Dolphin Tale 2
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: September 12, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Portland OregonianMarc MohanSep 11, 2014
The actual video footage of some of the incidents recreated in the film, which play with the end credits, makes it clear that sometimes reality can be as hokey as fiction. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsGraham FullerSep 11, 2014
No one over age 10 will flip for this sequel to the 2011 hit “Dolphin Tale.” But that doesn’t mean only kids will enjoy this gentle, moving family drama. Read full review
75
HitfixDrew McWeenySep 12, 2014
Its sweet nature combined with its strong messages about responsibility and empathy make it feel like something family audiences in particular should enjoy. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleySep 12, 2014
Dolphin Tale 2 tries to do too much, with too many stories shoehorned in, but the overall effect is emotional and sweet. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigSep 11, 2014
Informative, morally complex and supremely well-intentioned, it generally sidesteps sentimentality for appealingly straightforward storytelling. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallSep 10, 2014
Even in strained moments, there is a sincerity to Dolphin Tale 2, an ambition to be more than an easy sequel, making it satisfying. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriSep 12, 2014
A well-crafted family flick that gets the job done, then gets out of the way. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergSep 11, 2014
For the right age group, though, the film hits its marks: It’s wholesome, engaging and rife with impressive aquatic photography. Read full review
70
TheWrapInkoo KangSep 10, 2014
The whole thing just works; the film gets pretty close to the Platonic ideal of accessible but still meaningful edutainment. And in a movie landscape that's aggressively dumbed down and cynical, a little integrity goes a long way. Read full review
70
VarietyGeoff BerkshireSep 10, 2014
Blissfully swimming against the hyperactive kidpic tide, Dolphin Tale 2 gently peddles inspirational life lessons while respecting both its characters and its audience. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenSep 9, 2014
Even more so than last time out, Smith focuses a great deal of attention on the details—the day-to-day minutiae of the facility’s rescue and rehab work that elevate what could have otherwise been another well-intentioned but soggy fish-out-of-water yarn. Read full review
70
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlSep 9, 2014
Dolphin Tale 2 is a singularly honest animal film: It never insists that Winter wouldn't prefer to be elsewhere . . . or that what she feels for them has anything to do with what we think of as love. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniSep 12, 2014
Charming, emotionally resonant, yet nowhere as fresh and dramatic as its predecessor. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesBill ZweckerSep 11, 2014
This second film is again heartwarming and includes some nice performances from Connick, Gamble and Morgan Freeman. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoSep 11, 2014
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 full review
63
Washington PostSandie Angulo ChenSep 11, 2014
The gentle pacing of the film is too laid-back at times, particularly in a few overlong underwater swimming scenes that start out lovely but conclude as apparent filler material. But that’s a small quibble with a movie that’s this sweet and cheesy. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsSep 11, 2014
A family flick that punches the right buttons like a trained seal. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSep 6, 2014
Writer-director Charles Martin Smith's tin ear for dialogue and contrived symbolism is as unmistakable as his enormous heart. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghSep 11, 2014
Life lessons are learned, children do some growing up, nothing too terribly upsetting happens, and the corniness is, mostly, kept to tolerable levels. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyJason ClarkSep 15, 2014
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 full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubSep 11, 2014
It's a strain to poke fun at Dolphin Tale 2. Even more than the very solid first film, this is cynicism-free cinema; a place where snark goes to die. But while the wholesomeness, PG-rating positivity and conservation goals remain a strong selling point, the story simply isn't as good as the first one. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeSep 10, 2014
Dolphin Tale 2 is kind of infuriating, mostly because it tries to so hard to be innocuous. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle SmithSep 10, 2014
Even for a movie about complying with USDA regulations, Dolphin Tale 2 is a little lacking in excitement. Read full review
50
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreSep 10, 2014
Smith peoples the film with the same cast, including Kris Kristofferson as Hazel’s grandpa and Tom Nowicki as the aquarium’s benefactor. There just isn’t enough for them all to do. Freeman gets the few funny lines, which are all the same. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinSep 11, 2014
Although children may enjoy the animal action (there's also a fun pelican and a yellow sea turtle) and parents might appreciate the movie's genuinely sweet moments, this is exceedingly mild entertainment. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleWilliam GossSep 10, 2014
It’s all so quaint to the point of being anachronistic, and considering the dearth of truly family-friendly fare in the marketplace, it arrives just in time to hold wee ones and their parents over until "The Boxtrolls" arrives at month’s end. Read full review
30
The DissolveNathan RabinSep 11, 2014
Dolphin Tale 2 makes audiences wade through endless oceans of tedium for those scattered, fleeting moments of grace. Read full review
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