Free Willy 2: A Aventura Continua

My Take: Preachy, eco-friendly sequel, but has its moments.

Let go of your "Save The Whales" placards, allow FREE WILLY 2: THE ADVENTURE HOME do the job for you. If you thought the original FREE WILLY had enough "Free the Whales" slogans to match a 3-ton Orca's weight, FREE WILLY 2 is even bigger, with its environmentalist propaganda that is! In its story and characters, it lacks that certain oomph of the original, which elevated it from its predictable genre origins. FREE WILLY 2 is much more predictable, with a by-th-numbers storyline that might just entertain the kids and give adults a toothache from all its sweetness. Still, for what its worth, FREE WILLY 2 is enjoyable family affair. I say it's at least worth a rental. For the record, at least its a better bargain than FLIPPER or even, not that it has any connection, JAWS: THE REVENGE.

The storyline is more filled of "Save the Whales" slogans than ever before. After leaving Willy (Keiko, assisted by an animatronic and CG double) from his leap of faith in the original's finale, Willy faces a new threat, this time outside the confines of a small tank. Jessie (Jason James Richter), now grown-up, is out to save the day again. The story also provides him a sort-of-girlfriend (Mary Kate Schellhardt) with a deep concern for the environment (Couldn't this movie ever be more nature-friendly?) and even a little brother named Elvis (Francis Capra), who is just so... annoying. Not that the film is crowded with good guys, bad guys and beleaguered whales, but why did they actually think that this kid, annoying and a bit spoiled at some point, would deepen the film's emotional level? Why they think a kid as nearly annoying as Elvis (who's simply annoying quips are more than enough to drive you to the breaking point) would be a good way to stretch Jessie's character, I really don't know.

Still, as family entertainment, FREE WILLY 2 does just about enough for a mild recommendation. The photography is adequate, capturing on film a lively shot of its environments and, of course the whales. I've read a trivia about the film that it uses much more animatronic whales than the first film, yet it's really hard to spot in most scenes due to the rather seamless effect. The story is shallow, predictable, but actually quite believable, although the Jessie-Elvis brotherhood is something that can easily be removed without doing any harm to the story. As family entertainment, I at least give it a fair and easy recommendation.

Rating: *** out of 5.

Two years after the events of the previous film, Jesse (Jason James Richter) has settled in with his adoptive parents Glen and Annie Greenwood (Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson respectively) and is preparing for a camping trip with them to visit his friend Randolph (August Schellenberg) who has since taken a research position with the Orca institute and is now tracking Willy's pod in the San Juan Islands. The plans are interrupted when Jesse is visited by his social worker Dwight (Mykelti Williamson) who informs him that they've found his birth mother who's since passed on, but Jesse also has an 8-year-old half-brother, Elvis (Francis Capra), who is placed with the Greenwoods due to Jesse being his closest kin which Jesse is none too pleased about. As they adjust to Elvis' presence who has a similar abrasiveness to Jesse in addition to constant lies and exaggerations, Jesse happily reunites with Willy who still remembers him and is introduced to Willy's siblings Luna and Littlespot while also forming a friendship with Randolph's goddaughter Nadine (Mary Kate Schellhardt). However the happiness of the reunion is short lived when oil tanker Dakar runs aground near by causing an oil spill that leads to an ecological disaster that threatens Willy and his siblings and cuts them off from the rest of their pod.

Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home is of course the sequel to 1993's surprise hit Free Willy which despite opening if fifth place behind juggernauts like Jurassic Park was able to become a solid success thanks to strong holding power at the box office and a thrifty budget. Executive producers Richard and Lauren Schuler Donner made clear their intention to produce a sequel to the film a few months after the first one's release, and even renegotiated with star Jason James Richter giving him an increased salary with an option for a third film. Produced on a significantly larger budget and promoted as a big Summer movie, Free Willy 2 also opened modestly but unlike its predecessor didn't maintain the holds that allowed the first film to become a hit and the film only made $30 million domestically against its $31 million budget, significantly down from the $77 million its original brought in. Thanks to the international market the film managed to gross $68 million worldwide, and as movie studios were still riding high on the record profits yielded from home media sales of children's films Free Willy most likely generated a respectable profit once it hit home video. While the fact this movie exists is pretty standard "business as usual" sequelization, it's honestly a better movie than the first one in my opinion.

Much like the previous movie, the acting is really good with performers still giving committed performances even if the material isn't all that rich. While the Jesse character still hasn't had all of his more abrasive qualities dialed back it does feel like the filmmakers understood the flaws present in the character and made an attempt at showing the character in a manner where he exhibited more emotional intelligence and compassion rather than anger, spite, and sarcasm as he had done in the previous film. Jesse's relationship with the Greenwood's isn't much more substantive here than it was previously, but at least they share more positive interactions this time around. Francis Capra's portrayal of Elvis is one of those issues that like the previous film, lands more on the writing than the acting. While the movie sets up a rift between Jesse and Elvis they're supposed to overcome, it really doesn't feel like it is and the way the character is written to be as abrasive as Jesse was in the first film but with the added running trait of every other word he says being a brazen lie it makes it hard to sympathize with the character. Maybe this could have been addressed if they'd gone into more detail about Jesse and Elvis' mom and what actual issues she had but because this is the kind of movie it is we know it's not going to do that so Elvis is really only here to give the Greenwoods some reason to be in the story because if it weren't for Elvis they'd be bereft of things to do.

Unlike the original film that used a combination of a real whale and animatronics, Free Willy 2 uses fully animatronic whales for the three whales and for the most part they look pretty convincing and do the job well. The scenes where the film is evoking the Exxon Valdeez oil spill are quite harrowing and there's a sense of weight and investment to the film that features some impressive set pieces such as an oil fire in the third act. On paper it seems like a solid conflict but the movie also adds on a completely unnecessary tangent (I would say sub plot but it's honestly too thin to qualify for that) and we introduce some human antagonists who want to sell Willy and his siblings to aquariums and amusement parks and it feels unnecessary because A) in a disaster movie like this, the "disaster" is adequate as your main villain and B) it's just retreading subjects that were already covered by the first film and feel like unnecessary padding.

Free Willy 2 didn't need to exist and does fall mostly in line with what was done with the first film, but it does feel like a better movie on the whole thanks to dialing back some of the more abrasive aspects of Jesse's character and creating a legitimately engaging scenario. I did find myself hard pressed to like the Elvis character and the addition of unnecessary human antagonists to this story did feel like an unnecessary distraction but for the most part I did think Free Willy 2 was an okay movie that didn't overstay its welcome.

The original Free Willy film of 1993 was a huge success to the point that there was a animated television series that ran from 1994 to 1995. Obviously not a huge hit but perhaps they were giving Willy fans something to hold the interest for the sequel which came out in 1995 titled: Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home. Much of the cast from the first film returns for this film and a lot of the same people also return. But, we have a new director this time around with Dwight Little in the director's chair this time around. Funny enough, some notable directing credits to his name are Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, an episode of Freddy's Nightmares, The Phantom of the Opera (1989), an episode of The X-Files, the Tekken movie, and various episodes for various drama TV shows (too many to name). This is very surprising seeing what this film is and looking at the other films and shows that this director has worked on. And the even funnier thing is is that Dwight Little is married to Jason James Richter's mom. Despite the original film being a success, this film bombed at the box office making only $30 million against a $31 million budget. It also was not as well recieved as the previous film. Notably, Roger Ebert, who gave the original film a positive review, gave this film a negative review.

Jesse has been living with the Greenwoods for a couple of years now. One day, Dwight (a guy from the foster care business who was in the first film) comes by the house to tell Jesse that his mom that he has not seen in eight or so years has died and that Jesse has a half brother named Elvis. Elvis is going to be staying with the Greenwoods for a little bit. Jesse is not happy with this. When Elvis arrives, the Greenwoods and Jesse bring Elvis along on a camping trip. Well, it just so happens that Randolph is there (I am sure there is a reason here) and he is with his Goddaughter doing whale stuff. It just so happens that they find Willy (along with his family) there. Then a big oil tanker comes buy and causes an oil spill and the whales are in danger. It is up to Jesse and co. to help save the whales.

My little plot description is essentially the whole film. I mean that because when you briefly describe a film, you have to include the conflict of the film. The conflict of this film is the oil spill. But that does not come up until the very end of the film. Which is a huge problem. The least that I can say that is good about this film is that it at least feels like a sequel even if large parts of what made the first film an enjoyable experience is gone. The cinematography is still fairly good here. There is one particular aerial shot (actually it is literally the first shot of the film) that does come close to rivaling the cinematography of the first film. But in all, it largely does not come close to the first film. Basil Poledouris does return to do the music for this film and while it is mostly the same music from the first film, it is still enjoyable to listen to. Aside from Basil Poledouris, Michael Jackson does return with another song called "Childhood". This is a song I am not too familiar with and it is not as good and as memorable as "Will You Be There". There are some other songs that make an appearance as well. There is the cover of Forever Young that I really enjoyed and might put that on a playlist at some point. Despite having the climax come really late into the film, I will say that it is at least memorable for a film that is largely forgettable. It is most definitely not on par with the original but of all of the things that I remembered from this film, it was the climax. Another thing is the special effects. I had no clue that they used fake whales for pretty much the whole entire film which blew my mind as the fake whales are really convincing. Now what are my mixed feelings about this film? The acting is one but there nothing new to say. Michael Madsen still looks tired in this film. The plot is another. While definitely something that is important in the real world, I would rather watch something else about the environment. In this film, it is not very subtle either. Plus, what can I do to prevent a big oil tanker from spilling oil and having the expertise that Jesse has in working with kilelr whales? Exactly. A well meaning story, but it just does not work well with this film. Now for my negatives. The characters from the previous film are not as interesting. The new characters are just horrendous. Elvis is the most annoying little kid that I have seen in quite some time. This was probably done on purpose that way he can go through some sort of character change at the end. Whether it happens or not, I don't care. He is annoying. He lies throughout the film and some of these lies just make me want to punch him in the face. Also, good job in finding a twelve year old to portray an eight year old. Jesse has a new love interest with Randolph's granddaughter named Nadine. It feels forced because Jesse is a teenager and he needs to have a love interest. With that being said, her character is not well developed and even I do not know why Jesse is specifically attracted to her. Perhaps shared interests in whales? There is supposed to be a "villain" but it is only touched on in one scene and it is easy to forget that there is a villain in this film. Another complaint (and this just came to me) is the title. First of all, not an adventure. What would be an adventure would be what I was promised on the DVD cover (I am certain that the cover is used on other releases as well) with Jesse riding on Willy with other killer whales surrounding. Yes he rides on a whale but not like on the cover. Second, the adventure home? Is Willy and his family lost? It seems to me that they are already home and it just so happens that it is near a camping spot. Oh and yes, Willy has a family which makes sense I guess.

The strange thing about this film was that I remember liking it when I was younger but now that about 15 years have passed, I don't seem to have the same feelings. Free Willy 2 is not anywhere on the same level as the first film. I know there are people who like this film but I just happen to be the one who does not.

I catched this on satellite before trying to watch a video from my watchlist collection.

Because of it's charm I couldn't get my self to stop watching it. Aware and knowing that it has a sequel-B movie vibe on it.

That being said I think this movie is pretty decent for it's level. Though not being the ambitious "I want to be a big franchise" type of movie. It still has a well thought plot. And I think those are enough for a good family moment.

For size, you can see how the camera works to find the emotion of Willy the whale. Making it live enough to enjoy.

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