“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” follows Sonic, Knuckles and Tails as they reunite to battle Shadow. With their abilities outmatched in every way, they seek out an unlikely alliance to stop Shadow and protect the planet.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is trying to balance so much — both character and story-wise. This leads to some pacing issues, and the first hour being all over the place. I struggled to become fully invested in the story before the final act tied everything together.

While this is the case, it honors all of these characters. They all get their moment to shine, doing so in big ways. It may become tedious if they continue to add more and more in each installment, but as of now it’s still successfully done.

While the first two-thirds of the film almost lost me, this is saved by a near-perfect, incredibly satisfying final act. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” knows what the fans want, and it delivers all of that and more over the final 30 minutes.

Even three movies in, this franchise continues to be a ton of fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s why it works. However, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” also has some heartfelt moments sprinkled through the final act. This is all attributed to the character building throughout the entire movie.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” is by no means perfect, but it’s another solid entry in the franchise. The messiest out of the three — still probably the most impactful and fun.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5