D3: The Mighty Ducks

This Disney film made me much happier than D2 did. I really enjoyed the way it was much more true to the first film than D2 was. This movie used examples from the first film ("He's been the captain since they played in District 5," the announcer utters during the first game.) This time, the team is shy one member (Jesse) but it really seems no different. I do still wonder what happened to all those people who played in the first movie and were never heard from again. Oh well.

In this film, it's almost a rehash of the first film. A team who cannot get it together, get a washed up hockey player who they hate to coach them and they love him...your basic family fun, Disney flick.

All in all this was a great movie, but hopefully Disney realizes that we've had enough.

*** out of ****

Well, looks as if the gang is off into a new-adventure into a highly uptight high-school on an athletic scholarship. That was about my biggest turn-off right now. The fact that it was a bunch of preps just dealing it out on the ice, giving out some hard-knock schooling on the ice.

The fact is, most of the original characters apparently no longer exist, and that is probably a major downfall. The plot wasn't the greatest plot of all-although it does show actual realistic details, such as the treatment of new freshman on the campus. The pranks that these the varsity and junior varsity teams pull are completely ridiculous, and most likely, wouldn't be found in such a highly scholar school.

The coach was a complete loser, and that is completely impossible that one man can change or mature within a small time of frame.

Another turning point is that there is no-mention of Han's companion (who went back to the Old Country in D2) but, Han's dies. This is a very upsetting time, and does take the comedy effect off of the Mighty Ducks series which appeared to be the main reason for the creation of the series to begin with.

As Theodore Taylor once told Gary Paulson, Never create a prequel or following up to an excellent work, they usually end up with a foul feeling in the audience, and it can really ruin ones career. This same advice goes for the director (Robert Lieberman).

The score that everyone gave this movie does not give this movie justice. Sure, it's not a ten but it isn't a 5.1! Everyone is saying how the Mighty Duck movies were great for the first and second, but honestly I liked this one just as much! I don't care about budget! It had a great story line and a good lesson learned. It's all the same character actors and it's more relatable since it is high school. You literally got to see the ducks grow up, and I think that's why I thought the movie wasn't as bad as everyone says. Like I said, it had a good plot and a little bit of everything. Drama, humor, action, romance. It was great. Covers all the fields that any person can appreciate! All I'm saying is that you shouldn't judge a movie based on it's prequels. Give this movie a try, believe me. It's pretty great.

This is an okay threquel, but what I like most is its appeal to the younger members of my household. My daughter is 8 years old and into sport, so it works for her.

I am not personally a huge fan of the franchise, but like the original and D2 this is generally a lighthearted and fun experience. I think the hockey scenes look technically better this time round. They are a predictable cheese fest, but enjoyable nonetheless. However, the associated character drama involving the coach and players feels as forced and implausible its predecessors. Mighty Ducks films do not do character conflict well at all.

I have no issues with the new coach and in fact find Jeffery Nording a more plausible hockey coach than Emilio Estevez. The script is not great, but Nording delivers his dialogue convincingly. Estevez you feel is there on name alone and appears to go through the motions.

This time round the young characters are not quite as appealing as they were previously, but there are some good scenes of misbehaviour, pranking and off ice shenanigans that are pretty entertaining. The Prep school setting and cliched antagonistic characters make you role your eyes, but if you do not take it more seriously than you should and accept it for what it is, there is no reason not to enjoy.

It it a 5.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

Starting with the good things, it is nicely filmed with crisp cinematography and nice scenery. The soundtrack is great, and Jeffrey Nordling steps into the coach's shoes with enthusiasm with Emilio Estevez making a brief appearance. The Mighty Ducks themselves are performed with real spirit also and the few ice hockey scenes are well choreographed. However, where the film is lacking is in the plot, the plot weren't the greatest in the first two films but here it was really predictable and uninspired coupled with uneven pacing. And while I liked the scripting in the first two, it is fairly weak here. Joss Ackland's role is rather cartoonish, more to do with how the character was written rather than acted, and the direction is nothing special. Overall, merely average and worth seeing, but there are a few components here that make it the weakest of the franchise. 5/10 Bethany Cox