Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Needs To Change The Franchise Formula To Avoid A Major Disappointment

Summary Sonic the Hedgehog 3 must change the franchise formula to avoid disappointment among fans of the SEGA video game series.

The upcoming film needs to focus on Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as an ensemble cast rather than just Sonic alone.

Giving equal focus to all three main characters will not only benefit the heroes but also allow for more development of the new antagonist, Shadow.

If Sonic the Hedgehog 3 wants to succeed, it needs to change the franchise formula in a big way to avoid a major disappointment. The first two live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movies have been received well by fans of the SEGA video game franchise, with it being mostly faithful to the elements that matter. However, the Sonic the Hedgehog movies have had a problem with balancing their fairly large casts, and if the upcoming third film wants to be better than its predecessors, then Sonic the Hedgehog 3's cast needs to try something new that the movies haven't yet done.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is one of the most exciting video game movies of 2024, with it rounding out the first live-action Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. After building up to the film with two movies and a spinoff Knuckles TV show, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will finally see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles go up against one of the most iconic video game villains: Shadow the Hedgehog. While this is exciting, it is expected that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will fall into some of the same pitfalls of its predecessors, something the movie really needs to fix.

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Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Needs To Be A Proper Ensemble Movie, Not A Sonic Solo Story

Giving Each Character Equal Focus

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If Sonic the Hedgehog 3 wants to succeed, then it needs to be a proper ensemble movie rather than a Sonic solo story. The first Sonic the Hedgehog was undoubtedly a solo story, with the titular blue blur being the only video game protagonist in the film. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was also mostly centered on Sonic, with Tails being sidelined through most of the film and Knuckles acting as a secondary antagonist turned secondary protagonist after his ally with Dr. Robotnik ended. On top of that, the film has also had to focus on Sonic the Hedgehog's controversial human characters.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 needs to address this by giving Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles equal focus, treating them as an ensemble cast rather than as a protagonist and two supporting characters. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 didn't have much for Tails to do, and he didn't cause Sonic to grow in any way, making him kind of pointless. Since Knuckles doesn't have a huge role in the Shadow story, some fear that the same thing may happen to him. Thus, they all need to go on a journey together in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, both literally and in their character arcs.

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Sidelining Tails Or Knuckles Will Be Disappointing After Sonic The Hedgehog 2

It Would Be The Movie's Biggest Crime

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Tails was already sidelined in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but Knuckles became a pretty interesting character throughout the movie and his Paramount+ spinoff series. Because of this, giving Tails and Knuckles smaller roles in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would be immensely disappointing. Tails fans have been waiting for the character to have a major presence in the movies for years now, so another movie of him mostly standing over Sonic's shoulder would be a shame considering there are so many interesting things to do with him.

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Similarly, Knuckles fans would hate to see the character just be there to punch things for Sonic, especially after the development that he received in the Knuckles spinoff series. While Sonic and Shadow are rivals, there is plenty to do with Tails and Knuckles in a movie about this rivalry. If Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles don't get equal focus, it will cause viewers to question why Tails and Knuckles are even there. While the franchise is named after Sonic, he shouldn't be any more important than his two anthropomorphic friends.

Related I Am Not Prepared For THAT Shadow Scene In Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Sonic The Hedgehog 3 has plenty of exciting moments to look forward to, but there is one shocking upcoming Shadow scene that I am not ready for.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3's Team Movie Focus Helps Shadow Too

Allowing For More Shadow Screentime

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Making Sonic the Hedgehog 3 an ensemble film isn't just good for the three main characters, as the team structure helps Shadow too. If the movie doesn't have to dedicate separate scenes to Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, then that means that there is more room to develop Shadow the Hedgehog, fleshing him out into an even more complex antihero.

Based on his Sonic Adventure 2 origin story, Shadow the Hedgehog will require a lot of development at the beginning of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, meaning that the rest of the characters may be fighting for space in the film. Because of this, it only makes sense to make Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles share the spotlight, with almost every scene in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 either focusing on the trio or on Shadow.