The Feature:
Boy, has Warner Brothers gotten a lot of mileage out of "Free Willy" or what? This is the third movie in the well known series, and despite being a better movie than "Free Willy 2", it suffers from "Sequel Stigma." "Sequel Stigma" is what I refer to as the collective groan of the movie going public when they hear that another sequel is coming out (i.e. Rocky VI). Regardless, this is a movie that doesn't deserve that kind of treatment, as it is a nice family movie at heart, that teaches us all a lesson… Whale hunting is bad thing.

Returning to "Free Willy 3" is Jessie (Jason James Richter), the star of the first two movies. Jessie is all grown up, and is about to embark on a summer internship doing what else, but whale studies. In the previous movie, James helped to save Willy from the evil oil tanker people. In this movie, Willy is about to be a father. Everything seems nice so far, right?

Now meet Max (Vincent Berry). A conflicted individual, Max, along with his father and his crew, go out on a boat one day. Max accidentally falls over the side of the boat, and comes to eye with a killer whale, who is anything but. Max is saved, and eventually finds out that his father and crew are whale hunters. The whale hunters discover that they are able to signal Willy by using his special signal (a harmonica), and it's up to Max and Jessie to stop them.

Unlike most movies of this nature, "Free Willy 3" has one strong thing going for it… It's morality. In the previous movie, the oil people were cartoony evil. In this one, we see a human side to them, as Max's father has a difficult time explaining to his son why he does exactly what he does (shame?). Anyways, this movie relies far less on gimmicks, and has a good story at heart, which is all this reviewer asks for these days.

Video:
Warner Brothers presents "Free Willy 3" in Full Screen 1.33:1. This is the first full screen DVD that I've reviewed here, and hopefully my last. Anyways, the picture is a little dull, and there are some touches of grain throughout. I hate pan n' scan, but this is one of the better full frame jobs I've seen.

Audio:
The audio is presented here in Dolby Digital 5.1 (along with French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0). I don't get the idead about have a 5.1 soundtrack for a full frame movie. It just seems pointless. Anyways, much like "Free Willy 2", everything here is very acceptable. The motors of the boats produce some quality bass, and dialogue is clear. Also, there are no audio dropouts. At least Warner did one thing right.

Menus:
A static DVD menu plays the movie's theme. Menu options include: "Play Movie", "Scene Selections", "Special Features", and "Languages."

Extras:
I would call this as barebones as you could get without being dubbed as so. The first and only true extra is "Orcas Up Close", which basically serves as trivia fodder for killer whales. Last, and certainly least are theatrical trailers for all three "Free Willy" movies, as well as trailers for the VHS/DVD releases of "Willy Wonka" and "Wizard of OZ."

Final Thoughts:
As a movie, I liked "Free Willy 3" more than its predecessor. Unfortunately, as a DVD, though, I am less than overwhelmed. Unless you love the movie, and are a huge fan of Pan and Scan, I suggest you "Rent It."