Dolphin Tale 2 2014

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Even for a movie about complying with USDA regulations, "Dolphin Tale 2" is a little lacking in excitement. Read more

Erik Lundegaard, Seattle Times: The original "Dolphin Tale" was so anodyne it felt like a 1950s TV series: episodic problems resolved in an ultrasafe atmosphere, often by parental, generally fatherly, advice. This is more of the same. Read more

Geoff Berkshire, Variety: Much of "Dolphin Tale 2″ is as on-the-nose as Hope's name, but parents aren't likely to object to a film that provides squeaky clean entertainment without sending gag reflexes into overdrive. Read more

Katie Rife, AV Club: At least they brought back the pelican. Read more

Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: It's worth wading through some sugary-sweet human drama, and the occasional wooden line delivery, for that intimate look at nature. Read more

Tom Russo, Boston Globe: Some angst away from the dolphin tank feels like padding, but there's enough bona fide narrative to please tomorrow's marine biologists and their parents. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: Dolphin Tale 2 is a slow-moving anomaly, delivered when most kids' films tumble over one another to see which can deliver the thrills faster and funnier. Read more

Jason Clark, Entertainment Weekly: This is innocuous, heart-in-the-right-place family fare, but its well-earned points about animal rights and preservation would be better taken if the relentless sentimentality didn't force viewers into flippers-in-the-air submission. Read more

Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: Dolphin Tale 2 is another engaging film inspired by the real-life inhabitants of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: This is exceedingly mild entertainment. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: "Dolphin Tale 2" is both uneventful and predictable, but it deserves credit for treating its nonhuman characters with respect. Read more

Graham Fuller, New York Daily News: Gamble and Zuehlsdorff are likable. Neither their looks nor their acting is airbrushed. Like Connick, they know the value of restraint. Read more

Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times: It's wholesome, engaging and rife with impressive aquatic photography. Read more

Michael Sragow, Orange County Register: Smith has an eye for knockabout farce and for untrammeled beauty, and his camera is always in the right place to capture the ecstatic sight of dolphins in motion. Read more

Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: Children will revel in Dolphin Tale 2 with its rapturous, lovingly filmed sequences of dolphins playing, swimming, and generally frolicking about with each other and with their human friends. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: It's kind of sad to see Rufus the Pelican getting way more screen time and plot significance than characters played by Kris Kristofferson and Ashley Judd. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: A coo-inducing movie that runs on autopilot without veering into the realm of bad taste. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: There's some lovely underwater cinematography and a few dollops of suspense. But Dolphin Tale 2 is mostly an easy, breezy ride that will please younger audiences and their parents with its message of resilience and hope. Read more

Inkoo Kang, TheWrap: It remains an appealing fantasy about super-teens saving sick animals. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Like its predecessor, Dolphin Tale 2 is a family-friendly story with a heart-warming and wise message of healing. Read more

Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice: A good-hearted kids' drama whose earnestness and surprising moral complexity put other sunny-weepy sea-mammal flicks to shame. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: In a world full of cheapened, bombastic entertainment aimed at children, this modest, honest little movie feels special in its own way. Read more

Sandie Angulo Chen, Washington Post: Sweet and cheesy. Read more