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.
