Splash, Too

I saw this film for the first time today. Having seen the original, I didn't have very high expectations in this one, with the cast being completely new and different. But, I was positively surprised. It is actually a good film, more than just an attempt to make more money out of the concept of a mermaid who comes up on land, from the original film. Sequels are rarely as good as the originals, and I think that's true of this one too, but it's a lot better than many sequels are, compared to their originals. It's definitely worth seeing and if you like the original, you won't get disappointed.

I saw Splash Too on family channel nearly eight years ago it was a double feature they played the original Splash with Tom Hanks & Darryl Hannah. When they showed the sequel it looked pretty good, replacements Todd Waring & Amy Yasbeck did a great job portraying the man and his mermaid wife.

Amy Yasbeck's performance as Madison was just as amazing as Darryl Hannah's she made the character comical and touching. Four years ago Allen Bauer (Waring) met and fell in love with a beautiful mermaid named Madison (Yasbeck), six days after meeting they got married and now they live on an island near Cape Cod. Allen misses his brother Freddie (Scott) and through a special gift Madison has they're able to see him through a pool of water as it turns out Bauer Produce is in some trouble so they go back to New York on the condition that she can soak her legs in salt water during the full moon.

Allen & Madison buy a house and try to act like a normal couple while she becomes friends with neighbor Fern Hooten (Taggart) who might know her secret. Madison's friend Salty the dolphin is held prisoner in captivity by Dr. Otto Benus (Blankfield) and she sets out to help him, after a big argument at a party Madison returns to Cape Cod and Allen begins to feel like something's missing. One night she returns home and they begin to rekindle their love.

they rescue Salty and he goes back to his home. After seeing Splash Too I enjoyed it as much as the original 1984 hit.

As bad sequels go, this one is right up there with Freddy Kruger's Cash-in Christmas Special part VI.

Now if you can't get one of the main characters to appear, then you think long and hard, and if you can cast someone else and get away with it - as in Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal - then you make the new film.

But when practically NONE of the original cast OR the production team OR writers want to do a sequel, it becomes a really bad idea. A really bad idea.

That said, it has some good ideas which would've worked well in the original Splash.

It's been many years since I've seen this movie -- I'm still trying to find a VHS or DVD copy of it! Nothing could ever compare to the original film, of course, but this is a very sweet and cute continuation of what I think is one of the most romantic stories ever written or filmed.

The sequel definitely has that Disney touch, but in a very good way. I think you have to have more innocence to appreciate this one than you do for the original, and if you're a kid at heart or a true romantic you'll definitely enjoy it. Mermaid lovers will swoon over the ocean scenes in this one, particularly in the film's opening scene! Wow. It's been well over fifteen years since I have seen the movie and I can still see those scenes clearly in my mind. Very impressive.

I'd give anything to see this released on DVD in the future -- preferably in the NEAR future! Splash fans who didn't get a chance to see it on Disney back in the late '80s or early '90s will really appreciate the chance to see what happened to Allen and Madison after the first film's ending.

I HIGHLY recommend this film to all true fans of the first movie. It's cute, lighthearted, and funny. Definitely underrated.

Like most people writing a review on this, I'm a big fan of the original movie. I saw Splash Too a couple of years after it came out and watched it repeatedly because, you know - mermaids! But even as a 10 year old I was fully aware that as sequels go, this was right up there with the worst. As another reviewer succinctly put it: when hardly any of the original cast or crew want anything to do with a sequel, take the hint. That is a bad omen.

The replacement actors were not good, but to be fair on them I think Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah themselves would have struggled with such a terrible script and direction. Rescuing the dolphin could have been a good plot if it hadn't been handled so feebly and cringely. That sums the whole sorry affair up really - cringe, cringe, cringe. I've given a generous 4 thanks to nostalgia and the fact that Amy Yasbeck was ok as a mermaid all the time she was underwater and therefore not delivering any cringey lines of nonsense.