--- title: "Free Willy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/free-willy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/free-willy" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Free Willy (1993): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 8 reviews: 4 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics are warm towards Free Willy, and they judge it on its own terms: a family film with a moral purpose that sets out to move its audience and largely does. The praise clusters around the bond between the boy and the orca, which reviewers find believable and affecting, and around the care the film takes in showing the daily business of looking after the animal. The score and the underwater photography come in for repeated mention, as does the blend of animatronics with footage of the real whale, Keiko. The reservations are familiar ones. Several reviews call the plotting clichéd and the sentiment laid on thick; the Los Angeles Times notes strained turns in the story, and Radio Times finds the family scenes weak and the villains overdrawn. Nobody is hostile and the spread is narrow. Three of the eight reviews, including Roger Ebert’s and the New York Times’s, could only be partly read, so the picture rests on the five that could. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Duane Byrge Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 1993. Byrge praises the film as a timeless, emotionally effective family story with a strong balance of entertainment and moral purpose. He especially commends the score and cinematography for conveying the characters’ powerful connections. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/free-willy-review-movie-1993-1221569/) ## Los Angeles Times — MICHAEL WILMINGTON Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 July 1993. Wilmington finds the film a moving, worthwhile family adventure despite its sentimentality and strained plot turns. He especially praises the genuine, emotionally compelling bond between Jesse and Willy. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-16-ca-13537-story.html) ## Variety — Leonard Klady Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 1993. The critic calls the film an intelligent, highly enjoyable family entertainment that skillfully tugs at the heartstrings. He especially praises its detailed depiction of caring for and observing the orca, along with its visual splendor. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/free-willy-1200432813/) ## Empire — Phil Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Thomas finds the film clichéd but ultimately well-made, entertaining and genuinely moving. He singles out the likeable young lead and the awe-inspiring, moving ending for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/free-willy-review/) ## Time Out — SFe Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. Its description singles out the contrast between balletic whales in a brilliant blue sea and the cacophony of their capture. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/free-willy) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/free-willy-1993) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 16 July 1993. The page is identifiable as a review of Free Willy, but its verdict cannot be recovered from the blocked text. No specific element of praise or complaint is available to report. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/16/movies/review-film-boy-and-orca-meet-cute.html) ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 3/5. The critic finds the film entertaining and hard to resist, especially for younger viewers. They praise the skillful blend of animatronics and footage of real whale Keiko, while criticizing the family scenes and exaggerated villains. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-8q36te/free-willy/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/free-willy.md