jenny_emma_bruce
I have to disagree with a lot of people's reviews on here as I really enjoyed this movie and thought it was well made. I like how they referenced the original movies by having the bad guy say "did you have to name him Willy" as if to say "did you have to give him the same names as the one who was returned to the sea all those years ago" (I don't know how far in the future after the last film this was meant to be set). I have to say that the one thing that it didn't have that would have made it a 10 out of 10 for me was an appearance from the original movies character Jessie. It would have been great if they could have had him appear in it now as an adult as maybe one of the marine biologists and helping Kiera set this new Willy free. Jennifer xx :-)
darkmale
I bought the movie in a set of pack of 4 with the first 3 intending to relive a peace of the 90's. Now certain aspects of the movie are right, and the idea is sort of there. the plot could have been developed a bit more. But I have a feeling this movie was intended to drag in the interest of a new generation of kids to get there interest going. Today, the kids are all watching computerized cartoons, and the idea, I think is to drum up the sales and to teach kids a interest of it, so they wont mind watching the older movies from the 90's which are much better. Oh yes, the actors and actresses did a good job for what they had to work with. A whale that washes into a cove is a whale that's stuck. Can't go nowhere and a man wants it. Family movies to obvious? Depends on which ones you watch. Are the 90's in this movie? Nope. The 90's are done. If you wanna go back to the 90's where you grew up, my advice is to get movies you might have watched growing up: Home Alone & H.A. 2, Free Willy 1; 2; 3. LOL. Kids today are NOT 90's kids and wont be. Or even those darn kid movies u watched as a kid. LOL, even if they were kids. As for the above movie, use it to get your kids interested in the originals. :)
CharlyHarms
Growing up loving the first 3 Free Willy Movies, I was obviously excited when I heard there was going to be a new one, but I found myself almost completely disappointed by this . . . "sequel".The only relation that this film has to the "original three films" is the fact that we just happen to have a - much younger - orca named Willy and a - much younger and feminine - adolescent with severe family issues.Now I do not claim that the original three Free Willy movies were the best films Hollywood has ever had to offer, but this film fails to achieve the structure of the original films - it just doesn't belong! The producers probably slapped "FREE WILLY" on the title to insure that they would at least get a little business from the folks that loved the 90s Willy.And if that is the truth, they were right - for the most part. However, they did not get any business from this 90s girl! I checked this movie for free - thanks to my public library.But, alas, this movie may not be a complete tragedy for everyone. I speculate that folks who did see or grow up loving any of the first three Free Willy films, may moderately enjoy this film in its simplicity.
johnstonjames
Bindi Irwin was really good in this. she wasn't half bad as a actress. she handled a crying scene well, something actors will tell you is often demanding, and i liked her song at the end of the film. i've always liked Bindi Irwin and thought she had a interesting career. her father was a fine man and his death was a real loss. i'm not sure that Bindi will ever be able to fill her father's shoes (he was larger than life), but maybe she will grow up to be a important animal rights activist or something like that.this movie was a lot better than i thought it was going to be. i mostly watched it for a brain dead junk experience, but found i rather liked it. it wasn't as maudlin or as syrupy as my suspicions were for it, and i was really impressed by Bindi Irwin's engaging performance. i also really enjoyed it's message of child empowerment (although a lot of these kind of movies convey that message), and thought it's environmental messages to be just great. i was even amused at the jabs the film took at government officials and authority.the only thing i felt that kept this nice little film back was too much reliance on animatronic animals and CGI FX. when i sit down to watch a film about nature, i wanna see real animals. the only time that fakes ever really worked was in 'Jaws' and 'Greystoke'.all in all this was a great film for kids and will teach them the power of voice. lets just hope the little nippers don't get too mouthy.
AD
