Dolphin Tale 2 Review

Dolphin Tale 2 Review

There's a common saying in the movie-going world: "It's just a kids' movie". This mind numbing phrase is often used to defend intellectually vacant family films. As you can already tell, I truly despise this saying. Making a film for kids isn't an excuse to slack off, it's a responsibility to try harder. The entertainment we consume as children vastly inform the adults we become and to pass up on effort despite this is nothing short of ignorant. Don't get me wrong, Dolphin Tale 2 isn't quite The Boxtrolls (heaven knows we don't need two of those in the space of a month), but it's so, so damn close...

Inspired by the true story of rescue dolphins Winter and Hope, the film follows the staff of Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the drama in and outside of the pool. Characters =, who all seem scientifically designed to be as uninteresting as humanly possible, including teenagers Sawyer (a perfectly fine Nathan Gamble) and the beyond-irritating Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff, equally unbearable). Harry Connick Jr is a pleasantly charming as aquarium boss Clay. Morgan Freeman and Austin Stowell (notable only for looking suspiciously like Sean Maher from Firefly) round out the serviceable adult cast. But, the real stars are Winter and Hope, playing themselves in the film, whose endearing acrobatics and distinct personalities give much-needed respite to the insomnia-defeating proceedings

The writing is truly exceptional – in its awkwardness. Writer-director Charles Martin Smith has clearly never met or been a teenager before. Sawyer and Hazel’s supposedly fledgling relationship is utterly unconvincing and portrayed completely in silences. Seriously, if you’re taking writing advice from Twilight, you have a massive problem. When the characters decide to end the hilariously awkward silence, we are treated to the least subtle writing outside of an ink-covered hammer. Almost every single line of dialogue is either an exposition dump or a clear, defined explanation of exactly what the audience should be feeling at that given moment. Come on, Smith, give the kids some credit!

The direction is more made-for-TV than most actual made-for-TV movies. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, but there’s even less of merit. Smith’s approach seems to be “Right, you say your lines and I’ll find somewhere you’re not standing to put the camera. What, try to do something interesting or different? You’re fired! Wait, you’re the camera man, aren’t you? You make a valid point. Welcome back. With benefits.” No one’s face has been cropped and there’s none of the dismal editing that so plagued Magic in the Moonlight, but would it have killed Smith to have tried?

Dolphin Tale 2 is the perfect example of a bad kids’ movie coasting on the fact that no-one expects any more of it. The thing is: we should. A world where a film made for children isn’t assessed on the same grounds as other films purely because of its audience is one I don’t want to be a part of. The animals and decent performances prevent this from becoming any worse innocuously unengaging. But, that really isn’t enough…

Five-Word Verdict: I like dolphins. Not this.

Score: 2/5