Review of Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove (2010) by Scot C — 26 Jan 2011

This is a really sweet film. And with Bindi Irwin in it, how could it not be sweet. She's a cute little girl, and the casting got it spot on. Filmed entirely in South Africa, it was great to see many of the locations that I see every day.

Plot wise it is predictable, and weak, but with a concept that will always work. Every shot of the whale/s underwater is entirely CGI, and though not terrible, it clearly just looks like a 'good' effort at CGI.

Performance wise all round was generally good. Stephen Jennings who played the antagonist, was just not strong enough in that role I feel. Not sure if the director was clear enough with what he wanted from him, or if it was just poor casting.

Beau Bridges doesnt give a great performance either, but it was good enough, & he looked like he was having a lot of fun as the eccentric grandfather. High five to the penguin for his performance! This story mixes the light and shade well, and its a film set in summer, and it righfully is full of colour.

But what's important, is that this movie has a lot of heart. And the heart of this story is a little girl, who has a lot of heart. (And a mechanical whale!).