140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Like the 1st, only less so. If you liked the first film, you’ll enjoy this as well, but it’s a less significant picture in most respects…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Dolphin Tale 2:
This review is going to feel like déjà vu all over again, which is fitting, since so does the film.
The first Dolphin Tale was a huge financial and (mostly) critical success, but a sequel wouldn’t seem to make any sense were it not for a most unlikely – but true – series of events. As in the case of the original picture, the dramatized recreations of the true story were more interesting than the fictionalized extra story material. Unlike in the first film, the extra story material is weak and undeserving of so much screen time.
It’s really remarkable that they could make a sequel to a true story, following it up with another true story, and the tale (heh heh) is almost too perfect to believe. At a wrap party for the first film, volunteers and staff from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium were called away from the event to care for a young female bottlenose dolphin who had been rescued. This dolphin would be named Hope and is the film’s raison d’être.
The film opens with the rescue of a bottlenose dolphin in a sequence narrated by Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), the protagonist of the first picture. It’s been three years and he’s now thriving as an essential staff member at the aquarium. Business has been booming at the facility, which has now expanded and is more of a tourist attraction, which raises the pressures on the team when something goes wrong – which of course it does.
Because part of my mission is to look at these films from a family-friendly perspective, I must tell you that the first act contains the heartbreaking death of Panama, the bottlenose tankmate of Winter. (This isn’t a spoiler – it’s the story catalyst.) It’s done very respectfully but it’s still quite upsetting, so prep your young ones.
With the death of Panama, Winter is now alone in the tank – a regulatory violation – and has become depressed. The Clearwater team will need hope if they are going to be able to keep Winter from being sent to another aquarium.
Story-wise, though, so far, so good. But it’s the whole other story that is tedious. In the first picture screenwriters Karen Janszen & Noam Dromi crafted an interesting allegorical story about humans coping with loss and change much like Winter. Director Charles Martin Smith handled writing duties for this film and is not as successful. It’s basically a coming of age / “should I stay or should I go” story mixed in with a “keep the aquarium going” storyline that’s a retread of the first film. It is appropriately shorter than the first film, but considering how much story there isn’t, it could have been shorter still.
Nearly all of the primary characters have their roles severely reduced, with the exception of Sawyer. Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd & Kris Kristofferson probably could have filmed all of their scenes in an afternoon. I’m not even sure they bothered to check in with the costume department – I think they just walked on to the set in their street clothes. Freeman in particular seems operating on autopilot – he could have (and may have) done this in his sleep.
One character that doesn’t lose any screen time is Rufus the pelican, following the Louis Tully rule of sequels. That’s fine – he’s funny and most of his scenes are with new character Mavis, a rescued sea turtle – and I love sea turtles!
So am I saying to give this film a miss? Not at all. It’s still sweet and cute and fun and the animals are always spellbinding. It’s just the human stuff is a little more pedestrian in this film and I don’t think it’s quite as inspirational of a story. But it is an entertaining film and I could watch these dolphins for hours. The child audience in the theater loved it, including the one I brought, and the rest of us seemed to find it an enjoyable and solid enough movie.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: B (10 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Morgan Freeman Dr. Cameron McCarthy, Ashley Judd Lorraine Nelson, Nathan Gamble Sawyer Nelson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff Hazel Haskett |
| Rating | PG |
| Release Date | Fri 12 Sep 2014 UTC |
| Director | Charles Martin Smith |
| Genres | Drama, Family |
| Plot | The team of people who saved Winter’s life reassemble in the wake of her surrogate mother’s passing in order to find her a companion so she can remain at the Clearwater Marine Hospital. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 107 |
| Tagline | WINTER’s amazing true story… now has HOPE. |
| Writers | Charles Martin Smith (written by), Karen Janszen (characters) … |
| Year | 2014 |
