Free Willy 2 - Freiheit in Gefahr

The boy is back. The whale is back. Most of the supporting cast from the 1993 cult classic "Free Willy" is back for the sequel, which hit theaters before an excited crowd of youngsters and their parents in 1995. But the cheer-inducing magic that I loved so much in the original has gone in "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" which isn't quite the adventure that the title seems to hint at. The title just seems more marketable and that's the way the movie feels, too. It's got the typical monotonous, rushed feeling that I tend to find most sequels have and while it's far from a disaster, it is a letdown from the warmness and nostalgia-stirring charm that I adored so much in the original film.

In the last movie, the beloved orca Willy (Keiko) leaped to safety from greedy marine park owners and escaped to the wild while the little boy he befriended, Jesse (Jason James Richter) finally came to peace with his foster parents. Two years later, Willy is still running free in the wild with his kin and the boy is reaching that age. You know. The age where girls send his heart pumping and the news that he has a half-brother strikes him like a ton of bricks. His estranged mother has passed away and so he and his foster parents have to take the unwanted, obnoxious brat from New York (Francis Capra) on their camping trip. Jesse's not so interested in camping, but more in meeting up with his old friend (August Schellenberg), his pretty goddaughter (Mart Kate Shellhardt), and of course, lovable Willy and his family. But things take a turn for the worse when an oil tanker runs aground in the cove where the whales are living and it's then that I realized "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" should have been titled "Free Willy 2: The Escape" because that's more of what it's about. Or why not just "Free Willy 2"? Oh, yeah. Marketable.

Everything that I loved so much in the first movie has been watered down here. First of all, the sheer awe and magic of the killer whales. Whereas I could really feel the majesty and the amazing presence of Willy and the other whales in the first film, here it seems more like placid outtakes from a rather cheap documentary, as if the cast cheering at the sight of Willy were doing so at pictures and not the real thing. Amazing as it sounds, but even though his namesake is the title of the movie, Willy has very little to do with the movie at all. He's really just there for more marketing value. It's not until the third act, the only energized moment in the picture, that he really comes into play and even though, just briefly.

Furthermore, the character dynamics are diminished. The sequel tries to explore the further complications of Jessie's life, but it only cracks open the doors of opportunity, never exploits them. The dynamic between him and his foster parents is just dimmed-down reruns of the same stuff we saw in the first movie. Even his relationship to the whale is dumbed away. But how about his new cast mates? Well, Mr. Capra does what he can, but he has one of the most aggravating characters in children movie history to play here. Even when his heart gets put into the right place, he's really hard to put up with and as a result, becomes hard to care about. And pretty and talented as she is, as Jesse's love interest, Miss Shellhardt does not have much to do and their romance is contrived, tiresome, tedious, and boring. As most teenage love stories are. Maybe that's just the key. Maybe the reason I've never bought teenage love stories in movies is because I don't believe in them. I don't buy the gimmicks they use here, especially considering the age. But that's a subject for another day. The point is: their scenes together go on forever but leave about as much impact as a speck of sand on the wing of a plane.

The first two acts of "Free Willy 2" are really slow-going. Not until the third act does the movie even pick up a little. The director, Dwight H. Little has talent. He knows how to use a camera well and he has skill with working around actors and his crew. The movie is well-shot...most of the time. The whale scenes aren't very well-staged. But what ultimately founders the movie is the severely diminished screenplay. Now I saw this movie more than ten years ago, as a child, having fallen in love with the original film. But whereas the first "Free Willy" stuck in my memory into my adulthood, this one did not. I only remembered flashes of it. Looking back on it again, I can clearly see why.

First of all, I have to say what I liked original Free Willy movie. In fact, I fall in love with it. I suppose it is one of the best family movie and best animal movie so far. For some reasons Simon Wincer, who directed the first movie didn't return for making this sequel, though we can see again all major characters from Free Willy. Our main hero, Jesse is now fourteen years old and he finds out that his mother passed away and he has a stepbrother named Elvis. Elvis hasn't got any relatives except Jesse and he arrives to Greenwood's home. The whole family goes to the holiday trip in a camping near an ocean's cove where Jesse again meets his friend Randolph and Willy. Willy found his family and all seems perfect for the friends but suddenly another danger threatens their friendship. But now it's even more serious. The movie was released in 1995, eight years before notorious tanker "Prestege" shipwrecked near Spanish coast and ruined hundred of miles of coastline, not to mention that millions living creatures got killed in the result. It was a real message and it passed absolutely unnoticed because for many people these movies are just cheesy movies for kids only. And in the real life the main reasons of the monstrous disaster was absolutely same – money. The other problem point of the movie is rather difficult and complicated relation between Jesse and his much younger stepbrother, Elvis (played by Francis Capra). Elvis, who has lost his mother, also feel himself very uneasy about the situation and now both boys have to decide how to deal with this difficult situation. The story is basically good written and leaves some place for action and excellent scenes in the cove, including underwater shots. This time we can see whales in their natural habitat, not in the small pool. Whole movie is well shot and locations for shootings are very suitable and good selected. Jason James Richter is as good as in original movie and Francis Capra also did a very good job as rather annoying Jesse's half-brother. The soundtrack (again written by Basil Poleydoris) is worth mentioning alone because of its rather good musical themes and songs. A very good movie for whole family and not a brainless laughable family entertainment that very often bring to us Hollywood studios. A nice message for young audience that you must always think about defending the wild nature and what in real life there are more important things than money.

My vote 8,2 out of 10 or between B+ and A-.

Keiko, Richter, Schellenberg, Madsen, Atkinson, and Williamson all return for a new adventure about friendship and family. Two years after setting Willy free, Jesse is still rebellious, but nothing very bad. He enjoys girls and time with his adoptive parents. Things get shaken up when he finds out his mother died and he has a half-brother named Elvis that will be staying with him for a while. They go on a camping trip and contend with sibling rivalry. Not far into the vacation, Jesse is thrilled to see Willy again. But everything is put in danger when an oil spill traps Willy and his family and endangers their habitat. Jesse leads a group to put out crooked businessmen and save his best friend. Many people did not like this one. Many people found it better than the first. The first is a typical lonely kid that becomes best friends with a non-human and saves him. This is similar, but there is more danger that adds excitement and entertainment. And the subplot with Jesse and Elvis is great too. Regardless, all Free Willy movies are great for nostalgia sake, whether you originally liked them or not. Screw those dog and chimp family movies.

3/4

I really enjoyed the first film, it was sweet and cute, and elevated to a greater level by that wonderful killer whale Keiko who played Willy. This sequel is not as good, but it is decent. I do agree the story isn't as good or as believable this time around, the script lacks sparkle and the direction isn't as clever. But it is beautifully filmed, with lovely cinematography and scenery, and the score is really pleasant. Free Willy 2 mayn't be the most fast-paced movie ever made, but it moves briskly, and the message is admirable. What makes the movie charming though is the cast, Jason James Richter is still very likable and Francis Capra is funny and natural here. Mary Kate Schellhart and Michael Madson also do nice work, however it is the orcas that steal the show, every scene with them in is utterly riveting. Overall, inferior but nice and pleasant. 7/10 Bethany Cox

If you've seen my comment on the original "Free Willy", which is not a positive one, you might be wondering why I'm reviewing this sequel, why I would have bothered watching it. Well, the only explanation I can give is that I saw it at school back in 1996, on my last day of Grade 3. While I couldn't seem to remember that much of it from that first viewing, I clearly remember that the climax had my heart pounding, and it was a memorable way to mark the end of my years as a primary student. So, it's another film from my childhood which I decided to revisit, and probably wouldn't have ever ended up seeing at all had I not seen it before. Since I didn't like the original 1993 film when I watched it recently, it's no surprise I'm not too impressed with this 1995 sequel, either.

It has been two years since Jesse brought Willy, the orca whale, back to his natural habitat. The two haven't seen each other since then, but Jesse is happy living with his foster parents, Glen and Annie Greenwood. However, the teenager is not happy when he is informed that his birth mother has just died, and his younger half-brother, Elvis, is coming to live with them. Jesse and Elvis do not get along, and their conflict continues on a camping trip with their foster parents, on which they have to share a tent. On this trip, Jesse finally sees Willy again, and also reunites with his friend, Randolph. Randolph introduces his goddaughter, Nadine, whom Jesse quickly falls in love with. Trouble comes when an oil tanker crashes and spills its contents into the water, threatening the lives of the whales! While Jesse and others attempt to save these whales, Elvis has problems of his own.

I didn't care much for many of the characters in the original film, but this sequel introduces Elvis, played by Francis Capra, and he might be slightly worse than any character featured in the 1993 smash hit family movie. It seems Capra was given some poor lines in this role, such as what his character says when he realizes his foster parents aren't rich. Of course, not all cheesy lines in the movie come from him. Basically, most aspects of this movie weren't done so well, including the conflict between Jesse and Elvis, which may be a little extreme at times, and the teen romance between Jesse and Nadine. Like the original, there is some tension, and also maybe a few poignant moments, but at times, it may try too hard, or not hard enough. I have to admit, I actually found it mildly amusing when Glen and Annie go out looking for Elvis and Michael Jackson's song, "Childhood" suddenly begins. I'm sorry, I know it's a deeply personal song of Jackson's, about his tragic upbringing, and I know he is now dead, but in this movie, the song seemed to be thrown in, as a poor attempt to push the right buttons on the audience. I didn't even know the artist was Michael Jackson when I watched the film.

It seems "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" is less popular than the original "Free Willy", even though some critics considered it superior. Personally, I'm pretty much indifferent to both of them. I've explained why I decided to watch and review this sequel, but since I've never seen the final installment in the trilogy, 1997's "Free Willy 3: The Rescue" (which appears to be even less popular), to this day, I don't intend to watch it. I don't like what I've seen in the first two so much, so I obviously don't want to sit through another hour and a half or so of what is probably pretty much the same thing. Despite how long it's been since the last "Free Willy" movie was made, more than one source tells me that there will be a "Free Willy 4" released next year, starring Bindi Irwin, the daughter of late conservationist Steve Irwin (a.k.a. "The Crocodile Hunter"). Apparently, it will be a direct-to-DVD release. No offence to the Irwins, but I will definitely be passing on this one as well.