D3: The Mighty Ducks

This was an OK sequel to the Mighty Ducks trilogy, as the team gets sent to an exclusive prep school, loaded with scholarships, and winds up with a new coach as Bombay gets a "promotion" of sorts. The new one starts off like Bombay did, and it will remind you a bit of they way they did in the first movie, except this guy is tougher. I will admit that this movie is not quite as good as the other Mighty Ducks movies, but it does has its moments, like the restaurant scene, the pranks scenes, and the hockey scenes. It is passable and harmless entertainment. You might like it.

** 1/2 out of ****

Over all, this is an average movie. Here are the negative parts of the film. What was the point in putting Emilio Estevez's name on the front cover of the movie box if he is only in about three scenes of the movie? In the first place he should of been their coach through the series. This movie also had a lack of hockey. How realistic is it to come back from 9-0 in one period of hockey? Disney you need to give me a break. Here is also something unrealistic. Don't you think the ducks would be the varsity team? In D2 they went to the junior good will games and played on team USA. They should be able to easily beat the real varsity team. Like Adam Banks said in D2 they were good enough to play against the world. Coach Orion was annoying too. Bad mistake for Bombay to leave. Like I was saying before the movie had a lack of hockey. Throughout the movie you only see them play three games. Here are the positive things to say. The pranks were funny. I especially liked the one with horse turd. Over all I give this movie ** of ****.

This is probably the best of the series. Things that I liked about the movie: The kids grow up and if there's something enjoyable, it's that they kept most of the members from the first two. So watching their lives just make us warm and fuzzy. It's funny watching the hijinks of the team as the college seniors make life hell for the Ducks and vice-versa. Plus, we see the team try to adjust training under a new coach. The hockey games in this movies are always fun to watch. What I didn't like: We don't see enough about the new coach to make us care about him and the way he commands the team. I give this 4 of 5 stars.

I'm not sure exactly why so many people think of the Mighty Ducks movies as silly and pointless. I was never good at sports, but I have always believed that, with proper coaching, any sport could teach children and teenagers about life. The third installment of this series, directed more toward teenagers than anyone else, really shows how teamwork and positive thinking can overcome obstacles and help them grow. I have seen D3 many times and yet as I recently bought the DVD and watched it again, I couldn't help but cheer for the Ducks.

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