 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove
- Review Date: March 27, 2010
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2010
Common Sense Media says
Mild orca-tainment with adorable Bindi Irwin.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is no direct continuation of the Free Willy movies, but another orca tale with different characters and another animal who just happens to be named Willy. There is some mild fist-fighting among adults, a threat of whale poisoning, a father injured and in the hospital, a mention of the heroine's deceased mother, and some adult beer drinking.
What's the story?
Kirra (Bindi Irwin) is the daughter of a widowed American veterinarian relocated to Australia. When her dad lands in the hospital after an injury, Kirra has to spend the summer in coastal South Africa with her black-sheep great-uncle Gus (Beau Bridges), who runs a shabby, buccaneer-themed amusement park called Pirate's Cove. Gus is an unreliable gambler whose relationship to the family hasn't been very friendly, but Kirra comes to like him and other park eccentrics, like an African tribal lad who sings grand opera. Then a storm strands a lost, infant orca whale in the park's lagoon. Despite a bleak outlook for the marine mammal's survival, Kirra bonds with "Willy" (as she calls it) and feeds him. Willy becomes a popular attraction, and Kirra tries to stop both Gus and a more powerful, rival amusement park from permanently imprisoning and exploiting the creature.
Is it any good?
Amazing Movie Fun Fact: Early concepts of the hit Free Willy had the sea beast interacting with an angelic little girl. Rewrites turned the human lead into tough boy instead, and it made a big splash in the dramatics. The quasi-remake FREE WILLY: ESCAPE FROM PIRATE'S COVE shows how blandly the angelic-little-girl idea would have panned out. It's not a bad flick, just a mild time-passer, skewed to youngster viewers, and best as a kiddie South Africa travelogue, with much sunny comedy and local color, inserting cute lion cubs and penguins when the focus isn't on the killer whale (obviously digital in the underwater scenes, a puppet in close-ups).
Lovely South Africa, long off Hollywood's radar whilst entertainers boycotted the unpopular racial politics of previous governments, here basks in well-deserved cinematic spotlight. Child actress Bindi Irwin is adorable, and avuncular Beau Bridges looks at home in pirate hats. If only the filmmakers had made Gus less a softie and more a scalawag like Long John Silver, then this fish story would have much-needed salt.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about holding exotic marine animals like orcas in captivity for entertainment or study. Do you think this is right? Younger viewers/Bindi Irwin fans new to the Free Willy-verse might want background on the late Keiko, the real, live orca used in older Willy flicks, who -- thanks to pressure from the Hollywood producers -- did become subject of a controversial attempted re-release into the wild.
Besides the Free Willy movies, what other movies or books deal with this sensitive issue?
Use this as an opportunity to introduce the fine family films made by the South African filmmaker Jamie Uys, such as The Gods Must Be Crazy, The Gods Must Be Crazy II, and Animals Are Beautiful People.
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- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Just be careful and know your child.
Hard for sensitive kids especially with the poisoning of the orca scene. My 7 year old son couldn't finish and left hysterically crying from the room.
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Kid, 10 years old
April 9, 2010
AGE
free willy's a whale who wants to be free
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AGE
It's a fun movie to watch i love it. This movie is one of my favorites, though i have never seen the original series of this movie. I would definitely watch it more then once.
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Kids who like fun
This movie copy's the first one!! but it is still good. Ps:the first one's better!
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AGE
Nice try, but the original is tons better!
It was a cute movie for kids, but it could not compare to the original. I loved the original Free Willy as a kid, and I still do. I watched this out of curiousity, and I thought it was a pale rip-off. I don't see why the real Free Willy should get a remake anyway, it didn't need one. To parents, I would recommend to buy your kids the original. It's an overall better movie, this one is more for little children if you ask me. It's not bad, but just not as good.
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Kid, 12 years old
July 24, 2010
AGE
i love it it is the best even i thing up on age 5+ can watch it too it is no problem!!
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AGE
O.K
It is a little violent. And it is harsh for nine year olds. I do not think that this is a good movie for nine year olds. And it had bad words
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AGE
Near 4 year old loves it. I do, too, aside from fist fight.
My near 4 year old boy can't get enough of this movie. After watching Bindi's character, he says girls know all about "dolphins." (I stress it's an orca, but whatever, lol.) I'm not fond of the fist fighting scene, but we talk about how it's not a good way to act. He loves telling us how this "dolphin" eats fish and others don't. Excellent family movie. Lots of fun.
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AGE
great newer "Free Willy film with Bindi Irwin!
this 2010 "Free Willy" film is great but does not fallow the other 3 movies.
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| Topics: | ocean creatures, wild animals |
| Studio: | Warner Home Video |
| Director: | Will Geiger |
| Cast: | Beau Bridges, Bindi Irwin |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 101 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 23, 2010 |
| DVD release date: | March 23, 2010 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | mild thematic elements |
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