Flipper (1996): Dir: Alan Shapiro / Cast: Elijah Wood, Paul Hogan, Chelsea Field, Isaac Hays, Jonathan Banks: Like Lassie, Flipper has endured a long time and now it is time to resurrect it with a lame remake that nobody gives a crap about. Now Elijah Wood arrives at his uncle's hut for the summer. He would rather be at a Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert. He eventually meets Flipper the dolphin and they attempt to prevent fishermen from dispatching oil cans in the water. Predictable formula featuring characters that merely take up space. Children may enjoy the film although an attack by a hammerhead shark may scare them. On that thought, watching a wildlife program would be more entertaining. Director Alan Shapiro does his best with the flimsy material with only the production and photography to back it. Wood overacts throughout the entire film. He does exactly what countless other child actors have done only he does it worse. Paul Hogan as his uncle recites Crocodile Dundee. Chelsea Field and Isaac Hays round out the cast with Jonathan Banks playing the idiot villain. Lassie worked for the 1940's just as Flipper did the 1960's. Now we seem to have adopted Free Willy and Man's Best Friend. They all seem to travel the same story structure whether the creature is of land or water. Purpose to be an updated version that deserves to drown in cinematic wastelands. Score: 3 / 10
Review of Flipper
