Free Willy 3 - Die Rettung

I am going to start off by saying I really like the first two Free Willy movies. I would hardly call them the best movies ever, but they are very nice movies and I think underrated. This sequel is a worthy one. While there is a predictable story, some weak spots in the script and a lacklustre ending Free Willy 3:The Rescue is a nice and worthy sequel, that could have been so much worse.

Flaws aside, Free Willy 3 does have some stunning cinematography, and I loved the scene when Randolph throws the oranges in the water. I also loved the scenes between Nikki and Willy, and the one when Nikki gives birth which was brilliantly done. The score is absolutely beautiful, the pacing is brisk and the direction is amiable. And the characters are appealing especially Willy and Nikki, while Jesse and Max are great characters and the father is a sympathetic figure even for the villain of the piece, except I don't see him as a proper villain, just someone who means well but doesn't know exactly what he wants. The acting is good too, Jason James Richter and Vincent Berry are very likable, August Schellenberg makes a welcome return as Randolph and Patrick Kalpatrick does a great job with his character.

All in all, a pleasant family film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The first FREE WILLY was very good. The second was not as good. The third, however, just plain bores. Expect nothing new and spectacular here because it's the same as the other two, with the exception of the weak dialogue and Jesse becoming more intelligent. The producers seemed to have been stuck with the same old ideas from the first film only to make another sequel. Nothing is more fun in the world than saving endangered species from sudden harm, which has always been the environmental message in FREE WILLY, but still, this series is in drastic need of a tune-up, FAST! Too many of you have given this lackluster sequel a big "10"! Wise up, folks! Nothing is THAT perfect in the real world!

We who rule the pit of Sidcup are not amused. They should have learned, but no. I tried to warn them. I even sent twenty armed henchmen to chop their arms and legs off, but no. Jason James Richter, besides having a stupid name, is too old for this thing! Send him to the graveyard with Macaulay Culkin. If they bring out a fourth, I will personally rain fire and brimstone on all those responsible. At least they ditched Francis Capra. Perhaps they should try 'FREE BIDDY', where there's an old woman swimming about, and they chuck fish at her, or feed the latest annoying little kid to her. It would sell a lot more! So now I must take my ship to sea, and personally slaughter as many whales as possible. Why don't you come and get me, suckers?

Free Willy 3 is primarily about Max, an intelligent, inquisitive ten-year-old who accompanies his father on a whaling expedition. His conscience bothers him about his father's career, but instead of taking the usual route of performing a string of silly pranks (like you would see in a lot of children's shows), he tries reasoning with his dad. He also asks question after question -- not just about the technical aspects of whaling, but he also delves deeper into the more important questions of life ("Do you always have to do the right thing, even if it hurts?").

One of the things I liked best about Free Willy 3 was the realistic and sympathetic portrayal of the father, even though he was the "villain" of the story. He was a man doing a job that has been in his family for years, and without it he wasn't sure who he was. Despite having a career others disagreed with, he was a caring, compassionate person who loved his son. Other characters are drawn out nicely as well -- Jesse and Randolph, from the first two films, and their new co-workers on the sea -- showing their tempers as well as their more positive sides.

Couple all these features with stunning cinematography and a beautiful score, and you have one fine film!

Sam Pillsbury (who, incidently, was born in the US but raised in NZ despite what this database says) left these shores to direct the excellent "Eerie, Indiana" series and a number of thrillers. I don't think this film will feature prominently on his CV. Basically the script keeps to a format and the format has become so stale everyone performs in a by-the-numbers fashion. I get the feeling this movie was made for profit rather than love of the characters. It focuses on a simplistic "message" rather than the more complex problem of looking at "issues".