DOLPHIN TALE 2 – The Review

The entire cast of DOLPHIN TALE is back for the sequel to continue the inspiring story of Winter, whose miraculous rescue and recovery—thanks to that prosthetic tail—made her a symbol of hope and perseverance to people around the world. Kids who haven’t been exposed to too many cinematic clichés may be satisfied with more heart-tugging mix of family drama and playful dolphin-human bonding, but any adult watching DOLPHIN TALE 2 should be able to predict the bland story’s events before the tide ever changes. As with most unnecessary sequels, DOLPHIN TALE 2 takes a similar plot and spreads it thin. It’s been three years since young Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) and the dedicated team at the Clearwater Marine Hospital, headed by Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick, Jr.), rescued Winter, the unfortunate dolphin with the mangled tail. With the help of a unique prosthetic they were able to save her life. The sequel opens with the death of the elderly dolphin Panama, the only poolmate Winter has ever known. The loss of Panama may have greater repercussions for Winter, who cannot be housed alone, as dolphins’ social behavior requires them to be paired with other dolphins. Time is running out to find a companion for her. Will Sawyer have to postpone his ‘semester at sea’ educational opportunity before Winter can rally? Will Winter be forced to leave Clearwater?!? Will Winter die?!?

Each setback in DOLPHIN TALE 2 provides a new opportunity for gooey feel-good life lessons about friendship, family and resilience. Having stacked the deck against the animal, the script engineers a series of miracles, from a conveniently-timed beaching of yet another injured dolphin to more aid offered by prosthesis specialist Dr. McCarthy. “I’m about to get a lesson here, aren’t I?” Sawyer says when Morgan Freeman shows up in full twinkly platitude mode to share wisdom like “When one door closes, another opens” (uttered twice!) Director Charles Martin Smith casts himself as a USDA stooge who threatens that the government will take away Winter and transfer her to a marine park…..“in Texas” (!!!). Rachel Portman’s soaring, heavy-handed score swells through one feel-good scene after another. The first movie appealed to me because I bought into the characters and the situation. Because DOLPHIN TALE 2 offers the same characters and similar situations, only less believable (true story or not), I became aware of the manipulation. Of course it’s easy to be cynical about a movie like DOLPHIN TALE 2. It’s a sincere and slick production with its heart in the right place and it may win over undemanding audiences. The characters, who are unilaterally impossible to dislike, are so darned well-meaning and saintly they may as well be wearing halos around their heads – even Rufus the pelican chips in to help find injured critters.That the film manages to be not insufferable while still being so predictable is a small tribute to its cast and crew (A minor point but a big distraction: Sawyer and his precocious girlfriend Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) rescue a wounded sea turtle they name Mavis after “the character from the Andy Griffith show”. Odd that a script throwing out so much scientific jargon would blow it on Andy Griffith trivia – there was no recurring AGS character named Mavis!) DOLPHIN TALE 2 really soars in a brief scene where Bethany Hamilton, the one-armed SOUL SURFER chick, takes a swim alongside Winter, momentarily transcending the mawkishness. They should team that pair up as aquatic crime fighters for a second sequel.

2 1/2 of 5 Stars