Free Willy (1993) User Reviews (105)

Reasonable family picture

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 6 July 2014]

Willy is a wild orca that was trapped and separated from his parents. He is sent to an aquarium. Jesse (Jason James Richter) is a street kid who gets caught vandalizing the tank. He still believes his mom will come back. His social worker Dwight gets him off as long as he cleans up his mess. He's placed with Glen (Michael Madsen) and Annie Greenwood. Jesse is guarded and Glen is reluctant also. At the aquarium, he befriends Willy who saves his life one night. Willy won't perform for trainer Rae Lindley (Lori Petty) but he's willing to do it for Jesse. The owner Dial (Michael Ironside) is under pressure from the non-performing whale.

It's a reasonable family picture. It has a whale and the little kids may find it fascinating. The story is compelling enough that the older kids will also like it. It's very much following a try and true formula. The young lead is acceptable even when he doesn't have the whale. He has some good drama to play off against. It's important to note that Keiko the whale was eventually freed. If that's all the movie achieves, that's plenty.

I'm having a whale of a time with Free Willy. It's a semi-good family movie

[ironhorse_iv · 6/10 · 11 June 2015]

Whale! Whale! Whale! What do we have here? It's Free Willy and I love blubbering about Free Willy. It's a whale of a tail. It's one of my favorite nostalgia, early 1990s kid films. Directed by Simon Wincer, Free Willy tells the story of a delinquent boy, Jesse (Jason James Richter) who become friends with a captive killer whale, Willy (Keiko). Seeing that Willy was upset due to the absence of his family and the fact, that Willy didn't like his small living conditions; Jesse set up a plan to kidnap Willy, and tries to set him free in the wild. Can Jesse and Willy escape from the cruel owners of aquarium or will Willy end up, being fish food? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie, too much; I found the movie to be a bit predictable. After all, the title of the movie, kinda gives it, away. It's not like the movie posters, DVD covers, and trailers, pretty much spoils the outrageous end of the movie, as well. The film's ending has been spoofed several times in popular culture, due to how over the top, it was. It was a bit unrealistic. The movie also suffers from overused clichés. I really didn't like the sub-plot of Jesse's handling of his new foster parents. It seem a bit forced and underdevelopment. I really didn't buy into the whole surviving on his own, as a runaway bit. Around thing that was hard to believe, was the chemistry between the whale and the main actor. It was too similar to previous movies of a child bonding with a wild animal like 1966's Namu. I really found the whole idea of Willy connecting with the child, a little impractical. For a creature that been left alone in a small dark tanks for hours, I would have, thought the orca would be a little more aggressed and bite Jesse's head off or try to drown him. It's seem a bit, off. After all, they are killer whales! I guess, Keiko was just that well-trained. While, the film does make a good persuasive case against keeping these creatures in captivity for the purposes of human entertainment by highlighting incidents that Willy has. The movie is a little one-sided argument about whales being in captivity. I find it a tad odd that this movie is basically condemning the very thing it is exploiting which is using captive wild animals for entertainment purposes. The movie also fails to tells how important, some aquariums are, for sick killer whales. Now, every aquarium seem a bit evil. Like the 2013's documentary, Blackfish; viewers of this movie, might not understand, that some places, like SeaWorld honestly, tries hard to keep whales, healthy, enough to return to the wild. Still, when this movie did came out, I was one of those, who really believe that the whale that play Willy should have been free. At least the filmmakers followed their own preaching, and campaigned for the freeing of Keiko, the actual killer whale who stands in for an animatronic Willy in many scenes. The plan for Keiko to return to the wild was a topic of much controversy at the time. Some critics felt that a return to the wild, was somewhat impossible, because of the years of him being in captivity. They were somewhat right, most of the attempts of him going back into the wild were mostly unsuccessful, due to the fact, that he often return, seeking contact with human beings and allowing children to ride on his back. He was so dependent on humans that he really couldn't connection with other whales. In 2003, Keiko sadly die in one last attempt in the wild at the young age of 26 due to Pneumonia. He will be miss. Despite, him, not living long in the wild, I still came out from this movie learning more than I came into the film. I love the fact that this movie help spark the Save the Whales Foundation into a success organization. I love the fact that this movie had singer Michael Jackson produced and performed "Will You Be There", as one of the theme songs for the film, which can be heard during the film's credits. The song won the MTV Movie Award for "Best Song in a Movie" in 1994. It was also included in Michael Jackson's Dangerous album. It's one of his best songs, ever. It really help the save the whales program. The main theme by Basil Poledouris was also amazing and majestic. Even the harmonica music that Jesse plays, wasn't that bad. While, the music was good. The acting, not so much. While, some of the characters strongly express of human emotion like James Jason Richter who work well, on-screen with Keiko. Others were kinda one dimensional. The worst, had to be the over the top money hungry, villain played by Michael Ironsides. He was really hammy. The movie made great use of stock footage of whales. It was really nice, seeing them, in their natural habitat. The movie was followed by three sequels 1995's Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, 1997's Free Willy 3: The Rescue, and 2010's Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove, and a short-lived animated television series. I don't recommended watching the sequels, but I do want you to check out 2010's Keiko: The Untold story. It's a documentary film about Keiko that is worth seeing. Overall: Despite its cheesy nature, Free Willy is great movie for fans of Marine life. I really enjoy this film.

Jesse and Willy...

[Thanos_Alfie · 5/10 · 31 January 2021]

"Free Willy" is an Adventure - Drama movie in which we watch a boy tries to rescue a killer whale from an aquarium because the aquarium owners will kill it. The boy risks everything to save the whale and he is devoted on his goal.

I liked this movie because it had a simple but interesting plot with a good direction by Simon Wincer. The interpretations of Jason James Richter who played as Jesse and August Schellenberg who played as Randolph Johnson were very good and made the movie even better. It's a classic afternoon family movie that I am sure that the whole family will enjoy. Therefore I recommend everyone to watch it because I believe that everyone can gain and learn something by watching this boy trying to save Willy.

My Kids Loved It

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 6 January 2017]

While the plot is quite hackneyed, it's fine that we have movie like this. The news is out on the treatment of Orcas by places like Sea World. These magnificent creatures are kept in tight quarters and made to perform at shows. Willy is one of those whales, and a young boy, who has had a checkered past, and his friend decide it is time to put him back in the open sea. The movie has to do with the logistics of getting this done. As is usually the case, there are some bad people determined to stop this. While it's lightweight and pretty hard to believe, it's a nice movie with a good heart. I'm happy that my children enjoyed this and developed a good attitude about the treatment of animals.

Not aged too well

[bennnardone-88210 · 6/10 · 25 December 2019]

I loved this film as a child and absolutely love Orcas but I found this film harder to watch in 2019 than when I was young. Knowing the fate of Keiko the whale and knowing more about the intelligence of this marvellous species as well as the controversy around keeping them in capativity (Blackfish) made this much harder to watch.

Very heart-warming film

[KinoBuff2021 · 7/10 · 17 April 2022]

Even though I didn't grow up with this film, I can see why this would have had an impact on someone who was a child when this was originally released. It is a very sweet, charming, and touching film. Although the overall the plot is a little shaky and so is some of the dialogue.

I love the ending but still feel that they could have extended the ending to wrap up other plot points.

And Willy (Keiko) was probably the best character and somehow still underused in my opinion. But it is a pretty good film that people of all ages could enjoy together.

Overlooked By Many, But Not Outstanding

[Zac_La_Porte · 7/10 · 5 March 2022]

Free Willy may be a heartwarming and touching boy-befriends-whale tale, but the film's clichés, the killer whale's moodiness and the unlikeable past of the lead character each play a big part as well. To begin with summing it all up, Simon Wincer's charming 90s adventure does and likely always will deserve its labelling as a family classic, simply because it's charming and loveable, but also because it's original and thematic.

The film centres on a young boy whose mother verbally implicitly abandoned him. He's a street kid, and he's arrested and placed into a loving foster home after vandalising a theme park. The first thing you can with all reasons say is this is our main character, who starts off in a portrayal that only makes him unlikeable. Although his and the other cast's performances are undeniably solid, it's difficult to have to attach to what most would call a pest.

As the plot progresses, it's still hard to completely love and relate to the main character, but his unforeseen connection to the whale (foreseeable from the audience perspective) compels you into the story again. The whale can also unfortunately be quite moody, difficult and sort of irritating at times. This is definitely a watchable film that the younger kids will really appreciate without thinking too hard.

Another perfectly reasonable why Free Willy might not be doing to well with the critics or other high anticipators is because it's mainly a clichéd story about a sweet relationship between a human and a creature, not living up to the title's suggestion at all. There's lots of dramas packed throughout the whole film, but the actual threat and the need to rescue the whale doesn't occur until the last half hour.

If you liked this review, check out the full review and other reviews at aussieboyreviews.

Free Willy

[jboothmillard · 5/10 · 14 July 2005]

I always remembered seeing this film somewhere in the middle, and when I finally watched it from the very beginning, I could see the big deal with it, i.e. the strong friendship with a boy and a whale. It starts with the capture of an innocent young killer whale who is taken away from his family, and he ends up in a tank in a marina. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Jesse (Jason James Richter) is the street kid who has caused trouble for ages, and he is caught vandalising the marina, so he is forced to clean up the mess. As Jesse continues his work, he starts to notice and befriends the killer whale, named Willy (played by Keiko the killer whale), the whale even saves his life. But what is even better is that the staff, including Lori Petty (Rae Lindley) and Randolph Johnson (August Schellenberg) start to notice that Jesse can teach Willy tricks. So they decide to open The Willy Show, with the help of marina owner Dial (Michael Ironside) and Willy's capturers and carers. But unfortunately, it does not go well because of Willy's tank having viewers banging on the glass of the tank, mixed with his missing of his family. So with some help from Lori, Randolph and his carers, Glen (Michael Madsen) and Annie Greenwood (Jayne Atkinson), Jesse and Willy set off towards the ocean to free him. The moment where Willy leaps over the rock wall is obviously the pinnacle of the film, and the end credits feature the great Michael Jackson song, "Will You Be There". Sadly the beloved Keiko died in 2003 of pneumonia, he will be missed by children and adults alike. It was number 74 on The 100 Greatest Family Films. Worth watching!

Simple and sweet

[briancham1994 · 7/10 · 14 January 2023]

Free Willy is the quintessential 90s family film along the lines of Home Alone - innocent, schmaltzy and full of cloying sentimentality. It contains everything you've seen before and has passed into cliché - misunderstood kid who just wants to prove himself, heartfelt friendship with a precious animal, plot to thwart secret bad guys and so on - but it does so with such determined idealism that you can't help but feel a sheer, overwhelming joy. Free Willy is the family movie to end all family movies, a condensation of so many feelgood tropes that it collapses under its own gravity to form a singularity of Hollywood magic.

Ok for kids

[alexstathopoulos · 5/10 · 13 June 2020]

It's ok, a bit run of the mill and predictable, my 9 year old daughter liked it.

5,2??? Don't believe in this rating!!! This is the best family movie of the 90-s and the sweetest one

[Juni78ukr · 10/10 · 20 April 2004]

First of all, I want to say some of my thoughts about IMDb ratings. If you look at IMDb top 250 you can hardly find any family movie . In fact, there are only three family movie (I mean live action movies not animated flicks) in this chart. They are Princess Bride on the 99 position (haven't seen yet), A Christmas Story on 142 (a movie nobody heard of besides English speaking countries) and the E.T. on the 244 (forever classic - no point denying that). And I bet you would be unable to find another one even in top 500. On the other hand you can find in this list, for example, more than eighty thrillers or more than thirty 30 war movies. Does that result means that family movies can't be good. Obviously it is not. For me the point is that many of people as well as lots of critics don't appreciate movies sweet movies without profanity, drugs, sex and violence. Cheesy movie for kids only that's not a fair grade. Well it's only my opinion but for me it's very sad when such a beautiful movie become so undeservedly underrated. Now, more directly to our movie. I watched Free Willy no less than four or five times and found it one of the best family and animal movie ever made. The bonds of friendship between man and animal are shown incredibility well here. From this point Free Willy remembered me another beautiful animal movie The Black Stallion. The unlikely friendship between twelve years old Jesse and giant whale as the main element of the story is very sweet and touching. Overall plot is well constructed (and there's no point to complain its unreality) with decent development of the main characters. Young and definitely talented Jason Jammes Richter created terrific performance of a young lonely problem boy Jesse. Also very good in the movie were August Schellenberg (as Randolph) and Michael Madsen (as Glen). As I always mentioned cinematography is pretty good, including first-rate animal action (Keiko is so cute there). The beautiful movie soundtrack written by Basil Poleuydouris a bit resembled for me terrific Carmine Coppola's score for The Black Stallion. And finally, that's maybe the most important Free Willy is a very humanistic movie, a movie that what was made with love and care about nature. Thanks to Simon Wincer for this great masterpiece. We need more movies like this, not a laughable rubbish that Hollywood studios now provide for family entertainment. I rated Free Willy 10 out of 10 as an excellent and beautiful family friendly movie. Check out also its two sequels. They are also pretty good.

Thanks for reading and sorry for my bad English.

A sentimental and enjoyable movie with charming scenes and attractive messages

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 31 May 2023]

This is a good-looking family drama with marvellous scenes, natural ecologism , gorgeous outdoors and high sensibility . When a boy learns that a beloved killer whale is to be killed by the aquarium owners, the boy risks everything to free the whale . Willy is trapped and his family swims mournfully away . Cut to an angelic street-kid , Jesse (Jason James Richer) , caught graffiti-ing Willy's tank , the only way to escape baby jail he discovers is to go to well-meaning but stiff foster parents (Michael Madsen , Jayne Atkinson) and clean up the tank under the tutelage of Haida Indian Randolph (August Schellemberg) . A 12 year old street kid !. A 3 ton orca whale !. A friendship you could never imagine !. An adventure you'll never forget !. Make room in your heart for a six-ton Pet!!!He is the biggest hero in the whole wide world of adventure!. When You're Six Tons -- And They Call You Killer -- It's Hard To Make Friends...

Agreeable and charming family tale made with sense , sensitivity and wonderful sea images. This is a good-natured family drama with emotion, ecologism, gorgeous outdoors and high sensibility . Many years before , this Orca saga was preceded by a similar film : ¨Namu , the Killer Whale¨ (1966) directed by Laslo Benedek with Robert Lansing . It contains ample and gorgeous sea vistas, being very well photographed the exterior scenes, as well as underwater images with the great Orca whale jumping and diving. This well acted movie has a straight-faced tone which is hard to resist . Including good messages : love for animals , environmentalism , fraternity , fight for survival , need for family coexistence friendship , while boy and whale get on because they are both looking for a family .

Special mention for excellent musical score by magnificent composer Basil Poledouris , including sweeping strings accompanying the opening sequence of balletic whales cavorting in brilliant blue sea , changing abruptly to cacophony as the bad guys with nets chug up in their tugs . The motion picture was well directed by notorious filmmaker Simon Wincer . He is a Western expert , as he emigrated Hollywood from Australia and subsequently directed to Tom Selleck in ¨Monte Walsh¨ , ¨Crossfire trail¨ and ¨Quigley Down Under¨ to Paul Hogan in ¨Relampago Jack¨ and ¨Cocodrile Dundee in L. A.¨ and usually directs episodes for TV mini-series, such as ¨Into the West¨, ¨The Ponderosa¨ , ¨Lonesome Dove¨ and ¨The adventures of young Indiana Jones¨ , among others . Rating : good for the sensitive direction and proficient film-making ; the result is a sort of pacifist-ecological adventure for kiddies and adults. Worthwhile watching . The pic will appeal to animals enthusiasts .

Obnoxious Kid Ruins Film

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 1 December 2007]

The best things about this Disney "Save The Whales" movie of 1993 were the opening and closing credits. They were beautiful shots, just awesome. Sadly, most of the stuff in the middle wasn't all that good. Oh, everyone likes a nice feel-good story about saving some animal or whale (how about humans?) but what ruined the movie for me was the main character "Jesse."

"Jesse" (Jason James Richter) is another Hollywood film brat, the typical snotty, smart-mouth kid film idiots like to present us, not like your kids.

There are some implausible scenes, such as no adults present when kid is tapping on the glass at the aquarium, but every movie has those, so I'm not going to trash the film for that.

Suffice to say the kid, and the overly PC- Disney folks (i.e. their typical Native American good-guy as the boy's whale-mentor), turned me off, only because there are so many Disney clichés and stereotypes in here it is ludicrous.

Why is it always some rebel kid, some punk who deserves a good spanking, who saves the day, who is shown smarter than most adults? Disney and Spielberg, love that crap.

Michael Jackson sings the movie song's finale. 'Nuff said.

Impossible, but very good

[lord2480 · 7 September 2004]

First, of all it is impossible for a 12-year old kid to have a friendship with a killer whale. However, it is pure magic. A 12-year street kid Jesse(Jason James Richter) ends up getting arrested for spraying graffiti all over a northwest aquatic park. He ends up having the responsibility to clean up. Meanwhile, he lives with a foster care family, the Greenwoods(Micheal Madsen and Jayne Atkinson) until Dwight(Mykelti T. Williamson)can find his mother. But, he ends meet a pal by the name of Willy. He's a killer whale. He's a beautiful animal and well tamed, but he is very, very sick, needs his family and wants to go back out into the ocean. The emotion in this movie is touching.

Being a 24 year old, I had a ball.

a couple things about the plot's aftermath make me sad...

[jacksonmeddows · 7/10 · 15 May 2022]

For example, Willy has lived most of his life without any contact or interaction with orcas, and will not be able to integrate properly. He will probably live his life alone and then die prematurely.

The same thing happened to the whale who played Willy, Keiko. They released him and he died less than a year later. Pneumonia. He was 27. Whales can reach the ages of 50-80, which makes it especially sad.

Also, both Jesse and his dad committed destruction of property (Jesse kicked a park trash can and the dad busted the marina gate with his car), and most of the characters technically committed theft. The police wouldn't care that you saved the orca because the park owners wanted to kill him. The police would say you should've called 911 to report animal abuse. Of course, Willy would have died by the time the police could save him, like they said in the movie, but still.

That means that, realistically, Willy will die soon and several characters will be arrested on charges of Destruction of Property and Theft.

HOWEVER, this movie made me very happy and I smiled a lot, so I give it a 7/10 after all that.

My favorite part is the little kisses Jesse plants on Willy's nose.

It was just an ok movie

[OriginalMovieBuff21 · 6/10 · 21 April 2004]

Well I like to say that this movie is just DECENT. Some people say this movie is a classic and others say it was kind of bad. I kind of liked it and I usually felt sorry for that whale. Jessie was kind of an annoying character and that Indian dude was a little to weird. I used to love this movie actually when I was a teenager but now when I watch it I'm just like saying it's ok and all. The story was pretty good and I liked the music which was pretty good for the movie also. I really liked the whale but I dont think they should bad guys in the film It's just kind of stupid. The film had its moments though and it was the best out of the Free Willy trilogy.

6/10

Not kitschy or anything. It's a very complete feature.

[insomniac_rod · 7/10 · 28 June 2009]

Ahh, screw it. This movie is a total guilty pleasure but at the same time is a very complete dramatic feature. I won't get into specific details but I can tell you that the movie is not only about a social message; it deals with an intense problematic about animal rights plus the relationship (magical) between a young boy and a whale. I was really convinced that this movie was only to cash some money but the truth is that is a very powerful film experience.

I watched it on theaters and it made me feel really good, powerful at some aspects. Plus the movie's main song courtesy of Michael Jackson is really haunting.

A movie not to be missed and a classic of 90's Cinema.

Of its time, conflicting but a nice gentle introduction for younger audiences

[webstercharlotte · 7/10 · 6 February 2022]

First it's worth keeping in mind when this film was made cos it is very much of its time. That said it's conflicting in that despite the crappy writing, poor script and poor acting most of the time, there are surprising bits of detail and knowledge / background about Orca as a species thrown in here and there I hadn't expected to be included in an early 90's cheesy family film about freeing a captive orca.

Anyway the premise and plot is a pretty simple one. Foster kid with issues, a bad temper and a lack of direction and general form for getting into trouble is tasked with cleaning up after himself at the marine park he'd gone to one night and spray painted. Whilst scrubbing he comes face to face with its resident orca through the glass (complete with lightning and simultaneous crack of thunder as is tradition in these films) and shats his pants only to discover from a safe distance in the safety of daylight and two experienced trainers that "Willy" isn't the savage man eating beast he first thought.

Encouraged by the two experienced adults, Jesse starts to spend more time at the pool with Willy and learns basics of marine mammal training, develops rapport and a relationship (and in a slow-mo montage) his crimes are limited to nicking fish from the docks on his bike and legging it back to the pool as a treat for his new friend.

Despite Michael Madson aka "Mr Blonde" being as a foster parent, he and his wife struggle to reach and get through to a child who in the great scheme of things really isn't that bad at all. Jesse is initially just an annoying brat sort of troublesome and only needed a literal firm "Hey! Wind your neck and your arse in before I throw you in that sodding tank"

He seems too much for Mr and Mrs Blonde to manage however and his only real discipline and direction seems to be through daily visits and care of Willy. That's not entirely unrealistic given that many kids the world over benefit and are helped and rehabiliated / set on the right track in life through their new found respect and relationships formed with animals.

Jesse hears Willy making what I swear sounds like Peter Griffin going "Heee-hee-heee" at night in his efforts to communicate to his family still roaming the nearby shores from where he was captured.

Michael Ironside of all people owns the park and makes an attempt to smash the tanks and kill Willy for insurance because he's making them no money at all. With that, Jesse realises he has to help him get back to them, an elaborate and slightly absurd plan emerges and Willy is busted out, carted on a flat bed and eventually lowered into a cove and an excessively long goodbye is said by Jesse wasting precious time they don't have to spare before he turns into a fully fledged orca trainer and with one signal, Willy leaps a daft high wall and yeeeeeeeee look at that he's all free.

Nice enough story and bittersweet for many reasons.

The film itself references aspects of orca culture which watching nearly 30yrs after its release, struck me as remarkably well researched and detailed in a lot of ways including how in the wild, male orca never leave their mothers and remain with her and the family pod for life, some mention of dialect and how each pod has its all specific form of language and communication (Willy calling to his family in the style of Peter Griffin)

The setting being in the Pacific Northwest and inclusion of Randolph (indigenous character) also surprised me. Randolph teaches Jesse about the history of his people culture which includes revering, respecting and protecting the creature for whom they first coined the term "Blackfish"

Randolph even teaches Jesse a Haida prayer which he later recites to Willy and earlier in the film, he talked about Willy's unpredictability and distrust of humans which given he has someone whose culture instils the need to respect, revere and protect him - I'm not surprised Willy was a bit sore.

In that sense it's lazy script writing and poorly thought out to have had Randolph and his colleague - an experienced trainer not felt a need or been concerned enough about Willy to have done something themselves and waited for Jesse to come up with the idea. I just don't get the point of having a character with that level of detail and background only for him to stand around at the side of a small pool and watch his spiritual animal and much loved "Blackfish" languish. Nice going Randolph!!

Anyway what I will say is Free Willy is a nice, gentle and less graphic / upsetting introduction for younger children to learn about the plight of whales and dolphins in captivity. I think the worst or most frightening this is when Jesse first comes face to face with Willy who commands lightning, thunder and is by the tank glass going "Yeeeee hi human how's it going?" but that's it - pretty safe.

Many anti-captivity documentaries and animal rights groups (PETA especially) are very heavy handed with horrific images and footage that will scare kids half to death which isn't helpful if you want to just start an age appropriate, less terrifying conversation and steer them into developing a good moral compass.

The credits roll to Michael Jackson's "Will you be there?" and footage of wild orca off the BC coast which is a nice touch.

For any younger children that want to learn more afterwards without being traumatised, I do recommend watching "Keiko - The Untold Story" which gives incredible insight into the work that went into transferring him from the park after the cameras stopped rolling and the incredible work that went into his rehabilitation and reintroduction to the open ocean. It isn't sensationalistic, doesn't weigh heavily on either side of the argument as to whether it failed or was right, wrong and is a safe step-up.

Crappy acting, lazy writing, dodgy slo-mo montages and such but for its effort and generally good, safe and family friendly introduction to the plight of the oceans overall - I'm giving a solid 7/10.

i expected something more,but young kids will probably like it

[disdressed12 · 4/10 · 15 November 2007]

i kinda expected something else.what,i'm not sure.i mean the movie is well made and all,but i found it dangerously close to being boring at times.it is pretty slow.the scenes with the whale(s)were nice though.and the there are some pretty touching moments.i didn't find the movie had a lot of realism to it though.the way some of the things happened just didn't ring true.but,i guess the biggest problem i had was there wasn't really much sense of adventure,and the movie isn't really fun.however,if you are looking for a movie the whole family can watch,this might be it.most kids will probably be entertained,and adults will be happy there is something their kids can watch.but for me,Free Willy is a 4/10.

Jump willy!

[rooboy84 · 6/10 · 17 March 2002]

I enjoyed Free Willy as it is a great family movie. The camera shots are good, too. What can I add? It's just an all round classic that will probably be remembered for a long time to come as it deserves to be.

88%

Your basic "Kid Saves the Day!" movie

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 4/10 · 7 September 2004]

Man, do I remember the craze that was "Free Willy". I recently watched on VH1's "I love the 90's", and they brought it up. I remembered how when I was a kid, like the interviewee's said, I thought at the end Willy was going to fall on the kid. I was kind of sick in the head. :D Just kidding. The movie isn't really something I could get into. And the plot was kind of lame. In some ways, the kid being the hero thing is just getting too old. But for other kids, I can see where they might like this. So, I'll give it credit for that.

RIP Keiko!

4/10

Underrated movie of a charming childhood adventure

[Andreas_N · 10/10 · 5 November 2005]

Oh, this one is underrated here. The story of Jason James Richter's character trying to escape from a life of crime and missing prospects is way beyond the average. The growing affection for Willy is not even stereotyped or clichéd. It's a genuine bond that focuses on two outcast characters who slowly but surely come to experience true friendship and the value of trust. Jason's performance really appealed to me when I saw this movie as a kid. It is a sincere depiction of friendship, of a way out, of fighting for your values against all odds and of never giving up. Right, I'm grown up now, but this is one of the movies of my childhood I'd like to watch again, and I'm sure I'd enjoy it almost as much as back then. Jason James had very few acting appearances, but the Free Willy series assured him his place in movie history. His entire performance in here is sincere and straight, he doesn't laugh nor smile if it wasn't just natural in the specific sequences. His facial expressions and body language fit into the total frame as well. The story has some profoundly human themes to it. I can't help it, I think this one is both entertaining and deep, dealing with emotions and prospects of life, with integrity and courage in the face of danger.

Free Willy

[oOoBarracuda · 7/10 · 15 August 2016]

I was full of trepidation revisiting this favorite from my youth. Some movies just don't stand the test of time from youth to adulthood, and I loved this movie in my youth. I was pleasantly pleased with Free Willy, the 1993 feature from director Simon Wincer. Starring a perfectly cast Michael Madsen, Lori Petty, and Jason James Richter, Free Willy follows a boy who has never known a home and a whale who was pulled away from his. Home means different things to different people, but for all of us, human or not, home is always a place where one belongs and can feel free.

Jesse (Jason James Richter) is a young troubled boy who has been abandoned by his mother and is getting shuffled through the system in foster care. When he and his friend Perry (Michael Bacall) a boy in a similar position as Jesse, are caught vandalizing the local marina, Jesse takes full responsibility allowing Perry to escape police custody. Jesse's social worker Dwight Mercer (Mykelti Williamson) keeps Jesse out of juvenile detention given he cleans the damage caused at the marina. Dwight also finds Jesse a home with a foster couple, Glen and Annie Greenwood (Michael Madsen & Jayne Atkinson). Reluctant to settle in another temporary home and displeased to be cleaning the area he vandalized, Jesse goes on with his punishment, as he views it. While cleaning, Jesse learns that there is an orca whale there that was captured by fisherman to be placed in the marina as a show animal. Willy, the orca, has not adapted well to his new surroundings, does not respond to his trainer, Rae Lindley (Lori Petty) well, and has no desire to perform for the public. Feeling a kinship to the animal that misses a real home and his family, Jesse and Willy become fast friends, with Jesse even sneaking out of the house to spend more time with Willy. When Jesse learns that Willy will be killed if he doesn't begin performing for the marina, he decides the only thing he can do is release Willy back into the wild where he can find his home and be free.

(Almost) Any film that has a lot of animal shots is going to look visually impressive. Free Willy was filled with shots of the orca all throughout the film which were breathtaking. I better understand now as an adult why I enjoyed Free Willy so much as a child; Free Willy is a family movie that is wrought with lessons, yet avoids the moralistic high horse. Of course, an adult, even a child, can recognize the correlation between Willy and Jesse both not fitting into the world in which they inhabit; yet instead of overtly making this connection, the audience gets to see the connection played out on screen as Jesse also discovers it. A fun family film shot in a visually pleasing way with a great understated morale, Free Willy is still a movie my adult self can enjoy that was a favorite of my child self.

Jail Jesse

[Matthew_Capitano · 3/10 · 17 August 2014]

Sardine oil about a little punk kid who befriends a big whale named 'Willy'.

Jesse is a troubled boy who is compelled to do things like goofing off on his summer job, kicking a public trash can off of its mooring, and throwing a baseball through his foster parents' window. But this is only because Jesse is scared since he doesn't understand his feelings. Maybe he'll understand if I put my foot up his butt.

Meanwhile, hot Lori Petty is an animal trainer who spends her time working with Willy by riding around on his back all day long.... lucky Willy.

The best moment in the film never arrives. That would be when Jesse tries to pet Willy. Go ahead, Jesse. Stick your whole head in his mouth, he won't bite you.... heh-heh-heh.

Great whale film for the whole family)

[wilbursmith · 22 January 2019]

Perhaps the best reason to see Free Willy on the big screen is the photography. Both underwater and above-the-surface scenes are filmed with style, and much of the impact will be lost in a television picture. The special effects are good -- it's almost impossible to tell where the real whales end and the mechanical ones begin. Another asset are the actors. Jason James Richter does a credible job as Jesse. This may be his first film, but you can't tell from the polished performance he gives. Lori Petty's Rae is every bit as strong and capable as any of the men in this picture. Message or not, Free Willy is one of only a handful of non-Disney titles worth considering for a family movie outing.