The Five Faces of **_FREE WILLY_**

------

:heart_eyes:

//

:smiley:

The film score is tinged with 80s era synths, which feels both nostalgic and somewhat cringeworthy. But it's cheerful and lovely most of the time. The only memorable part is **Michael Jackson's** end credits song _Will You Be There_.

It is lovely to see such a warm connection between Willie and Jesse. Their relationship feels genuine, emotional and very strong. It's the primary reason this movie is so highly regarded by many who first saw it during their childhood.

The final act is tense and exciting, perfectly balancing the slower and happier first half. Too bad it only lasts for some twenty minutes.

:neutral_face:

One of **Michel Madden's** duller performances, far from the colorful and intelligent roles he usually does.

The plot is pretty typical for a 90s family film with an animal at the center of things; it's predictable and hardly offers any surprises or innovations.

The oddball pacing, with shallow emotional moments and a handful of exciting scenes, kill much of the fun one could have to watch this film.

Sadly, the film loses much of its juice and focus towards the middle and before the third act, where it picks up speed and turns interesting again. The script just keeps giving us the same stuff over and over again.

The classic penultimate moment is still emotional, even if the CGI looks terribly dated today.

:frowning2:

The acting is wonky at times, particularly with the adults. **Jason James Richter** performs surprisingly well, with some genuinely great moments.

The first half of the movie is slow and repetitive. They introduce the main players early and build-up for the final act almost with too great detail.

It's a pity the supporting characters remain so shallow and anonymous throughout the movie. They never get the attention they deserve.

Dial is supposed to be the big bad of the film but remains such a minor and shallow character that he never feels properly threatening or interesting.

The fact that **Keiko**, who plays Willy, is the biggest star and most natural actor in this film, makes his ultimate fate devastatingly sad and also says a lot about the qualities of this feature.

:face_vomiting:

//

-----

**The Final Face:** :neutral_face: