when Maria Robotnik died and left him with one last wish: to make the world a better place. The grief, combined with his raw power and lab experiments, caused Shadow to spiral into a violent shell of what Maria wanted him to be. As the story progresses, Shadow will discover that there is a spacecraft that contains the capabilities to destroy Earth and everyone on it.
Shadow is known to be a morally questionable character across almost every Sonic universe. Sonic 3 seems to be going the route of a morally grey character who has been twisted by his circumstances and must grow past his trauma and face the consequences of his bad choices.
The trailers have also shown that Professor Gerald Robotnik is the one responsible for Shadow’s creation and his freezing in cryostasis where we find him at the beginning of the movie. I would guess that Gerald is also responsible for the death of Maria, indirectly if not directly.
Now, the reason that I think you should avoid bringing your little people to this movie while it’s in the theaters is because of the storyline that’s being covered. While Sonic and Sonic 2 are very light and joking films with serious themes and moments at critical points, Sonic 3 will likely be much heavier on the more grounded and gritty moments. The death of Maria is an integral part of Shadow’s story and there is not really a light way to go about the death of a little girl (at least there is not a good way to lightly address the moment).
Throughout the movie there are sure to be lots of flashbacks and reveals centered around Maria’s death and the impact it has on Shadow. I think that most kids 10+ would be sad, but able to manage the scary/sad moments that will inevitably be in the movie. But really those 9 and under will likely have a hard time processing the second-hand trauma that will come through the screen.
Cianan’s Content 