Warning: this article contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was one of the most exciting movies of 2024, continuing the story of the previous two films in the series, while introducing one of the most iconic characters in the Sonic franchise in the form of Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic 3 has received great reviews, and while a lot of the praise has been directed towards the great central story and solid emotional core of the film, there is still a lot of humor throughout the film for all audiences to enjoy.

From its intriguing opening to its explosive ending, Sonic 3‘s moments of levity help to lighten up a story that actually gets quite dark as it delves into the origins of Shadow the Hedgehog, following some of the plot points laid out in the game that Sonic 3 is adapting from, Sonic Adventure 2. This most recent sequel carries much of the same style of humor as the first two films, with Sonic continuing his quips throughout the film, though Sonic 3‘s other characters also have plenty of humorous moments.

10

Sonic’s Sightseeing Tour Of London

With Just A Dash Of Crime

When Team Sonic are trying to break into G.U.N headquarters during Sonic 3‘s second act to find the Eclipse Cannon’s second key, Sonic takes a moment to take a look at some of the big sightseeing monuments in the city. Along the way, he apparently commits grand larceny by stealing the Crown Jewels, which is just a funny scenario to imagine, as doing something like that would undoubtedly make him one of the most wanted people in the UK.

Sonic also stops by Abbey Road, naming all of his favorite members of the Beatles, those obviously being “Paul, John, George, the other one!” This is a hilarious reference to poor Ringo Starr, the oft-forgotten fourth member of the Beatles, who tends to be much less celebrated and widely recognized as the other three core musicians.

9

“Revenge Guac”

Shadow Cannot Help But Brood

While Shadow the Hedgehog is obviously a very serious character, he is not without his moments of comedy, even if it is mostly unintentional. This line comes after his pleas for revenge are silenced by Gerald, and he is sent to stay with Stone while the Robotniks break into G.U.N headquarters. Stone suggests that they make guac, and Shadow, in his dark and brooding growl, exclaims it to be “Revenge guac.”

This moment is a prime example of how well Sonic the Hedgehog 3 uses Shadow, making him say something utterly ridiculous with a seriousness that only Keanu Reeves could muster. It is also a great moment for Agent Stone, as his happy-go-lucky atтιтude contrasted with the seriousness of the situation he is in has always been funny.

8

Gerald And Eggman Break The Fourth Wall

Jim Carrey Simply Cannot Be Contained

When Eggman first meets his grandfather Gerald Robotnik in Sonic 3, he spends their first interaction trying to determine if they are actually relatives, or if Gerald is some sort of trick. He looks him over, and upon seeing their similarities, they both say in unison: “it’s as if we’re two characters in a movie, being played by the same actor!” while they both turn to look directly into the camera.

Fourth wall-breaking humor is always fun to watch, but the Sonic franchise has never tended to use it all that much. There have been moments here and there, but this is definitely the most obvious example, which works in this joke’s favor, as, if there were fourth wall jokes all over the other movies, this one would probably just feel forced. The sparing use really helps to make this work, along with Jim Carrey’s dual delivery, of course.

7

Tails Is Mistaken For Detective Pikachu

It’s Nintendo Vs. SEGA All Over Again

This moment comes in Sonic 3 when Team Sonic is meeting in Japan, and a kid asks Tails if he is Detective Pikachu, another character from a recent live-action video game movie. This is obviously a bit of reference humor, which can often feel cheap and uninteresting, but this one works because Sonic is a SEGA character, while Detective Pikachu is a Nintendo property.

Nintendo and SEGA, historically, had a very long-standing rivalry, with both companies at the forefront of the video game industry throughout the 80s and 90s. Despite the fact that the rivalry has become nonexistent since SEGA stopped creating home consoles, it is still a big part of the history of both of those enтιтies, and poking fun at it is a great nod for those who know more behind-the-scenes information about these video game mascots.

6

“Talk About Low Budget Flights”

“No Food Or Movies? We’re Outta Here!”

This line isn’t particularly funny in and of itself, but, for those familiar with the original Sonic Adventure 2 video game, this was undoubtedly one of the most reᴀssuring parts of the movie’s opening act. This line is lifted almost directly from the beginning of the video game, and seeing one of the most iconic sentences from the game that the film was based on was a great sign of how good of an adaptation it would be.

The context of the line is very different in the game, as Sonic is actually escaping from G.U.N captivity in the original, whereas he is working with them in the movie. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is great as an adaptation, because it has moments like this that can delight fans of the original work, while also not simply copying every aspect from the video game.

5

Eggman’s Favorite Soap Opera

How Could Gabriella Do This?

La Última Pasión is a fake Mexican soap opera in the Sonic film universe, and it shows up in hilarious fashion throughout two different scenes in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The first is when Eggman is seen watching it while he is down on his luck, before teaming up with Team Sonic, and it shows a man named Juan whose partner, Gabriella, falls in love with his nefarious twin brother, Pablo.

The parody is hilarious in and of itself, and having Eggman’s reintroduction include him watching this cheesy soap opera makes it even better. It reappears when Shadow and Stone are left in the mecha crab together, where Shadow states that “Gabriella should kill them both; she’s not a prize to be won.“, putting the cherry on top of this great gag.

4

Gerald And Ivo Robotnik’s Bonding Montage

The Duo Pretends To Be Father And Son In VR

Jim Carrey has always been one of the funniest parts of the Sonic franchise, and so, naturally, having him appear in the same scene twice is almost guaranteed to produce a laugh. His performance as Robotnik has always been so full of energy, and so seeing him play dual roles in the myriad of wacky, father-son bonding experiences the two characters go on is hysterical to watch.

The scene gives Carrey a lot to work with, with Ivo taking all the classic kid roles, from jumping into Gerald’s arms when he’s dressed up as Santa to learning how to ride a bike, all set to the Beach Boys classic, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” This point in the film is just pure insanity, and Carrey sells both wild performances so well that this is easily one of the funniest scenes in the movie.

3

The Final Fight Of The Robotniks

Their Emotional Moments Give Way To Hilarity

This part of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is yet another iconic moment for Jim Carrey in the franchise, as he has a fight scene with himself that is just as ridiculous as one would expect. Both characters have nanotech gauntlets which they transform into robotic animal appendages, with Gerald giving himself scorpion pincers and a tail, while Ivo has praying mantis claws, and they both look appropriately absurd.

The funniest moment, however, comes at the end of the fight, when Gerald is killed. He is a fundamentally tragic character, despite his ridiculousness, but his death still manages to trigger a laugh, as he is unceremoniously zapped into dust by the chaos energy of the Eclipse Cannon without much of a second thought. This moment works really well because there is another tragic death coming with Eggman’s sacrifice, so the understated demise of Gerald remains funny.

2

Wade Whipple’s Reappearance

He Has Become The Protector Of The Master Emerald

One of the funniest moments in the film is absolutely the small role played by Wade Whipple, who makes yet another appearance in this film. He had a minor role in both previous films, so his appearance here is not necessarily a surprise, but he only really gained any attention due to his expanded role in the Knuckles TV show, and it was great seeing him return for this film.

Wade was a great part of Knuckles, and thankfully he remains funny in this movie, taking his new role as the protector of the Master Emerald seriously, even if he isn’t the most competent of defenders. His scene doesn’t overstay its welcome, and in a series that can too often focus on the less interesting human characters, Wade is still a great inclusion.

1

The Robotniks’ Dance

Jim Carrey Takes Center Stage Twice

Hands down, the funniest part of the movie is when both Robotniks dance their way through the laser hallway when they are breaking into G.U.N headquarters. This moment is already iconic, taking full advantage of Jim Carrey’s dual roles, with the absurdity of the characters turned up to 11. It makes sense within the narrative that these two, frankly insane, individuals would do something like this in their excitement to rule/destroy the world.

Both previous Sonic movies had a dance sequence of some kind, with Robotnik’s solo dance from the first film and the dance battle from Sonic 2, and Sonic 3 suitably ups the ante. While Robotnik’s dance from the first movie is funny enough, Sonic 2‘s dancing scene felt out of place and weird, and thankfully, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 finally brings it home with something truly hilarious.