Every Live-Action Sonic The Hedgehog Movie and TV Show, Ranked Worst to Best

Paramount Live Action Sonic the Hedgehog The franchise has four installments now, and ranking the films and TV shows from worst to best reveals which project is better than the rest. Although the series almost got off to a horrible start with the “Ugly Sonic” design for Sega's iconic video game character, the studio cleverly redesigned Blue Blur and saved the franchise. 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog was a big enough success that Paramount could justify continuing to explore this world and expand it by including more Sonic the Hedgehog video game characters in movies.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was the first sequel in the franchise, and the 2022 release became an even bigger hit than its predecessor. Knuckles' introduction paved the way for his Paramount+ TV spinoff show, Knucklesin 2024. The franchise then returned to the big screen with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 later that year. Between the completed film trilogy and a TV show, each installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise balanced between heart, action and humor. However, some are more successful in this goal than others, creating a hierarchy for the best Sonic the Hedgehog film.

4

Together (2024)

The Echidna spinoff had some difficulties

Released on Paramount+ in April 2024, Knuckles is a six-episode spin-off TV show featuring Idris Elba's red echidna character. The series follows Knuckles as he adapts to life on Earth and soon finds himself working with Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) to defeat some rogue GUN agents harnessing the echidna's power. Knuckles attempts to bring emotional depth to its main character, fully exploring his backstory and motivations after being the antihero/villain of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The show is most effective when it relies on Knuckles and the actionwhat a delivery.

The main question for Knuckles is that it's not as focused on its titular character as expected. Wade Whipple is effectively the show's co-star. He can feel like the main character at some points due to his own arc and the expansion of his personal life. This is probably partially due to Knuckles needing focus more on a human character rather than an all-CGI creation to help keep costs down. While this might make more sense fiscally for a show streaming on Paramount+, it's not the best decision for a show meant to focus on Knuckles.

3

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

The first film saved the franchise

There would be no live action Sonic the Hedgehog franchise if it weren't for the first film. Thank goodness everyone involved listened to the criticism about “Ugly Sonic’s” design and did what was necessary to fix the design, making Sonic look less human and more like his video game counterpart. This decision alone saved Sonic the Hedgehog of certain misfortune. The 2020 film directed by Jeff Fowler proved to have a strong mix of heart and humor thanks to the effectiveness of the relationship between Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Tom Wachowski (James Marsden).

Sonic's portrayal in the first film is excellent, as he is naive, goofy, powerful and obstinate – making his younger personality perfectly realized. The travel-style adventure that Sonic and Tom undertake allows for several comedic moments and action scenarios that help keep the atmosphere light and the audience entertained. Of course, it's Jim Carrey's performance as Dr. Robotnik that stands out. Although the character design is a far cry from Eggman's appearance in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog It's a great opportunity to see Carrey back in a very comical and silly role which he embraces completely.

2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Sonic Sequel Increased Betting and Video Game Connections

After the tease of Tails' arrival in Sonic the Hedgehogpost-credits scene, it became clear that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 it would bring movies closer to games if it were made. Thanks to the first film's $320 million box office haul, Paramount said yes to a sequel and gave audiences more than just Colleen O'Shaunessey's Tails. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 positioned Knuckles as a secondary antagonist working with Robotnik. With Tails providing more comedy and emotion and Knuckles increasing the scope of the actionthe sequel yielded a bigger and more fun film than the first.

Video game enthusiasts were pleased with Tails and Knuckles joining the party, as well as the film delving deeper into the lore and introducing the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald. The sequel isn't perfect – it's too long and the human characters aren't always compelling – but it's a hugely fun ride. Knuckles is a worthy adversary for Sonic at first with understandable motivations, but the formation of Team Sonic in the end is achieved. Add seeing Sonic become Super Sonic for the first time, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 It's a satisfying adventure.

1

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Shadow helps elevate the franchise to new heights

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 It's the best live-action Sonic film in the franchise. A big part of this is making up for the tease of Shadow's introduction. Keanu Reeves joins the series to voice the black hedgehog, and he completely nails the portrayal. Reeves helps channel Shadow's darkness due to its moving story, which also means letting some of that pain and trauma shine through in its performance. Shadow is not only a worthy foil to Sonic, who is his equal from a power standpoint; he's a shining example of how different Sonic could have been.

In terms of where Sonic 3 disappoints, Tails and Knuckles are relegated to more supporting characters to make room for Sonic and Shadow's stories. While it's unfortunate for them, the story focusing on Sonic and Shadow's trauma actually works. There are still lots of comedic beats with Carrey's two Robotnik rolesand Sonic the Hedgehog 3The ending of takes the action to the next level in several ways. It's the biggest and best installment the franchise has delivered so far. With Sonic the Hedgehog 4 confirmed, the Sonic the Hedgehog the franchise has a high standard to surpass now.