Free Willy (1993)

That was an excellent one.

good back-story, and good acting

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I remember seeing this, and it was such a wonderful family film. The story was good. It felt realistic too. It felt like a true family film. It's even more good if you're into animals especially whales. The characters were wonderful. The bad guys made this film that extra better. The great thing about Free Willy is that the film gets better and more interesting as it progresses. Really enjoyed the last-half of the film. I think I use to own this on video, but it's a good one to own anyway.

Ahh, screw it. This movie is a total guilty pleasure but at the same time is a very complete dramatic feature. I won't get into specific details but I can tell you that the movie is not only about a social message; it deals with an intense problematic about animal rights plus the relationship (magical) between a young boy and a whale. I was really convinced that this movie was only to cash some money but the truth is that is a very powerful film experience.I watched it on theaters and it made me feel really good, powerful at some aspects. Plus the movie's main song courtesy of Michael Jackson is really haunting.A movie not to be missed and a classic of 90's Cinema.

This renowned PG-rated family flick was released when I was around seven years old. I didn't see it in the theatre, but I don't think it was too long afterwards when I saw some of it in the VHS format. I don't recall ever seeing the whole thing during my childhood, though I did see the first of the two sequels, "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home", from start to finish one time. When I rented the original "Free Willy" just yesterday, I could only remember a little bit of it from what I saw back in the 90's. After all these years, I've finally seen the entire film. However, as much as a fair number of other people seem to like it, I definitely didn't find it as entertaining and touching as many have made it out to be, which didn't surprise me after seeing its mediocre rating here first.Jesse is a troubled 12 year old boy who was abandoned by his mother years ago. One night, while getting into mischief with a group of friends, he is caught by the police after vandalizing an aquatic park. His social worker, Dwight Mercer, manages to get him off the hook, provided he cleans up the mess he has made at the park. As Jesse works at the park, he looks in the tank and sees an orca whale named Willy, who was sadly separated from his family in the ocean recently and brought here. The 12 year old boy befriends this whale, and manages to teach him tricks, which nobody else has succeeded in doing. However, it turns out that Willy won't do these tricks in front of a big audience, with kids banging on the tank windows. Dial, the park owner, has an evil plan, and the homesick orca whale's life is in danger! The beginning of the film, showing whales in the ocean, may not be that bad at first, but it's a little too long. After the capture, we are introduced to Jesse, played by Jason James Richter, and it doesn't exactly improve here, which leads me to another slight problem I have with this movie. This problem is the characters. This includes the main kid. At the beginning, he's one rotten little brat, but I guess that can easily happen with the kind of childhood he's had. Yes, much of the film is supposed to be extremely touching, and clearly is to some people, but to me, it just seemed a little too phony. The story may have some occasional mildly touching moments, but they are very brief. There may be a bit of excitement as well, but in the end, despite the fact that I wasn't completely bored throughout, I was still left with indifference. Nothing too overwhelming. I know this is a film about saving whales, and I assure you, I do not approve of the captivity of marine animals. They're meant to live in the ocean, not chlorinated tanks. Still, this movie just didn't quite do it for me. I also know I'm writing this just a couple days after the death of Michael Jackson, who sang the closing theme, "Will You Be There", for this movie, but that is of mere coincidence. I didn't know he sang the theme song, nor did I even know what this movie's theme song was, before I rented it yesterday! If I had seen the entire film from start to finish during my childhood, it just might have been a more entertaining and memorable experience than it was for me watching it after growing up. "Free Willy" should be a nice, moving family drama, but somehow, it fails. Many kids might like it, and adults as well, but in my opinion, it's far from the perfect, heartwarming family film it seems to have often been considered.

My Take: Familiar storyline is salvaged by touching moments. Think LASSIE as a harmless 3-ton marine mammal, specifically a 3-ton Killer Whale, and you got the concept of FREE WILLY. But don't let the predictable fluffy areas fool you! This is a surprisingly charming and oftentimes wonderful twist on the boy-and-his-dog plot line. It's sweet, a little predictable to be sure, but a noble and quite impressive movie of its kind. If your looking for a harmless, but entertaining, family diversion, I suggest to take a shot on FREE WILLY. If you don't find yourself assured, a rental might be fine.Perhaps one of the startling affair about FREE WILLY is that it doesn't solely concern the "dog" (the animal), but finds its time to for the "boy" as well. Instead of a movie heavily devoted on the save-the-animals aspect of the fable, FREE WILLY finds time to make the human dimension interesting and relevant. The "boy" of the story is Jessie (Jason James Richter), an orphaned boy forced to run amok the streets hang out with a bunch of trouble-makers. He picked the wrong place to mess with when he stumbles upon a too-small tank of a 3-ton Orca in captivity. Since he sprayed graffiti all over the walls, Jessie is sanctioned to clean the place up. He's also going to be assigned to his new adoptive parents (played by Michael Madsen and Jayne Atkinson). The moments where Jessie tries to adapt to his life under foster-parenthood isn't one of the film's best scenes, but granted, they're welcome addition to an otherwise predictable fare.Still, the moments between Jessie and the gigantic cetacean, as played by Sea World attraction Keiko as well as a believable animatronic double, is what basically FREE WILLY is all about. The moments between the boy and his whale are sweet and often tear-jerking on some occasions. Sure this thing has more "Save the Whales" slogan than any other film I've ever seen dealing with the same subject, but FREE WILLY does so with shamelessly but not dully. The movie doesn't make us go "Yeah sure! Save the whales already!". It does its predictable and preachy elements with relevance. We care about these characters, and to what might happen to them.The movie isn't flawless of course. With slightly glacial-paced midsection and a number of schmaltzy substance, FREE WILLY isn't free from its faults. But for sweet, feather-weight family entertainment, FREE WILLY still holds water. Your kids might love it. You might love it too. Consider that the surprise bonus in this cheerful little tale.Rating: **** out of 5.