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One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Free Willy is pretty much the non-sci-fi version of E.T. Although not as good, it still gives you the same feeling and remains an iconic landmark. Free Willy 2 was also great with many great elements. Now, there's Free Willy 3: the most different and edgiest which polarizes the opinions of the viewers. Jesse gets a job working with his longtime buddy Randolph. They discover that Willy is going to be a father, so Jesse is excited. Meanwhile, young Max Wesley sees his father illegally hunting wales. Max knows that's wrong, but his dad convinces him it is not a big deal. Max befriends Willy and starts to feel for him. When Jesse and Randolph get involved, they try to stop Max's father from more wale killings. Richter and Schellenberg are the only two returning cast members. Many people wonder what happened to Elvis and Nadine from the previous flick. I found Jesse and Randolph alone to be fine, as they are the best characters. One may also not like half the story centring around Max and his family. They also may not like seeing his father hunting and killing wales, which is shown. There are also brawls which make things less settling. Having said that, this movie needed that action and brutality. Doing another Free Willy movie in the same fashion as the first two would suck. Although the first two were good, they were also dry and stale with little excitement. The sheer danger rises which makes for more excitement.

The first wildlife family film is alright fun, the sequel wasn't as likable (once in a while), so I had to finish the trilogy, and see which of all of them is most bearable. Basically, (Jesse Jason James) Richter is now sixteen years old, and has taken a job on a ship as both researcher and protector of Orca whales. He is working with old friend Randolph Johnson (August Schellenberg), sarcastic scientist Drew Halbert (Annie Corley), and on the ocean he is of course reunited with old friend Willy the Whale (Keiko). Meanwhile, on a whaling ship is John Wesley (Patrick Kilpatrick) and his young son Max (Vincent Berry), who after seeing many of them isn't very keen on killing the Orca whales. While he doesn't have the guts to say no to his Dad, Jesse gets Max to meet Willy and his new girlfriend who is pregnant with their baby, and he realises that his Dad is doing something illegal and nasty to nature. Also starring Tasha Simms as Mary Wesley, Peter LaCroix as 1st Mate Sanderson, Stephen E. Miller as Dineen, Ian Tracey as Kron and Matthew Walker as Captain Drake. The problem with this one is that the human story takes over and we hardly see enough of the beautiful, originally show stealing creatures, the birth of a baby nearly makes up for the lack of time they are used, but the first film is always going to be the one to watch. Okay!

This was a VERY entertaining family film. I had not seen either previous Willy flics, yet I was into it from beginning to end (along with my 4 year old daughter).So why the low rating? My hunch is people judge family films by adult criteria. Which is totally absurd, since we all know children's movies today are far superior than 95% of the so called, adult films coming out (which ironically enough, seem made for audiences with a teenager's intelligence).In short: ignore the low rating.

I liked two previous Free Willy movies when original was completely a perfect masterpiece while the first sequel was also pretty good. . Now, I watched the third movie and I found it excellent, almost as great as the original, though the first Free Willy movie is without a doubt the best in the trilogy. In this movie our main hero Jesse is now 16 and he begins to work with his old friend Randolph on a scientific researching ship. This summer new danger threatens his relations with giant whale Willy - illegal whalers. Jesse meets young boy, who is son of the captain of whaler's ship and he tries to convince him that whales are living creatures and not just a food for expensive restaurants. The relations and dialogs between captain of whaler's ship and his son Max (played by two newcomers Patrick Kilpatrick and Vincent Berry) and dialogs between them are the strongest parts of the movie. Acting is still pretty good and young Vincent Berry who was much better than slightly annoying Fransis Capra is the second movie created an excellent and memorable performance as Max, young and innocent kid, who learns that his father is involved in illegal fishing. Jason James Richter one more time (to my great sadness the last time) showed his acting abilities with strong performance as almost grown-up Jesse. Free Willy 3 is beautifully shot movie with gorgeous cinematography which is as good as in first movie but here we can entire ocean instead of small pool. With such a good cinematography, great scenery, well written and poignant story and good soundtrack the last Free Willy 3 is an excellent example how good can be a family movie. Sweet and innocent, bright and entertained and that's the most important to me without any sign of vulgarity and typical rude humor it easily became to all-time family classic. Anyone must realize that whales (and others animals) can be more human than people.My rating 9,5 out of 10. The movie is dedicated to memory of Keith A.Walker (the man who brought two great characters Willy and Jesse into our life). IMDb is a great source for any movie lover but some ratings can be exceptionally misleading.