Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Too much of everything

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The 1996 movie "Flipper" is a Hollywood remake of a popular cult television series and a few mostly forgotten films from the 1960s. My personal experience with the latter is very limited. I've only seen one complete episode from the TV show, part of an older Flipper movie, and clips of others in the saga about a kid named Sandy and his best buddy, an unnaturally intelligent (even for his species) and charming dolphin. But my experiences are enough to tell you that the core elements and spirit of the show are incorporated into this big-screen version. It's another story about a boy and his (insert animal species). And although the movie's adult star Paul Hogan commands the most interesting character, the dolphin is charming enough to recommend the movie.In this picture, Sandy (Elijah Wood) is Porter Ricks's nephew (not son as in the show) and is reluctantly sent to his uncle's seaside home for a summer after a (what else?) divorce. Sandy is all but willing to accept his three months living by the ocean until a dolphin separated from its clan following a trigger-happy boater's tirade decides to stop by his favorite pier. Sandy, of course, forms a friendship with the dolphin, whom he names Flipper. And in the end, just like with "Free Willy," the plot leads up to a struggle to reunite Flipper with his kin.This big-screen version of "Flipper" is a little flimsy and it's more whimsical than it is consistent. And just like with Free Willy, Lassie, Old Yeller, and every other cute critter in these kind of stories, Flipper has the ability to read minds, understand English, and run an underwater bank all without any training (Confused? See the movie). But honestly, I think that is part of the appeal that the TV show had for children and that's why I think that appeal will remain for this movie. Even for this adult, these whimsical and rather implausible adventures and tactics were packed with charm and the nostalgia they stirred up was rather enamoring. Yes, a better movie would be made if they tried to make a more realistic boy-and-dolphin story. How woul a *real* dolphin from the wild react to such a situation and how would an ordinary kid not under the control of movie conventions respond? And of course it'd be better if we didn't have a hokey backstory of toxic waste and an evil hammerhead shark named Scar? Wait? Scar? A shark named Scar? Okay now, Scar is a compelling name for an evil lion or even a Comanche war chief, but a hammerhead shark? The shark is not a good villain here. It's mouth is way too small to communicate menace, the moaning sounds it makes (an impossibility for real sharks) is phony, and the special effects used to simulate it are not sufficient.But who cares? What do we expect in a "Flipper" movie? A cute dolphin, a simple story, and a lot of whimsical under and out-of-water adventures. We get 'em. And there are some more magical moments, such as a very splendid little sequence where Flipper swims through the depths and explores the marvels of underwater life. The underwater nature photography is quite pleasing. And although Flipper does not do anything that we haven't seen him (or Free Willy, for that matter) do before, he is quite a good-looking and charming character on the screen. But ironically, it is Paul Hogan who carries the movie along when Flipper is not on-camera. Because even though the star, Elijah Wood, is as fine an actor for this part as anyone, he doesn't have anything to do that makes him stand out as a character. His change of mood over the course of the picture, dialogue, and attitude all are familiar. So when he starts to lose our interest, it is Paul Hogan who saves the day. He just has an enormous amount of on-screen charm and charisma with all of his costars. Even the movie's most ardent detractors will agree with that.Bottom line, even though I had a lot of mixed reactions, I did modestly enjoy this "Flipper" movie. It's not, I say, on par with "Free Willy" but as far as movies about a young, troubled kid and his cetacean best friend go, this one does alright. Paul Hogan is the best element in the picture, but the dolphin is charming enough to make it worth recommending. It is best seen with young children, for it will engage them (as it did me when I was younger) and charm parents as well. And adults who grew up with the TV show will be pleased at the same time.

This Film Was Nicely Done. The Scenery was beautiful, the Dolphin was lovable and lively. Elijah Woods and Paul Hogan turn in fine performances as their characters' relationship grows (Particularly Hilarious was the fact that Paul Hogan's character keeps on hand a Large Supply of Spaghetti-O's, which he eats for most meals, after heating the contents with a blowtorch). The musical score was also bright and cheery. My biggest complaint is that the movie is unfortunately offset, somewhat substantially, by the nastiness of the story's bad guy, played by Jonathan Banks (same actor who played the villain in Beverly Hills Cop), who shocks the viewer within the opening half hour by sadistically shooting another dolphin. I found Banks' Dirk Moran to be a bit heavy-handed for a movie advertised to be as family-oriented as this one. His villain was more reminiscent to me of one of the villains in the "Bad Boys" Movies, which is the type of film where you are more likely expect to see a crueler bad guy. Thus, while I like the film, I encourage parents to watch it themselves, before renting it with their children.

I saw this when it came out in theaters back in 1996. I remember I was already familiar with Elijah Wood's work (that's right, he made stuff before "Lord of the Rings"!) and the merchandising tie-ins to the film were pretty abundant ("Flipper" water guns were even circulating).Adults were reminded of the old movies and TV show and for nostalgia's sake took their kids to see it, who were excited because it was a movie about a dolphin and a stupid boy.Unfortunately it wasn't what anyone expected and flopped severely. You know a movie's in trouble when a boy swims away from a Hammerhead shark in the middle of the ocean, and a pack of dolphins scare the shark away, and the kid -- instead of getting out of the water into a boat -- floats in the water for five minutes thanking his dolphin for saving him ... apparently he hasn't taken into mind that the shark is still out there, perhaps even below him.Another problem is Paul Hogan. He looks old, crusty and tired of recycling his Croc Dundee shtick. By now, no one even remembered "Crocodile Dundee" much less Hogan, and I half expected him to suddenly start pretending he didn't know what a hair dryer was for the sake of fish-out-of-water/social-satire laughs.All in all this is a really poor "family" movie that is amateurish and almost hard to watch at times. I hated it when I saw it in theaters back in '96 and I hate it more now.

This film suffers from being caught between two thematic ideas; on the one hand it wants to be a light comic character romp, and on the other hand it tries for a contemporary teen romance come light adventure story. And on top of that, it tries to cash in on the reputation of the various TV series' versions of 'Flipper'. And the big problem is with this movie is that nothing really works; it all seems to cancel each other out.(Spoiler Warning)Paul Hogan is still quite adept at light knockabout comedy - such as the much-promoted toasting bread with a blowtorch bit - but this is mainly smothered by Elijah Wood's mod grunge moody contemporary teenager thang - which doesn't play to comedy very well.There's a romantic angle thrown in with one of the local girls; but this is smothered by the attempt at character comedy with the showmanship entrepreneur angle, and the light adventure with the marauding shark bit.Overall the film is too dull and downbeat to be really fun, and yet too light-hearted to really work as a serious contemporary story.One bit I really liked however, was in the climactic scene when Elijah moved his eyes rapidly back and forth to show the character contemplating an emotional crunch-point. Elijah is naturally very expressive with his eyes, and he starts to show it off to good use in this movie. (PS: He's also got way hot legs as well - but that's totally beside the point!)