WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS: PART TWO* (Video Release USA 1994)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.0|5.0 Starsììì

Where the Red Fern Grows: Part Two—great concept—can’t get its story on paper, let alone on camera. Disastrous attempt to continue the classic original by projecting into the future a possible outcome for the original story. Good to see Wilford Brimley onscreen.

Film Poster Courtesy of Google Images

Storyline

Grandpa Will (Wilford Brimley) helps rehabilitate Grandson Billy Coleman (Doug McKeon) after the war.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Jim McCullough Jr. for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producer William J. Immerman for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Rainie Pritchard (Chad McQueen), Sara Coleman (Lisa Whelchel), Wilson Jeffries (Adam Faraizi), Karen Carlson, Devin Payne, and Jessie Turner.

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. Some stories do not need sequels. The original Where the Red Fern Grows completed itself. This movie would have been better if written as a stand-alone rather than linking to a classic. Classics are a tough act to follow and force a comparison. A film with potential goodness can rarely stand the comparison. It’s better to cut any link and write it as it is. This film would have gathered strength and perhaps gained its own classic status with that strategic move.

* Also Known as Where the Red Fern Grows: Part 2

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers