Sonic Movie Reviews: Our Verdicts on Every Film

Our Sonic movie reviews cover three films, and my short answer is that all three are good family entertainment, with a clear step up in ambition each time. Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) were all directed by Jeff Fowler, and all three carry a PG certification in the US, UK and AU. Streaming, rental and purchase options sit on where to watch sonic, and if you want the films in sequence first, start with sonic movies in order. A numbered list lives on sonic movies ranked.

Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) is good, in my opinion, mostly because it treats a hedgehog who can run at supersonic speed as a lonely one. The setup is simple: Longclaw sends young Sonic to Earth with a bag of magic rings after an attack on his home world, and ten years later he lives in a cave near Green Hills, Montana, spying on the locals, especially the friendly sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter). A bout of loneliness makes him lose control of his speed, the power goes out across the region, and the military calls in Dr. Robotnik.

Perhaps the best compliment I can pay it is that it plays like a good sitcom pilot, with a small town, an unusual new housemate and a neighbor who is far too eager. Ben Schwartz gives Sonic a chatty warmth, Marsden plays the straight man, and Jim Carrey turns dr robotnik into the film's engine. It runs 99 minutes, arrived in the US on February 14, 2020 after Paramount pushed the date back and the character was redesigned, and earned about $320 million worldwide on an $85 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. The full breakdown is on sonic the hedgehog 2020.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) is worth watching, although at 123 minutes it is the longest of the three and, in my opinion, the one most likely to test a younger viewer. Eight months after Sonic sent Robotnik to the Mushroom Planet, Robotnik escapes and teams up with Knuckles the Echidna, who is hunting the Master Emerald. Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) comes along to help Sonic, and Idris Elba, cast as the voice of knuckles sonic movie in August 2021, gives the echidna real gravity.

That being said, the ensemble gets crowded, and the hunt for one artifact stretches further than it needs to. The film opened in the US on April 8, 2022 and grossed about $405 million worldwide on a $90 million budget, per Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Kid Cudi's Stars in the Sky is a notable song on the soundtrack, and Tom Holkenborg returned as composer, as he did for all three films (sonic soundtrack). Read more on sonic 2 movie.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) is worth watching, and it is my favorite of the three because it gives Sonic an opponent he cannot simply outrun. The film opens in 1974, when the military agency G.U.N. captures an alien hedgehog named Shadow and Professor Gerald Robotnik studies him. In the present day Shadow is freed, G.U.N. Director Rockwell (Krysten Ritter) recruits Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Tom and Maddie to catch him in Tokyo, and Shadow has powers beyond anything the heroes have faced.

Keanu Reeves voices shadow the hedgehog movie, and Carrey plays both Ivo and Gerald Robotnik, which lets him be silly and sinister in the same film. It runs 110 minutes, 13 fewer than the second film, and it opened in the US on December 20, 2024. According to Box Office Mojo it earned about $492 million worldwide against a $122 million budget, the most of the series so far (sonic box office). The film page for sonic the hedgehog 3 has the details.

All three Sonic films are rated PG in the US, UK and AU, and I rely on that official rating rather than on my own age cutoff, since children differ so much. The practical difference between the films is length: 99 minutes for the first, 110 for the third and 123 for the second. If your household has a 7 year old, then in my opinion the first film is the gentlest place to start. After that, sonic characters helps explain who is who.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has no verdict yet because it has not been released. Paramount has set the US date for March 19, 2027, and the film is now in post production after filming ran from March 2 to May 15, 2026 in Berkshire, UK. UK and AU dates have not been reported. Status, cast and rumors are on sonic 4, and video news is on sonic 4 trailer.

So, if you are a parent choosing tonight's film, press play on the first one and decide from there. If you grew up with the games and want more story than slapstick, jump straight to the third, and keep the whole run in view on sonic movies.