The most alarming prospect to arise from this tired threequel is the blatant suggestion of a Free Willy 4. There are two worrying pointers: a new child actor is introduced in the starring role and Willy fathers, well, a new Willy. For a franchise that's dying on its fins third time round, this leaves scant hope for the future.
Free Willy 3 sadly sticks to the all-too-familiar "whale rescued by young boy" theme and feebly attempts to make a bit of a difference by introducing new faces. Richter, the original boy-star, remains as orphan Jesse (who has grown up to bear a frightening resemblance to a teenage David Hasselhoff) but he takes more of a backseat by joining his mentor Randolph (Schellenberg) as a marine researcher.
The bulk of the story lies with ten-year-old Max (Berry), the son of a swarthy whaler (Patrick Kilpatrick), who faces a personal crisis when he comes face-to-face with the friendly Orca after falling overboard. Sadly, the average viewer doesn't need a brain larger than a plankton to guess the outcome. The major problem with films starring animals, as illustrated here, is that they're very limiting.
Think Lassie and you think of a dog running miles to find help, think Jaws and you think of swimmer dinners, think Willy and you think of an Orca being rescued from danger.