Free Willy (1993)

Hello, and welcome to Apocalypse Video’s look at the gentle giants of the sea: Whales. All month long, we’ll be discussing everything from Orcas, to Humpback Whales, as well as a special once in a lifetime look at one of the rarest whale species on the planet.

This…is Febwhaleary.

In this first installment, we will be covering perhaps the most popular whale in the public consciousness: the Orca - otherwise known as the Killer whale. But not all Orcas behave like their infamous moniker, some are gentle giants, case in point, tonight's subject: Willy. A performer for years before his eventual debut in Hollywood, Willy is perhaps the most popular killer whale in the world. Although his true life story is not as hopeful as his motion picture alter ego…

I’m your host, Dave, and joining me on this quest to stop a power-mad Michael Ironside are fellow cinephiles and Willy fans, Mike and Ryan.

Topics of discussion in this episode include the depressing story of Keiko (aka: Willy), and why it’s never a good idea to turn a Killer Whale into a Golden Retriever; we’ll also talk about whether Michael Madsen and Michael Ironside are too menacing in this movie or not menacing enough; and finally, we’ll get into Ryan’s childhood obsession with whales and how he may have gone down a different path in life had he lived closer to a Seaworld.

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And thus concludes our look at Free Willy. Febwhaleary will continue next week, as we take a look at a whale that more embodies the ominous nature of its “killer” moniker: next week we watch the 1977 creature thriller…Orca.