All 3 Sonic The Hedgehog Movies, Ranked

What if we said the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has put out some of the best live-action video game movies of all time? The series has genuinely come a long way from when "Ugly Sonic" was first introduced in the initial trailer for the first film. A design may not seem like much, but the Sonic we wound up with is a vast improvement and probably got a lot of moviegoers excited to check out the film. 

Paramount's probably glad they changed the design, too, as better-looking Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) has headlined several films at this point and likely many more to come. The entire Sonic the Hedgehog timeline offers many treats and Easter eggs for long-time fans of the games, proving that those working behind the scenes on the films respect the source material. But with fun action sequences and quippy jokes, casual audiences can enjoy the movies, too. Hopefully, they may even start playing the games as a result. 

Based on reviews and general online consensus, here are all of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies ranked. There's not necessarily a bad film in the bunch, but some just have a little more to offer than others. 

The one that started it all. Expectations likely weren't high after the Ugly Sonic fiasco, but the end product was a perfectly serviceable family film. While hardcore fans probably wanted a live-action Sonic film to take place in Sonic's world, the film places the blue hedgehog on Earth. He's all by himself, leading to an emotional core of Sonic learning to trust and rely on others, until he realizes he has a family with Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). 

As a character, Sonic probably most appeals to Gen Xers with kids of their own now. But catering to Gen X can also be seen in the brilliant casting of Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. He offers a welcome chaotic energy that plays nicely off of Sonic's cool-guy demeanor. "Sonic the Hedgehog" is a typical fish-out-of-water story that doesn't reinvent the wheel but does a good job of introducing a new generation to the character.

There's some extremely blatant product placement, especially for Olive Garden, that can get tedious after a while. And the film feels hampered by the fact that the only characters brought over from the games are Sonic and Robotnik. Fortunately, the bad moments in "Sonic the Hedgehog" don't outweigh the good. And valuable lessons would be learned going into the sequels. 

"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" is already an improvement over the first by embracing more of the silliness and characters from the video games. For starters, Sonic gets his old buddy Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) to hang out with, giving him a non-human counterpart to play off of. There's also the introduction of Knuckles (Idris Elba), who works for Dr. Robotnik until he gets a change of heart and joins Team Sonic.

The human characters don't get as much to do this time around, which might be a welcome reprieve based on how much you were invested in their storyline. But in its place comes a greater emphasis on action. The set pieces are far grander this time around, really making the franchise feel like an event. And while Tails is cute, Knuckles is definitely the star of the show. His quest for vengeance, embodied by a warrior's code, brings a different sensibility to the story. He's a stone-faced killer to play straight-man against Dr. Robotnik's wacky antics. And on Team Sonic, he can break up some of the goofier moments.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 2" has a tendency to play into superhero tropes that were already stale about five years prior. And there's some pretty wonky VFX, with the snowy mountain scene looking really rough. But the film does what any good sequel should accomplish: It pushes the universe just a little bit further while offering new challenges for our hero. For anyone who just wants more Sonic, it's a welcome addition. 

The common belief is that film sequels tend to result in diminishing returns. Maybe the second outing is an improvement, like "The Dark Knight" or "Spider-Man 2," but by the time you get to the third, it feels like the series has said everything it needs to. That's not the case with "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which is simply and genuinely a great movie. Looper's review of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" says as much: "These films are great comfort food that the whole family can enjoy, and long may they continue."

This time around, Shadow (Keanu Reeves) makes his long-awaited cinematic debut. Reeves brings the necessary gravitas to the character, making him a genuine threat early in the film. And then, amazingly, the movie goes all-in on Shadow's canonical backstory from the games where the government keeps him in stasis following the death of his only friend, a young girl named Maria (Alyla Browne). Given how silly the films have been up to this point, a child dying is a pretty drastic turn, and the film manages to give that moment its necessary weight while still having Sonic cracking wise at appropriate moments.

Don't get us wrong; "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is still plenty of fun, with great banter and continually impressive action set pieces. The first two Sonic films have plenty working for them, but it feels like everything finally snapped into place with the threequel. The franchise is clearly telling its own story while being faithful to the games, and hopefully, things shine even brighter going forward.