Free Willy 3: The Rescue

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Willy is in need of rescuing. Again. However, this time, his adventures are musically accompanied by Cliff Eidelman and not Basil Poledouris as for the first two installments (and also no Michael Jackson this time round). Although it appears a little on the brief side, the album for this film presents no more score than that for the first film, which was largely padded out with songs and certainly a lot more than the second, which contained less than 15 minutes of underscore. What is quite curious about Eidelman's music is that it's surprisingly low key for a lot of the time, emphasising the mystery of the ocean and the character interplay, rather than theatrical heroics. Main Title introduces the main theme, very similar to Poledouris' original, which is heavy on woodwind and jangling percussion, pleasant but not exactly thrilling. Awakening is a little more upbeat and is probably the score's highlight, the addition of Francine Poitras' vocals add an extra haunting dimension.
Naturally enough, the more rousing moments are The Hunt and Obsession, with urgent rhythms that vaguely recall Eidelman's Star Trek VI score, but with the occasional orchestral surges that provide a creditable, if somewhat clichéd evocation of the sea. It is often commented that Cliff Eidelman has rather fallen off the film music radar, maybe he's happier pursuing a non-film composing career - his tone poem based on The Tempest, released on a Varese compilation, is superb and well worth seeking out - but this was a reasonably high profile effort at the time. Although similar in tone, somehow less interesting than Poledouris' first two scores for the series, but nice enough, if not as memorable or inspiring as one might hope.