Flipper

It is not 'A Dolphin's Tale' and if one more person asks that I will have a full on meltdown. Just watch it. Please. It's one of my favourite films, and the uncle, (Paul Hogan), is the coolest dude. Someone we should all aspire to be someday.

This is loosely based on the 1960's TV series of the same name, of which I know I watched a few episodes but really have no memory of. So the movie stands alone for me. It isn't great in all honesty. It's strongest point is that it's completely family-friendly. There's nothing here that would make you hesitant about letting your kids watch this, and younger kids will especially enjoy the story of the friendly dolphin as he interacts with his human friends. That may also be the biggest weakness of the movie, mind you. It's yet another cutesy animal story that makes wild animals seem - well - less than wild, and in that sense perhaps dishonours the wild animals in the process. I'm not an animal rights fanatic, but I do think it's better for kids to see wild animals as they really are as opposed to these manufactured "wild" scenes. The story isn't particularly strong, with the relationship between Flipper the dolphin and Sandy (Elijah Wood) being the backdrop to a larger environmental story revolving around the illegal dumping of toxic waste. Paul Hogan appears as Sandy's uncle Porter, a fisherman in Coral Key, Florida who takes Sandy in for the summer. Jonathon Banks plays another take on the caricature of the requisite evil character - in this case, the one who kills Flipper's dolphin companion at the beginning of the movie, tries to do away with Flipper himself, tries to kill Sandy in the open ocean and is ultimately revealed to be the evil toxic waste dumper. An unbelievably evil character in other words. So, the story is lacking, although the underwater photography featuring dolphins and also at least one hammerhead shark is pretty well done, and - to reiterate the strongest part of this movie - you have to like the family-friendliness of it.

This is a spin off of the TV series Flipper. But I don't remember much about the TV series so I don't know the difference from one another. This is about an average boy teenager named Sandy. Who is spending the week with his Uncle which he's unaware on what he's like. Sandy isn't too excited in seeing him because he really wanted to go to a Red Hot Chilly Peppers concert. His uncle is Porter an Austrailian/American seaman who enjoys fishing for a living. And lives in a rigidly old hut that might not look to satisfying to guests. Sandy finds it unbelievable that he's related to this guy. things seem boring till he encounters a dolphin who is very playful. Sandy finds a new friend to be with through out his vacation. This movie isn't too bad. Cool thing is it had Ejiah Woods as Sandy and Paul Hogan as Porter. I recommend it for 8 and up. Rent it first before buying it.

From Free Willzyx, to Free Willy to Flipper. Flipper is an iconic animal movie about doing the right thing to save real animals (Dogs are not real animals). A couple youngsters go head to head with bad grown ups. An iconic yet an emotional movie for both young, old and animal lovers. Great film. Good family film.

What a great story of a boy who finds a dolphin and loves cares and plays with him I mean who could hate this great film its lovely heart warming with a great story great cast and good emotions even in the beginning when you see one of the dolphins dies is heart wrenching i mean who could really hate this film it deserves at least a 6.9 or 7 people who rate this low don't like the water good story or dolphins shame on them even 24 years later and it still feels like its new no cgi no politics not sex no blood just fun come on if you dont like it go home

Liked but not loved 'Flipper' as a child. Still feel the same as a young adult. It's a long way from a masterpiece (though it never was trying to be) and will never be one of my favourites, but it does exactly what it strived to do and ticks most of the right boxes. 'Flipper' won't blow the mind. While it is good that the story is easy to follow, at times it did seem a bit too basic and safe, for a feature length it's slight and it can be pretty predictable, nobody for example will be surprised by how the film ends. The dark shadiness of how the human villain is written, played by Jonathan Banks, does not gel with the innocent, fun-loving, light-hearted atmosphere of the story, almost like he accidentally walked straight from a different film. That Banks didn't seem to know whether to overdo the sliminess or give an indication that the villain also wasn't that smart didn't help. The dialogue sometimes is a little cloying. However, 'Flipper' looks very pleasing. It's a beautifully shot film and even more pleasing to the eye are the idyllic locations and the stunning underwater sequences. The music is upbeat and charmingly whimsical. It's all very capably directed too. Most of the time, 'Flipper' is very charming and sweet, epitomising childhood innocence and has a lightness that stops the film from feeling heavy. It has a lot of fun and a heart of gold, so much so that although it's a problematic film it is difficult to be too hard on it. It teaches a valuable message that for the type of message that it is is handled in a way that while not exactly restrained doesn't beat one around the head. Elijah Wood is appealing in the lead role and Paul Hogan plays it straight very effectively. Apart from Banks, the rest of the cast also do admirably with amiable if somewhat one-dimensional characters. Stealing the show is the dolphin, impressively rendered with a mix of show-stopping animatronics and the real thing but also with a personality that melts the most cynical of hearts. Wood's chemistry with the dolphin is the film's driving force and is a large part of what makes the film charming. In conclusion, decent likable film but not one of those "bowl the viewer over" films. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This wasn't too bad a film as a kid spends a summer with his uncle and strikes up a friendship with a girl and a...dolphin! He learns about life as he cares for the marine mammal, and it winds up caring for him. This is by no means a great movie, but passable family entertainment. I loved the underwater scenes and the scenes with the fish and the ones with Paul Hogan and the kid and the final showdown scene. You might like it too. ** 1/2 out of ****

This film is brilliant it has cute little dolphins in it and its a great storyline and it has elijah wood in it which makes it a great film too. his acting skills are very good and if you want a good soft family film. this is the one to watch.

The 1996 take on Flipper has Paul Hogan as the nominal male lead, but the main character is actually Elijah Wood, at the exact moment between child and adult actor. The story won't surprise too many people - boy befriends dolphin, they solve the problem of missing fish and poorly dolphins by finding illegal toxic waste dumping - but it is colourful, moral, and entertaining, with lots of underwater photography and, of course, dolphins. Which is not to say that it doesn't have the odd moment which makes you roll your eyes - the hammerhead shark groaning was my favourite - but it is still a pretty good Sunday afternoon family film. Joel McNeely's music is lovely.

Universal Studios version of "Flipper" (1996) is a great heartwarming film for the entire family with good values and sentimentality. It is the story of Sandy Ricks, a teenager from Chicago who reluctantly spends his vacation with his Uncle Porter Ricks in the Bahamas. This ultimately changes the teenagers life and he grows up in the process. He learns to appreciate nature and to have a respect for the environment. I grew up in the 1960's and the NBC television show "Flipper" was my favorite childhood show. Elijah Wood is perfectly cast as a 1990's Sandy Ricks and gives an excellent performance. As much as I liked the NBC television show and MGM theatrical feature films with Luke Halpin as Sandy in the 1960's I liked this feature the best! I feel Elijah Wood is the best Sandy Ricks. With respect to Luke Halpin I feel Elijah Wood has more of a range of acting talent and emotes more as an actor which makes his performance excellent and more believable. I think Elijah Wood is the best young actor working today in films. Director Alan Shapiro also wrote the screenplay and has done an excellent job as both writer and director of this film. Paul Hogan gives a comical and likable performance as Sandy's Uncle Porter Ricks. Mr. Hogan's performance perfectly offsets Elijah's role as Sandy. I am a big fan of underwater films. This film was beautifully shot in the Bahamas like "Thunderball" (1965 UA) was. The director of photography was Bill Butler A.S.C. who lensed the film "Jaws" in 1975. Mr. Butler is a very talented cinematographer. The underwater director of photography was Pete Romano. He did a superb job with the underwater cinematography. I enjoyed the film score by Joel McNeely. This good film score featured Crosby, Stills and Nash among other talented artists. This motion picture was shot in Panavision like "Thunderball" in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1 If possible try to see this film in a scope version as originally framed and visioned by Alan Shapiro and Bill Butler. Another very nice thing is that Mr. Shapiro gave the "original" Sandy Ricks (Luke Halpin) a small part in this remake. He portrayed Bounty Fisherman #3 in this film. This was a very kind gesture on Mr. Shapiro's part! As you can tell I am a real true fan of this film. Sadly this beautiful film was met with harsh words by the majority of movie critics. I originally saw this movie on my birthday, May 31st of 1996 in a movie theater. It meant a lot to me. I have it on numerous video versions. The VHS versions are in "pan and scan". The laserdisc version is "letterboxed" 2.35:1! I even have a VCD in 2.35:1 from Hong Kong which is "letterboxed". But my most prized possession is an "original" 16mm theatrical feature print which I will treasure for the rest of my life! Thank you Mr. Shapiro, Elijah Wood, Paul Hogan and everyone involved for making this a memorable movie for me to enjoy! P.S. I must add that the quality of the Universal DVD is superb! It is the best DVD as far as quality I have ever seen. The color and resolution is spectacular. The soundtrack is great. I think Universal must have used the same transfer for the DVD that they did for the laserdisc version. The 35mm scope print is "mint" and Alan's film really has a wonderful look to it. A great tribute to a wonderful film! The DVD's resolution is even superior to the laserdisc quality! It's just spectacular! Thank you Universal Home Video for the great quality control and transfer. Many thank's for doing a superb job on this wonderful family film. Also many thank's to you Alan for all your extreme kindness to me!!! It's a real honor to know you!!! (Review Revised/Updated June 27, 2005)