
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 26, 1994                   TAG: 9403260073
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: B-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

`MIGHTY DUCKS' SEQUEL IS MORE OF THE SAME

"D2: The Mighty Ducks" is a connect-the-dots sequel. There's not really anything new in the film. It simply repeats the plot of the original in a slightly different setting. For that reason, young fans of the first movie will probably like this one, too.

But there may be a certain amount of miscalculation on the part of the studio executives who put the package together. When it comes to sports and movies, kids are pretty sophisticated these days. Some of them will catch the film's blatantly hypocritical treatment of brand-name merchandizing.

For those who missed "The Mighty Ducks," it was the story of cynical lawyer Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) who was redeemed by coaching a Pee-Wee League hockey team. He was last seen boarding a bus to pursue his dream of making it as a professional hockey player. This one begins with his suffering a knee injury that sends him back home to Minneapolis.

Moments later, Mr. Tibbles (Michael Tucker), the representative of a huge athletic apparel company, asks Gordon to take over the U.S. team in the Junior Goodwill Games. Yes, the Ducks go national as Gordon brings together the core players from the first with a new group of racially and ethnically diverse kids.

Will the players and their coach succumb to the temptations of Los Angeles and Anaheim (where, coincidentally, Disney's Mighty Ducks NHL team plays)? Will they defeat the evil Icelandic team in the final game? You do not need three guesses.

At their best, writer Steven Brill and first-time director Sam Weisman capture the exuberance and enthusiasm of kids at play. Some of the game footage is excellent; more of it is contrived. An early rollerblade sequence through Minneapolis is terrific.

But when the film begins to preach about the evils of commercialism and product endorsements by sports figures it runs into trouble. While the kids are protesting having to wear Mr. Tibbles' brand, the Starter logos are prominently displayed on every visible sleeve. The rest of the film is also filled name-brand labels.

Will the elementary-school crowd notice details like that? And if they do, will they care? The audience Friday afternoon didn't seem to mind. By all appearances, the kids were attentive and entertained throughout.

by CNB