Although I personally enjoyed the movie as a "Family Movie Date Night", there were some obvious problems in the continuation of the story. We are supposed to assume that a lot of time has passed and Sawyer is now a High School student with an unwavering love and connection to both Winter and the aquarium. Of course, this is easy because the characters appear older. But, realistically, the cast doesn't gel as well together as in the first installment. Harry Connick Jr, Ashley Judd, and Morgan Freeman definitively take second place, maybe third, to the children and animals. What's interesting is the score underlining and highlighting the film. As with any film, the score is used to make the audience feel. Problem is, the music is almost continual and more prevalent than the dialogue. Forcing the viewer to listen intently to catch what's being said rather than stirring back and enjoying the film. When the score is absent, dialogue seems muttered and off time. The frenzy of a popular theme park and it's complications of day to day life show us how difficult it can be to care for these creatures. With the enormous amount of backlash aimed toward Sea World, it is surprising this film escaped the fallout. Black Fish was a heart-wrenching look at life in captivity. And it was through this scope that I viewed the film. It is truly unfortunate that the cast didn't retain its closeness and connection from the first movie. Attempts to throw in as many amputees as possible makes the film even more painful. We are living in Florida. Really just a short car ride to this park, but we've never been there. It might provide more insight for the films hurried nature. Mandy is our only hope. Having my own Mandi (with an i,thank you very much) made the film more fun for our family. But, even with the cute coincidence, it's a draggy film. Trying to fill in gaps while pushing forward. Contributing to the overall disorganization of the film. Should have let Winter come and go without trying to change the seasons.
Review of Dolphin Tale 2
