Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a much more confident and unabashedly outlandish creation compared to its two predecessors. Taking place shortly after the second installment, director Jeff Fowler hits the ground running with the characters Sonic devotees want to see. The voice cast’s rapport proves surprisingly engaging, with the assorted voice actors having their characters down pat, while the on-screen actors seem equally comfortable in their roles. The film also has a better handle on the comedy this time out as it takes fleetingly humorous (at best) moments and characters from previous Sonic adventures and contorts them into something more entertaining. Most impressively, though, how Sonic the Hedgehog 3 handles pathos. mbraces the dramatic potential of preposterous pop culture characters. The infectious affection for Sonic and friends proves irresistible. It just shows how director Jeff Fowler has become more comfortable as an artist across all three Sonic titles. His artistic confidence to let Sonic and friends take the spotlight mirrors his increased assuredness with shooting action sequences. That pays off nicely with an enjoyable 109-minute excursion, packing in more tangible heart and excitement than expected.