User Reviews

Starting with the good things, it is nicely filmed with crisp cinematography and nice scenery. The soundtrack is great, and Jeffrey Nordling steps into the coach's shoes with enthusiasm with Emilio Estevez making a brief appearance. The Mighty Ducks themselves are performed with real spirit also and the few ice hockey scenes are well choreographed. However, where the film is lacking is in the plot, the plot weren't the greatest in the first two films but here it was really predictable and uninspired coupled with uneven pacing. And while I liked the scripting in the first two, it is fairly weak here. Joss Ackland's role is rather cartoonish, more to do with how the character was written rather than acted, and the direction is nothing special. Overall, merely average and worth seeing, but there are a few components here that make it the weakest of the franchise. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Now I hate this saying, because frankly, there are so many actors who have been horribly typecast as kids because of this saying, but The Might Ducks movie doesn't work as well with the grown up ducks! Now I didn't have too many problems with this film, I just wasn't that impressed or moved by it. I think many would agree, it's like seeing Rocky in Rocky 5, he's so old and you're afraid that he's going to break a hip boxing. Well, that's D3, the kids are more grown up and less interesting because we know when they become teens, they're less interested in what kept them happy as children.

The kids have scholarships to one of the best high schools, and now have a new coach, Coach Orion. Orion is completely different from Gordon, he's a little tougher and has more rules, but you learn why he is that way later on. The kids also have to worry about the Varsity team of the high school, because this is the team that has the big time seniors on it that want to pick on little freshman. And they do so through silly 5 year old pranks.

While it's not a terrible movie, I liked the second Mighty Ducks a little better and it worked more than D3. But I can see this movie working for pre-teens, I'm serious, because I think they could relate to the film a little bit of being the new kids in school. But for adults alone, I'm not sure, to each his own.

The first Mighty Ducks was great. Why make the next two? There are too many things in this one to comment on, but I'd like to go through a couple. First of all, weren't they the Junior National Team in the second one? And didn't they win the Junior Olympics? They weren't even one of those regional JO teams people play on, they were supposedly the entire U.S. So how come only one of them plays varsity? It's like, "you may have been in the olympics, but this is high school hockey, and we're varsity, we're better than olympics". If the varsity guys are so good, why weren't they olympics? Secondly, are they really freshmen? If I remember correctly, at the end one of them is kissing an upperclassman cheerleader. And there's no one some of them are freshmen. Third, high schools don't recruit entire teams, and close tryouts to no other freshmen than those on that team. It's against the rules. The only people that tried out were the Ducks and "varsity". Another thing, where's the Junior Varsity team? Schools don't do just Freshman and Varsity. Fourth, so many people are missing from the first movie. Danny Tamberelli's character and his sister were only in one movie. The brothers are gone, Jesse in the first two and Terry only in the first. The chunky kid and his dark-haired friend who always wore a hat were only in the first. You know what, I'm wasting my time talking about this movie, because it sucks. 1/10, only because I can't give a 0.

This Disney film made me much happier than D2 did. I really enjoyed the way it was much more true to the first film than D2 was. This movie used examples from the first film ("He's been the captain since they played in District 5," the announcer utters during the first game.) This time, the team is shy one member (Jesse) but it really seems no different. I do still wonder what happened to all those people who played in the first movie and were never heard from again. Oh well.

In this film, it's almost a rehash of the first film. A team who cannot get it together, get a washed up hockey player who they hate to coach them and they love him...your basic family fun, Disney flick.

All in all this was a great movie, but hopefully Disney realizes that we've had enough.

*** out of ****

I liked the first "Mighty Ducks" movie. It was cute. I saw most of the first sequel. It was...okay. Then I saw "D3: The Mighty Ducks". Suffice it to say that this one is about forty miles south of "sufferable".

The kids here, now admitted to college, are to play on their hockey team on a sports scholarship. However, it's a whole new ball game (so to speak), and they must all (with the exception of one of the kids, now AWOL) face personal loss, a mean-spirited new coach (Nordling), a nasty all-star college hockey team they must face off against on and off the rink and, first and foremost, the lack of involvement of their old coach (Estevez).

Now, what is wrong with this film, you may ask? You sitting down? Okay - this is a pretty downbeat story for a Disney flick, especially when it deals with change, new environments and challenges.

It was NOT a good idea to have the new coach to be such a one-dimensional, unbending jerk and then do a sudden 180 degree turn to be a good guy! What the...?!

The pranks the Ducks pull on the varsity team are so lame that the Delta House would turn their collective nose up at it.

And all the kids are even more cookie cutter, flat-as-the-sidewalk caricatures of teens as you'd find on NBC Saturday morning TV. What a shame.

Even the hockey games fall flat. I mean, how many times can you watch "Rocky" re-generated into every possible sports movie situation ever made? Well, there's always curling....

Long story short, it's not even good as disposable kiddie fare! What can you say about a film when it doesn't even hold up to "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo"?!!!

And in what would be the last smart career move on his part for a while, Estevez took a smaller role in this movie. If he wanted to make a BRILLIANT career move, he would have backed out altogether.

Oh well.

One star for "D3", for the knowledge that this was the LAST "Ducks" movie. And I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief for that one. I know I will.

I'm not sure exactly why so many people think of the Mighty Ducks movies as silly and pointless. I was never good at sports, but I have always believed that, with proper coaching, any sport could teach children and teenagers about life. The third installment of this series, directed more toward teenagers than anyone else, really shows how teamwork and positive thinking can overcome obstacles and help them grow. I have seen D3 many times and yet as I recently bought the DVD and watched it again, I couldn't help but cheer for the Ducks.

This was an OK sequel to the Mighty Ducks trilogy, as the team gets sent to an exclusive prep school, loaded with scholarships, and winds up with a new coach as Bombay gets a "promotion" of sorts. The new one starts off like Bombay did, and it will remind you a bit of they way they did in the first movie, except this guy is tougher. I will admit that this movie is not quite as good as the other Mighty Ducks movies, but it does has its moments, like the restaurant scene, the pranks scenes, and the hockey scenes. It is passable and harmless entertainment. You might like it.

** 1/2 out of ****

This third instalment of the Mighty Ducks hockey trilogy doesn't do the first two justice. Its a god awful movie with a thin plot line, with Emilio Estevez thrown in to attract watchers who expected him to play his previous roles of Mighty ducks coach. His participation in this movie was only a couple of scenes which had me scratching my head. He had the starring role in both previous movies. Sadly, the incorporation of new characters on this team cannot salvage this movie as the poor acting and the terrible skill level of the hockey team in general do not lend itself to any believability. There is absolutely no way a team of this calibre could ever play at the high school or prep school level as this movie depicted and built into a story-line. Disney should have hired actors or at least hockey players to fill in the Ducks team to at least make it somewhat realistic. The Alumni varsity team (the antagonists) were also terrible hockey players and again, it leads to an unrealistic experience for a sports movie. You want to root for the Ducks, but you just can't. They are so bad, they shouldn't even be on the ice. Many of the players, including main actor Joshua Jackson, can barely skate. (most likely they used doubles, it would seem?). As with all sports movies, there is a lesson to be learned here, and its about humility and doing the right thing, but in this case, Disney has done the wrong thing by trying to extend the success of the Duck's movies to this lousy representation of a movie worth watching. NOT RECOMMENDED.

What happened here? The first two were really good. Sure the story line was o.k but that's all.

The score that everyone gave this movie does not give this movie justice. Sure, it's not a ten but it isn't a 5.1! Everyone is saying how the Mighty Duck movies were great for the first and second, but honestly I liked this one just as much! I don't care about budget! It had a great story line and a good lesson learned. It's all the same character actors and it's more relatable since it is high school. You literally got to see the ducks grow up, and I think that's why I thought the movie wasn't as bad as everyone says. Like I said, it had a good plot and a little bit of everything. Drama, humor, action, romance. It was great. Covers all the fields that any person can appreciate! All I'm saying is that you shouldn't judge a movie based on it's prequels. Give this movie a try, believe me. It's pretty great.

Better than 'D2: The Mighty Ducks'.

I rate 'D3: The Mighty Ducks' more than that aforementioned sequel, but even so it's still a pretty lacklustre follow-up. The original is entertaining, none of the sequels are in my opinion. I, perhaps, like the premise to this one most, though I will say there's something about it that doesn't quite fit in with the trilogy itself.

Emilio Estevez is, at least partially, in this third film. He evidently couldn't give enough time to it, you can hardly blame him to be fair. He's decent in what he gives. As he magically disappears at times, Heidi Kling (Casey) and Joss Ackland (Hans) magically reappear. Neither were in the first sequel oddly, yet come in like nothing has happened in this. As such, their storylines - particularly Hans' - don't hit all that strongly.

The young actors, at least in my eyes, give their best performances of the series here. I actually, properly, took notice of the likes of Joshua Jackson (Charlie) and Kenan Thompson (Russ). Elsewhere, Jeffrey Nordling (Ted) and Abraham Ford himself, Michael Cudlitz (Cole), are decent. A firmer plot makes the cast standout, who knew?!

This is a weird one to me, all in all. It's certainly better than D2, and yet it kinda feels out of place and slightly underwhelming.

I fully understand that D3: Mighty Ducks is a kids movie, but still, this could be the worst film I have ever seen.

The premise is absolutely ridiculous and downright bizarre. I am confused as to how a screenplay can be approved that calls for such a plot line. I'm not going to get too far into it, but the SOLD OUT exhibition contest between the freshman team (the Ducks) and the varsity will go down in cinematic history as one of the most dubious acts ever put on film. You'll have to see it to believe it. The school, which is supposed to foster fair play and excellence, encourages the varsity to resent the freshman to the point that only a hateful exhibition between the two teams can settle the matter. And oh yeah, the freshman (our heroes) somehow raise enough money in time to purchase brand new uniforms for the meaningless game. And after they win, the school instantly changes its official mascot to...you guessed it...the Ducks!!!

Here is an overview of some of the aspects that irritate me about this film:

-The meaningless scrimmage between the varsity and freshman is 100 percent sold out and broadcasted on the radio with an NHL superstar as a between period guest.

-There are too many blatant hockey infractions during the scrimmage to count.

-One of the varsity players is flipped over the boards and falls into the crowd as the glass shatters, which is completely impossible.

-The varsity hates the freshman even though they are all part of the same hockey program. Why would you resent a team that will someday carry on the rich hockey tradition that you helped establish?

-The new uniforms! Again, what is the logic in raising THOUSANDS of dollars to purchase uniforms for a game that doesn't even count. OK, maybe they are from a previous season. Still, why not show a little school pride and wear the uniforms assigned to you? For a group desperately trying to fit in, refusing to wear the institution's uniforms is a slap in the face.

-The school apparently was planning on the freshman winning because after the game (scrimmage), a large Mighty Ducks banner is unveiled displaying the academy's new mascot...the Ducks. Wow! I don't think I need to elaborate on that one.

-Why are the scholarships being pulled? The only hint we are given is because the kids don't quite fit in. Are you serious?

-The over-the-top cheesiness of the ending. There is way too much making out and kissing. Not to mention the dumb scene where coach slaps the captain's "C" on one of the two players that had previously abandoned the team.

This is probably the best of the series. Things that I liked about the movie: The kids grow up and if there's something enjoyable, it's that they kept most of the members from the first two. So watching their lives just make us warm and fuzzy. It's funny watching the hijinks of the team as the college seniors make life hell for the Ducks and vice-versa. Plus, we see the team try to adjust training under a new coach. The hockey games in this movies are always fun to watch. What I didn't like: We don't see enough about the new coach to make us care about him and the way he commands the team. I give this 4 of 5 stars.

With a new coach. Seriously I know they are kids but they are a bit immature.

Charlie especially needed to be more open minded. I think he missed Gordon and took it out on Orion.

All three movie are very close to each other in quality but D3 is probably the best by 1/2 a star or 0.1%.

The thing that makes this movie stand out from the rest is how Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) became the true mentor Charlie because he has finally become wise after the end of D2 and now that Hans has passed away. Charlie is now the loose canon Gordon was at his age and along with his poor attitude towards his new coach Charlie starts to go downhill fast. Emilio is a gun in this movie and he is my favorite character and Coach Orion (Jeffrey Nordling) is my second favorite and they both put in stellar performances. The great speech about Defence by Coach Orion is a classic quote and is very true even in my sport Soccer and life. It's one of my favorite quotes of all time from any movie. The Minnesota Miracle Man scene is a highlight and Emilio is just class. The music choreography in D3 is excellent. It was so well done and example is when the Varsity team starts picking up the hitting and the music behind the scene starts saying "Beat em" in a opera like voice. The music complements the situation well throughout the whole movie and is one of its major pluses.

D3 definitely has it's dull parts and some poor acting at times but at other times the acting is pretty good. However, the Hans in this movie doesn't rate well against the previous actors who played Hans.

The plot follows the usual pattern of, pranks against the "bad" or rival team and the initial, I hate the coach attitude and then the coming together and uniting as a team and as friends once more to for fill the aim of defeating the rival team. Will team spirit get them over the line this time? Watch and see.

What was a great film with awesome character development and a stand up sequel equal to original is now a sloppy, ridiculous mess of immature jokes that never land and very VERY little hockey, you know what the franchise is based on. Clearly a cash grab. Wished they stopped at two!

This was another of The Mighty Ducks movies that I remember when it came out. I believe my sister and I rented this on Direct Ticket or from the video store. Regardless, we saw this when it first came out. I believe when it hit the movie channels, we watched it. It was a step back to me even back then. Jaime decided to watch this since we saw the previous ones.

We are following up where the last one left off. Our team has won the gold and now they must decide what the next steps are. Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) is staying on as the head of player personnel with Team USA. He was able to get them in a prestigious prep academy in Minnesota, Eden Hall. They will be the JV/freshmen team there. It brings attention to the school, but not everyone likes this.

The dean is on board, Buckley (David Selby). A member of the board of trustees isn't necessarily. The players going are led by Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson). Joining him are Fulton Reed (Elden Henson), Goldberg (Shaun Weiss), Banks (Vincent LaRusso), Averman (Matt Doherty), Guy (Garette Ratliff Henson), Connie (Marguerite Moreau), Russ (Kenan Thompson), Luis (Mike Vitar), Julie (Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine) and Ken (Justin Wong). Their new coach is Orion (Jeffrey Nordling). They buttheads, especially with Charlie with the style of play he wants to do. It is more defense focused.

They have another issue, the varsity team. It is led by Rick (Christopher Orr) and his enforcer, Cole (Michael Cudlitz). They play dirty and a divide is created when Banks is good enough to be called up to varsity. Charlie has a setback when Coach Orion takes his captain C away. He must decide what to do and if his heart is in the game or not.

By the end of this, Jaime said it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be and she's right. This is as cheesy as the previous installments. There is a bit of commentary here that comes back from the original of the rich keeping down those below them. This is a prep school. It looks like most of the varsity squad are from this upper-class group. It feels a bit like the original there when we had the Hawks vs. The Ducks. There is also a commentary about the name of the team, the Warriors with a girl Charlie has his eye on wanting it changed. This plays into the ending as well.

What makes this feels cheesy is the acting. Jackson and Henson seem to take the lead here. The varsity team plays the villains well. We do get Orr and Cudlitz having personalities which is different than other installments. Nordling does well as this coach who has their best interests at heart if they listen to him. The rest are fine. It is more of what you get in the previous two.

To then finish this out, this is again made well enough. There is more of a TV feel than the others, but maybe that is just me having that feeling as I come in that it is a step back. It is fine. We get better hocky scenes to be honest. There is a bit of that being realistic at times, but I digress. I like where they took this story. The next step would be high school and setting it at a prep one like this is interesting. These are high profile players so I could see a place doing what they did here. Not great, but still fun.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

In "D3: The Mighty Ducks," the same old cast of characters returns for some more good old times on the ice. The scrappy, wise-cracking kids that formed The Mighty Ducks hockey team are now full-blown teenagers, voice-changes and all. This time around, they are awarded scholarships to the prestigious Eden Hall Academy, a school who take their hockey just a bit too seriously. Emilio Estevez's character is written out of most of the movie, making way for the hard-headed Coach Orion (Jeff Nordling), who leads The Ducks under their new moniker, The Warriors. As they fight for dominance with the varsity team, they also have to fight for their right to stay in school, lest the school board revoke their scholarships and cast them out simply for not fitting in. Along the way they learn more valuable life lessons and grow with one another, yada yada yada, so on and so forth.

If it feels like the formula is wearing thin, that's because it is. Don't be mistaken, "D3" is of the same caliber as "D2: The Mighty Ducks." It's an entertaining enough, simple and nostalgic sports flick that appeals to the whole family, but is nowhere near as inspiring and as spirited as the original. When compared to the original "The Mighty Ducks," this is just a ho-hum sequel that offers nothing new and is obviously made with intentions of milking a franchise name, which is made abundantly clear by its low budget look. But when it comes to Disney and its track-record for sequels, would you expect anything less? It's not all bad though. The acting from the kids is spot on and their chemistry is great as usual. Hans (Joss Ackland) makes his return to the series and even though Emilio Estevez looks tired in the twenty minutes or so he spends in the film, it's better than not having him at all. His turn as the Ducks' lawyer is a stand-out, a nice call-back to the original film.

Overall, "D3: The Mighty Ducks" is a contradiction, a mediocre display of nostalgia. It's entertaining enough, but too bland to really have a lasting effect. See it if only to complete the "trilogy" (although I get the feeling that if Disney felt they could, they would have forced more movies out of it) and to reminisce in the good old days, before Emilio Estevez faded away completely, before Joshua Jackson became irritating and before Kenan Thompson went SNL.