There are few media franchises that have had as tumultuous a career as theSonic the Hedgehogseries. Starting as one of the kings of the video game landscape, before failing to find its footing in later years, and now finally seeing a resurgence thanks to the new films, Sonic has had a fascinating career. But now, with the hotly anticipatedSonic the Hedgehog 3on the horizon, there is an opportunity to look towards what might be next for the franchise.
WithSonic the Hedgehog 3’s excellent castand the goodwill from the previous two movies, the upcoming third film seems like it will be a slam dunk, but questions arise about what will come after. While the fourth film and beyond could certainly tell wholly original stories, like the firstmovie and its sequel, considering the hype surrounding thestory ofSonic the Hedgehog 3, which is an adaptation of a pastSonicgame, pulling future stories from the series' canon seems like the obvious route, even if they adapt some of the less belovedSonictitles.
Sonic ‘06 Could Find Redemption As Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s Sequel
Hopefully With Less Interspecies Romance This Time
While few could say that the story of the 2006 game, simply titledSonic the Hedgehog, was a masterpiece, there is certainly enough there to craft a narrative that is actually coherent and entertaining. TheSonicmovies have been slowly introducing more specificSoniclore and characters, withSonic the Hedgehog 3especially looking to showcase many lesser known aspects of theSoniccanon. Diving headfirst into the wild world thatSonicdepicts would certainly blow the lid wide open on the series, pushing it further into feeling like afull-blownSonic the Hedgehoguniverse, as opposed to the real world with someSoniccharacters thrown in.
While the filmmakers will likely not want to deviate too far from what has been established in the films already, being able to push the bounds of what the universe can be would keep the franchise feeling fresh
Adapting the story ofSonic ‘06as a film could take many forms, from as simple as introducing some of the same characters to as complex as a similar time travel and dimension hopping narrative. While the filmmakers will likely not want to deviate too far from what has been established in the films already, being able to push the bounds of what the universe can be would keep the franchise feeling fresh, and at least loosely adapting something like 2006’sSonic the Hedgehogwould be a great way to accomplish that.
Why Sonic ‘06 Wasn’t Great The First Time Around
The Game Just Didn’t Hit The Way It Needed
The 2006Sonicgamewas meant to be something of a soft reboot for the franchise, telling an entirely new story, albeit with the same characters, in a new location. The story is vast, expanding the universe, introducing plenty of brand-new characters, telling the tale of a race to stop a dark god from consuming time itself; unfortunately, that doesn’t save it from being an underwhelming installment in the franchise. After all, half of the plot is about saving a princess from Dr. Eggman over and over again, and the other half is a poorly paced mess of confusing timelines and underwritten characters.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Is Setting Up A Dark Sonic Twist With 1 Character’s Fate
Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s trailer undoubtedly has a dark tone, but the implied fate of one character could end up making the film even darker.
WhileSonic ‘06has had some resurgence in recent years with the positivity surrounding the franchise due to the success of the movies, it still isn’t counted amongSonic’s best. However, that just means that there is that much more room to improve, while still being able to bank off of the recognizable characters and moments.ASonic ‘06film would get the best of both worlds: the general population’s pre-established enjoyment of theSonicmovies, and the ability to show that even the most convoluted ofSonicprojects can still be made into something enjoyable.
The Sonic Movies Aren’t Afraid To Adapt Stories From The Games
Hopefully The Trend Continues After Sonic The Hedgehog 3
While the firstSonic the Hedgehogmovie was very much an original story that featured the character of Sonic,Sonic the Hedgehog 2made it clear that the movies were going to introduce more elements from the games, such as characters like Knuckles and Tails, and the debut of the master emerald. The newest movie in the series,Sonic the Hedgehog 3, is a more direct adaptation, with trailers pointing towards a more direct adaptation of the game that introduced Shadow:Sonic Adventure 2.
With theSonic the Hedgehog 3trailer directly referencing moments such as the death of Maria, it is clear that the filmmakers are looking to emulate aspects ofSonic Adventure 2.After the release of this third installment, there aren’t too many mainline games to base a full movie on. The originalSonicgames tended towards simpler stories about stopping Eggman, which has been covered pretty extensively by the movies. IfSonic the Hedgehog 3really is the huge success that it seems to have to be potential to be, then adaptingSonic ‘06could be a great way forward for the franchise.
