italianredneckgirl
Although I personally enjoyed the movie as a "Family Movie Date Night", there were some obvious problems in the continuation of the story. We are supposed to assume that a lot of time has passed and Sawyer is now a High School student with an unwavering love and connection to both Winter and the aquarium. Of course, this is easy because the characters appear older. But, realistically, the cast doesn't gel as well together as in the first installment. Harry Connick Jr, Ashley Judd, and Morgan Freeman definitively take second place, maybe third, to the children and animals. What's interesting is the score underlining and highlighting the film. As with any film, the score is used to make the audience feel. Problem is, the music is almost continual and more prevalent than the dialogue. Forcing the viewer to listen intently to catch what's being said rather than stirring back and enjoying the film. When the score is absent, dialogue seems muttered and off time. The frenzy of a popular theme park and it's complications of day to day life show us how difficult it can be to care for these creatures. With the enormous amount of backlash aimed toward Sea World, it is surprising this film escaped the fallout. Black Fish was a heart-wrenching look at life in captivity. And it was through this scope that I viewed the film. It is truly unfortunate that the cast didn't retain its closeness and connection from the first movie. Attempts to throw in as many amputees as possible makes the film even more painful. We are living in Florida. Really just a short car ride to this park, but we've never been there. It might provide more insight for the films hurried nature. Mandy is our only hope. Having my own Mandi (with an i,thank you very much) made the film more fun for our family. But, even with the cute coincidence, it's a draggy film. Trying to fill in gaps while pushing forward. Contributing to the overall disorganization of the film. Should have let Winter come and go without trying to change the seasons.
MovieHoliks
I watched this off HBO GO over the weekend, having really enjoyed the original 2011 film. I must admit, I am a sucker for movies like this. The first film told the true story of that dolphin with the prosthetic tail (hence the play-on-words title- "Dolphin Tale"), named "Winter". This sequel tells the story of another dolphin at the hospital named "Hope". After Winter's elderly companion and surrogate mother, Panama, passes away, Winter's future is put in jeopardy, unless our heroes at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium team can find a new companion for her. The cast is great- no less than Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick, Jr., Kris Kristofferson, etc.. And I notice these movies were directed by Charles Martin Smith (who has a supporting role), who seems to have an affinity for wildlife films, having starred in the 1983 classic, "Never Cry Wolf", and directed another good companion piece outdoor film, "The Snow Walker". Well, if you're into these nature/wildlife wishy washy films dating back to movies like "Born Free", I'd say this is for you, otherwise, head to your local multi-plex and see "The Rock" fight an earthquake in "San Andreas"...LOL
allegro16
Before I watched it, I thought that this was just another movie about animals....nothing special. But after watching it, I realized that this was a truly heart warming movie that reached deep down to your heart. Watching this movie makes you appreciate marine life and, especially the beauty of dolphins and their relationship with us humans. For me, the best scene of the entire movie is the ending where Hope & Winter starts to accept each other....and then following that, the real footage of Hope & Mandy. Coupled with Gavin DeGraw's song which really goes along with the scenes, the last part will make you shed tears.All in all, this is a great and inspiring family themed movie, portraying good values.
utgard14
Enjoyable sequel that finds Winter the dolphin struggling with the death of her friend Panama. Meanwhile, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) gets an offer to attend a special marine research program for three months but isn't sure he is ready to go. Like the first movie it's based on real events and the dolphins Winter and Hope appear here as themselves. The cast from the last one also returns, with reduced roles for Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Kris Kristofferson. But that's okay because the two kids (now young teens) and the dolphins are the stars. There's a budding romantic subplot with Sawyer and Hazel that is six kinds of cute. Also fun is the comic relief pelican that has a subplot involving a turtle. It's a nice, positive family movie with a likable cast and good message.
AD
