With a couple of high-profile video game turned movie and movie turned video game releases in December, I wanted to review both.
In theaters: “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”
In previous columns I have made clear my love for classic video game franchises, including “Final Fantasy” and “The Legend of Zelda,” but one franchise I have yet to declare my love for in print is “Sonic the Hedgehog.”
My love for the blue blur dates back to when I was about 8 years old and one of my friends introduced me to a game that changed my life forever, “Sonic Adventure 2” on the GameCube. Prior to that, my uncle had owned a Sega console when I was little with some of the original games, but my first real foray was with “Adventure 2.”
This ties directly into my feelings for Sonic’s latest race onto the big screen with “Sonic 3” because both entries introduce my favorite character, Shadow. The black and red hedgehog serves as a rival and anti-hero to Sonic, as they have clashed over the years across countless games at this point. With the most recent game, “Sonic X Shadow Generations” that released in October, I came to the realization that I was in fact way more of a Shadow fan, with all my favorite games in the series including him as a playable character. Whether it was the terrible “Shadow the Hedgehog” game in 2005 or 2003’s “Sonic Heroes,” I always loved playing as Shadow when I could.
Between my love for Shadow and rumblings that the iconic track from “Adventure 2,” “Live & Learn,” would be in the movie, my excitement was at an all-time high for the movie, and I was not disappointed.
Since Sonic graced the big screen, I have been a big fan of Ben Schwartz’s work as the character, and thought it was the best live action adaptation we had gotten of a video game, until “Fallout,” which I talked about earlier this year. In addition to Schwartz, the cast is extremely high profile with Jim Carrey as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, Idris Elba as Knuckles the echidna, James Marsden as Tom, who basically adopts Sonic and friends, and now the legendary Keanu Reeves as Shadow.
For me I feel like these movies, as well as the Knuckles series, have filled a void that was left as both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have struggled to find an identity in the 2020s. The series has been a joy to follow as so much care and effort have been put into the little details. Side note — Sonic beating Disney’s latest live-action adventure, “Mufasa,” at the U.S. box office over the first few weeks both were in theaters truly put a smile on my face.
Shifting to “Sonic 3” the movie follows Sonic, Tails and Knuckles trying to thwart the plans of Gerald Robotnik (Ivo’s grandfather and also played by Carrey) and Shadow as they try to destroy the world to get revenge after the military group GUN, accidentally killed Maria Robotnik, Gerald’s granddaughter and Shadow’s best friend, and locked both Gerald and Shadow away for 50 years.
For me the highest points again are the acting, Carrey does a phenomenal job portraying the whacky grandfather-grandson duo of the Robotniks and steals the show when he is on screen. Schwartz is also able to add more range and emotion to Sonic than he has in the past based on some plot points that I will not spoil here. Reeves is also a tremendous addition as Shadow and I look forward to seeing more of him on screen, with rumors of a potential standalone Shadow movie or show on the way. Elba also continues to provide laughs as Knuckles.
This is a great movie to bring the kids to and they will get a kick out of the humor and seeing these characters brought to life on the big screen. For longtime Sonic fans, the movie is chocked to the brim with references, specifically to “Adventure 2” and each brought the biggest smile on my face, between references to that game’s final boss, as well as Sonic’s iconic opening line from the game and the aforementioned “Live & Learn” track. They also made some light changes to Shadow’s backstory that I don’t think will have a huge impact on his character, but I am interested to see the direction they go with him.
With good humor, high octane action scenes, a tremendous cast and some emotional moments, I think “Sonic 3” is the perfect movie to bring your kids to this holiday season and is a treat for longtime fans of the series.
On Xbox Series X/PC: “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle”
To say I am a fan of the classic “Indiana Jones” films is an understatement. I was introduced to these movies by my dad at a very young age and they have stuck with me since then. While “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “Dial of Destiny” were disappointing, they will never tarnish my love for the original trilogy, with “Raiders of the Lost Ark” standing out as a timeless classic in my book.
While “Indiana Jones” has had some forays into video games in the past, these games were largely off my radar when I was growing up and “The Great Circle” was my first experience with an “Indiana Jones” game and I was not disappointed.
The idea for the game was initially pitched back in 2009 to Lucasfilm by one of the faces of Bethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard, known for his work with the “Fallout” and “Elder Scrolls” series. Eventually he was given the greenlight and worked as executive producer on the game, which developed by Machine Games, one of the other studios under Bethesda’s broader umbrella.
I was familiar with Machine Games because of their work on the modern “Wolfenstein” series, an alternate take on history if the Nazis had developed advanced technology and won World War II. With the studio’s attention to detail with history and coming up with gripping narratives, I was pretty sure the story would be an interesting tale with extremely charismatic villains, and I was happy to be correct.
One thing that I did not anticipate however, was the fact that they nailed the tone, theme and identity of “Indiana Jones” with “The Great Circle.” Renowned voice actor Troy Baker lends his talents as the titular Jones and does an amazing Harrison Ford impersonation that I could not believe at times.
The game hooked me immediately as the opening sequence is a shot for shot remake of the iconic intro to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and really did not lose much momentum after that. “The Great Circle” takes place a year after “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and works as an excellent direct sequel. The main story is a gripping and fun globetrotting adventure in search of the pieces of the Great Circle, which form a line around the world connecting various historical sites. As always, Jones finds himself up against the Nazis in the chase for these 13 artifacts, led by Emmerich Voss, played by Marios Gavrilis.
Remember when I mentioned charismatic villains? Well Voss fits the bill entirely, previous antagonists created by Machine Games have been ridiculously over the top Nazis, that are intense, a little bit terrifying and downright insane. He works as an excellent opposite to Jones as he works to use the artifacts for nefarious purposes and their clashes are the high points of the game.
The game is also a little deceiving in the way it is played. While it is full of tremendous action sequences, the game is largely a stealth and puzzle game, where combat is best avoided. This is not an “Uncharted” or “Tomb Raider” inspired game by any means. The puzzles can genuinely be frustrating but are well designed and the stealth mechanics are largely forgiving.
One thing that must be mentioned is the attention to detail. From the iconic punching sound effects to the crack of Jones’ whip, the sound design is a treat for longtime fans of the series. The humor is also peak “Indiana Jones,” which means that it’s campy and silly at times, but they truly nailed it.
Overall, much of the game’s side content complements the narrative well and helps to expand the story and even Jones himself. However, my one gripe is the penultimate area players will explore is a complete chore to get through, but the compelling narrative helped me push through.
For fans of games or “Indiana Jones,” “The Great Circle” is a must play and one of my favorite games that came out in 2024.
