Mein Freund, der Delfin 2

Enjoyable sequel that finds Winter the dolphin struggling with the death of her friend Panama. Meanwhile, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) gets an offer to attend a special marine research program for three months but isn't sure he is ready to go. Like the first movie it's based on real events and the dolphins Winter and Hope appear here as themselves. The cast from the last one also returns, with reduced roles for Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Kris Kristofferson. But that's okay because the two kids (now young teens) and the dolphins are the stars. There's a budding romantic subplot with Sawyer and Hazel that is six kinds of cute. Also fun is the comic relief pelican that has a subplot involving a turtle. It's a nice, positive family movie with a likable cast and good message.

Not as engrossing as it's prequel, nevertheless, a touching flick. The practical problems faced by the dolphins due to their complex emotional nature, the coming-of-age sensitivities of Hazel and Sawyer, the sangfroid Clay, the loyal supporters, the impatient Hordern make the environment a bit serious. In my opinion, the most impressive character is Clay who acts as a dutiful caretaker and a responsible father. He takes the right decisions regarding the animals, withstands the pressure from Hordern, calmly handles the kids and persuades George for an extension of Winter's stay. Freeman as Dr. McCarthy and grandpa Reed continue to provide the morale support. McCarthy's advice to Sawyer in a subtle way is lovable. I'm glad that the movie doesn't exhibit romantic or other melodrama, the emotional display is constrained. Overall, a somberly toned but commendable movie.

This is a great family movie. Written based on the real story is reflects on the true motto of Clearwater Marine Aquarium: "rescue, rehabilitate & release" The movie does not promote cruelty or keeping animals in captivity. If the dolphin or the turtle health bill is good and the animal is able to survive on its own then the crew release it back into the ocean. Harry Connick Jr. plays Dr Clay Haskett, and when asked if it was possible for Winter to survive on her own would he let her go. His answer: right this minute! As it is the animals that stay in the aquarium are either too seriously injured or with other medical reasons (dolphin Panama, that was keeping Winter company, was deaf and not able to echo-locate food and feed herself) The acting is good, story line simple enough for kids to follow and some moments you find yourself holding breath waiting for what is next. And after watching the movie you may want to visit real stars Winter & Hope in Clearwater, FL.

Life is all about choices. Who among us has not yet seen himself torn between an opportunity, new, dangerous and challenging, and the security of our common, every day and common life? In "Dolphin Tale 2", Sawyer Nelson needs to decide between continuing his little life working at Clearwater Marine Hospital with his family or leaving everything behind to join a prestigious quarterly course, which will add value to his school curriculum. In the case of Nelson, played by Nathan Gamble ("The Dark Knight", "The Mist" and "Marley & Me"), the choice seems easy. As a teenager dedicated to studying marine animals, joining a temporary course in the open sea, where I would have contact with other marine species and the experience of having contact with other young people who have the same interest, would be more than convenient. However, the invitation to the course came at one of the most delicate moments in the boy's life. One of his best friends, the dolphin Winter, is going through a difficult time after the death of her pool partner. Grief has made Winter, once a happy and sassy creature, a sad animal, and why not say, introspective.

This time, we follow Winter, depressed after the loss of her tail and her companion. With that in mind, their caretakers at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium must take every precaution to find a way for the animal not to suffer. At the same time, Mandy, another dolphin, appears as a hope for the girl Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), Winter's faithful squire. After all, must another animal be kept in captivity to save another's life? Perhaps this is the film's best worked ethical and moral dilemma, something that is not handled as naively as it could be.

Of course, the 107 minutes of history can become tiring for anyone looking for a more realistic film filled with personal dilemmas. However, here the focus is different. The cast is on the scene to support the script, not asking for anything extraordinary from each one. In this Morgan Freeman serves only as comic relief and nothing more, like calling the dolphin a fish. What matters is knowing how the protagonist who gives the title to the film will survive. And an interesting and intelligent point of the script is not to create any human "villains" from large corporations to continue the story, as well as in the first film. Winter's situation itself (based on a true story) is dramatic enough not to need obvious subterfuges and clichés.

One of the problems of the film is the artificiality of some of the challenges that arise. While it's understandable that Sawyer doesn't want to risk losing what she already has, and even a growing crush on her friend Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), the tension over the fate of Winter and the aquarium itself is far-fetched, even endowing a uncomfortable and unnecessary dislike Dr. Clay (Harry Connick Jr.), Hazel's father and father figure to Sawyer. Even poor Winter ends up having her moments of random aggression, all to try to create some extra conflict. Luckily, the film holds onto its central arc, about the challenges Sawyer and Winter face with the coming changes, and the subplots involving rescuing animals like Mavis the turtle show more of the day-to-day life of the aquarium and its importance to that town, making the public really care about the well-being of the place and its employees.

What pleases most in "Dolphin Tale 2" is not its screenplay (which is flawed in several moments, especially due to the lack of creativity in almost replicating the story of the first film), its incredible images of home videos with real rescues or the cast (who do an efficient but unmemorable job). The main thing is the urgency of the theme, an ode to living beings and the responsibility that humanity has towards them. It may not be unprecedented or present new cinematographic languages, but the film makes an impact and can inspire the target audience, children and teenagers, to take special care with animals and the environment.

With a cast of veterans, Harry Connick Jr. ("Will and Grace"), Ashley Judd (First Degree Crimes), Kris Kristofferson ("Blade" Trilogy) and the very special participation of Morgan Freeman, who returns in this second film. However, the young Nathan and Cozi Zuehlsdorff stand out in the cast, who plays the friend and now has a crush on Sawyer, Hazel Haskett. The chemistry between the two actors is rare considering their age. Also, both Nathan and Cozi especially have a lot of charisma. The duo worked very well on screen and such performance worked in favor of the feature. It is very gratifying to see that in a generation of expressionless actors, apathetic and incapable of conveying any emotion, there are exceptions. The scenes of Cozi taking the lead in some decisions and situations at the aquarium, learning her lessons, in addition to the scene in which she says goodbye to Sawyer who will be away for a few months, are important passages in the character's maturation, which gains importance in relation to the first.

The production has a photograph in clear and vivid colors and the portrait of the animals is, although somewhat visually idealized, relatively realistic, making it clear that, however cute they are, they must be treated with care, precisely because they are wild, lesson taught with clear didacticism, with the exception of the pelican Rufus, used as an almost surreal comic relief (a fact noticed even by the characters themselves, it should be said). The film, despite focusing on children and youth, does not resort to jokes or avoid addressing themes, and is dramatic throughout. Even when Morgan Freeman appears to be the comic relief - and his joke scenes are good - it doesn't break the sequel's serious mood.

"Dolphin Tale 2" also does not villainize any of its characters to highlight the real conflicts that gave rise to the plot, nor does it romanticize things too much (even when everything indicates that Hazel and Sawyer are on the scene just to start dating). However, this sequence suffers from repetitions. The continuation's conflicts, despite being different, are shown in a very similar way to the first feature: Clay being pressured by someone to make a difficult decision and facing the objections of his daughter Hezel and Sawyer in the face of possibilities - even the lines get to be very similar.

A hurried call, an emergency rescue, intensive care, a successful outcome accompanied by dozens of onlookers clapping their hands and taking pictures - this sequence, which retraces the rescues, is repeated several times throughout the film and ends up becoming exhausting at a certain point. Time. The ending is not surprising, but the images that are shot alongside the credits, the home videos of the rescues that inspired the film, the treatments and releases, give that pride of knowing that, regardless of being good or bad, the story is true. The way the film shows the work carried out by the Clearwater Aquarium is extremely charming, the affection and respect that humans manage to establish with animals, the rescues, the healing process of whatever the problem is, all these aspects are well reported throughout the film, leaving the spectator touched by the history of the aquarium, in addition, of course, to the fact that the plot also brings aspects of family relationships and the process of necessary choices throughout life, the film is full of messages and, despite not being a film with a lot of action, the viewer leaves the cinema with a feeling of satisfaction.

Far from being another boring movie with animals, even because they don't star in it, "Dolphin Tale 2" efficiently passes (without appeals or caricatured villains, as is the custom in works of this type) a message of respect for animals, without getting attached to a mushy and politicized speech. In the end, "Dolphin Tale 2" is a "feel good movie" for children, with animals and even a sports celebrity giving her example of overcoming difficulties (surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost an arm in an attack shark in 2003 and had its story told in the movie "Soul Surfer"). If the language of the film is simplified even by the standards of this genre, it is because its target audience is children. The result is a harmless feature film, which should please little ones who like animals and teach some lessons that, although already well known, are still valid.

"You can't just throw two dolphins in the water together."

And that's basically the only conflict driving the plot for this sequel. I was a huge fan of Charles Martin Smith's first film starring Winter, the dolphin with the prosthetic tail, but there isn't anything appealing about this sequel which barely has a plot. I felt that there was never really much at stake here and many of the emotional moments felt forced, unlike in the first film where there was a lot at stake. There were a lot of fillings and subplots that never did anything to help build the pacing, and despite remaining family friendly, most children will probably be bored by this sequel. I never got engaged with it and perhaps much of that had to do with the weak script and the lack of conflict. The characters which I really liked the first time around didn't do anything for me in this sequel and I didn't feel that same connection they had with Winter this time around. Dolphin Tale 2 has all the right ingredients for a direct to DVD movie, but somehow it has been released in the big screen and received some positive reviews from the critics (only 4% lower than Interstellar according to Rottentomatoes). It astonishes me considering this film is formulaic and predictable with very little going for it. A week from now everyone will forget about it.

The true star of the franchise is Winter, but in this sequel we really don't get to see the dolphin all that much. There really isn't much at stake either, and we know how everything is going to play out. The cast is back again, which means we get some cameos from Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Kris Kristofferson, but they aren't given any substantial role this time around. The film centers once again on the child actors, Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff, who deliver solid performances but don't add much to the story. From the first scene you can tell that the producers were simply trying to cash in after the success of the first film because there is not much going for it story wise. The true story is inspirational and the original film has touched many people's lives, but there wasn't any need for a sequel.