Rating: 
Summary: Amazing, stunning, deep, funny, insightful, brilliant...
Review: ...that about sums it up. For those who like movies with a deeper meaning, movies that make you laugh and at the same time think about things, this one is for you. Not only is the photo coverage of New Zealand amazing, but so is the story itself, as is the performance of the protagonist (and everybody else). The movie is especially interesting to those who feel they are caught between two worlds (biculturalism), those who feel have no real roots anywhere as it deals with issues of alienation and the struggle to overcome it without having to give up either world (or cultural heritage). To those who are not familiar with such issues it is a fantastic way to view the world from a different angle. Great learning value especially for kids! :) Great job, Nicki Cairo, we need more movies like this, so keep them coming!
Rating:
Summary: Uhmmm
Review: I almost crye'd all the way thru the movie..
I saw the film at Planet Hollywod in Auckland in February..Just a few days before i had to Leave home to Norway again..Im half Maori and Half Norwegian so....
Rating: 
Summary: A superb example of Kiwi film making
Review: Until Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings arrived on our shores movies like Whale Rider were typical of the sort of movie New Zealand has been traditionally making. Whale Rider is based on a book by well-known New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. Set on the remote and beautiful, but impoverished East Coast of New Zealand Whale Rider deals with themes alienation and not belonging; the importance of the family; and the struggle of the Maori trying to keep one foot firmly grounded in their traditional ways but at the same time desparately trying to come to terms with the modern world. A deeply moving and uplifting movie, especially if you have empathy with the plight of indiginous people anywhere. Director Nicki Cairo has done a superb job of capturing the essence of the stunning wild scenery and it's people, Weta Workshop (of Lord of the Rings fame) have produced a pod of very realistic whales, but a standout performance of Keisha Castle-Hughes as Paikia with a supporting cast of many locally well-known actors gives this story it's real heart. This is an intelligent, uplifting movie which, at the same time, does not flinch from some of the less savoury aspects in life.
Rating:
Summary: Wale Rider
Review: Wale Rider is a beautiful - pure and innocent. This is a New Zealand film and unlike previous well known kiwi films I.E Once Were Warriors - the acting is above par - OR Lord of the rings - it is pure and simple. It is the tale of once girls search for her koro's (grandfathers) acceptance and his stubborn hold on his own beliefs. If you ever have to watch a New Zealand film - you must watch this film. It reveals the true culture of the Maori people and their struggle to hold on to their belief system. It shows that New Zealand is more than just grass skirt wearing sheep tending zombie flesh eating country. As you watch this film remember it is only a small fraction of the diversity that is New Zealand. For any man, woman or child who knows what family is or struggles to realise it. Not an action film granted but bring your tissues garanteed.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful...but overbearing.
Review: I read a great many positive reviews before I saw this movie, and so I must keep in mind that my expectations were higher than they had any right to be. Put simply, this is a coming of age movie with a New Zealand twist. It would resonate well with the younger set, but for the more critically minded (and those who don't like schmaltzy music played incessantly during the emotionally important scenes), the movie is a bit heavy-handed at times. Whale Rider tells the story of a young girl growing up in New Zealand. She's a member of the Maori tribe, an ancient people that still follow the patriarchal traditions of their ancestors. The young heroine grows up knowing that though she is from the line of chiefs, dating back to the ancestor who rode from Hawaii on the back of a whale, she will never be the leader of her people. Her grandfather, once a famed chief himself, binds himself by his traditions and refuses to teach her with the boys of the island. Of course, none of these boys are as fit to lead as she, a point which the movie doesn't fail to make in numerous occasions. Although the pro-feminist point is laudable and extremely applicable to modern times, the message is laid on so think as to become unpalatable even by this militant feminist. The grandfather seems to relish holding his granddaughter back from excellence, while the heroine struggles on, alone and stalwart. It seems unlikely that these caricatures could exist in real life. The heroine, Keisha Castle-Hughes, does her very best, but the script quite simply can't help her. And we all know she's going to ride the whale...so the suspense was negligible. If you're looking for a coming-of-age movie that showcases a girl in the main role, I'd recommend Spirited Away instead. Sure, it's animated, but the animation is beautiful and the story is a great deal more compelling. Plus the flights of fancy are obviously that, rather than passed off by the director as truth.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting glimpse into Maori culture
Review: Having visited New Zealand several years back for a while and gone to the Maori Cultural Center at Lake Taupo and learned a little bit about Maori culture when I was there, I was curious to see how this movie would portray the Maoris and their culture. I wasn't disppointed, and the movie gives some fascinating glimpses into several aspects of Maori history and ways. The girls are shown being taught to perform the women's dances and how to sing in the Maori language, and the gruff and stern father is shown teaching the young boys how to be a chief, how to be a warrior and fight with a wooden staff, how to dance the war dance and make the frightening facial expressions that accompany the dances, and how to chant in the Maori tongue. But the story is really about the coming of age of the chief's daughter, who is destined to become the first woman chief. The father's ambition to find a suitable chief among the boys is frustrated since none really seem that motivated and capable. Worse still, his own son is pursuing a career as an artist in Europe and the father learns he's married a German girl rather than returning home to marry a Maori girl and settle in New Zealand. So the father's ambition to find a suitable chief to succeed him seems doomed to failure until one day his young daughter frees a beached whale and rides it out beyond the waves, after the chief and the rest of the tribe were unable to free the animal. According to legend, a whale rider from their tribe led the Maoris to New Zealand a thousand years ago, and another whale rider would appear again some day to lead them. The chief, who initially refuses to acknowledge his daughter's abilities and threatens to disown her when he discovers she's been learning the art of the staff and had bested one of the boys, is finally forced to realize at this point that the prophecy has been fulfilled and that it is his daughter who is destined to be their chief. The all-Maori cast does a great job with their roles, and all in all this movie is a fine tribute to Maori culture and traditions that provides some fascinating glimpses into this vanishing Pacfic Rim culture. Last but not least, the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard recently and really adds to the overall ambience of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: not bad for a girl
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, even though I thought the main charachter should of been a boy. The main premise of the story was of two fraternal twins (boy and girl). The girl survived and was discouraged from becoming a chief. Yet she persevered and trained with the help of some other villagers even though her grandfather wanted a male heir. Her grandfather's goal was to recruit one of the boys from the village school. There were tests of fighting skills and retrieving a whale medallion that the grandfather threw into the ocean. I would highly recommend this movie because it made me feel very good to watch it. You are going to get your monies worth whether you rent it or buy it from amazon.com
Rating:
Summary: Just one of the best movies of the year!
Review: Whale Rider is a beautiful movie, you will love it and find it meaningful.
Rating: 
Summary: This Movie Sucks!
Review: I've seen this movie before, and it sucked. If I was Pei (the girl), I would have gone with my dad, instead of stay, and why did the whales come onto the land? They know they can't live without water. I suggest for no one to see this stupid movie. I give it a 1 out of 5, actually, I give it a 0 out of 5.
I SEE NO SEQUEL!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: "Whale Rider" is the sort of touching, beautiful film that seldom gets made anymore--at least not in the United States. Apart from expert, hands-off direction by Niki Caro and a richly authentic performance by lead Keisha Castle-Hughes, this gem from New Zealand has the courage to present complex characters in a situation that is universally appealing. The birth of Pai (Castle-Hughes) should be a cause for celebration, but her grandfather (Rawiri Paratene, in a marvellous performance) is torn between his love for the girl and his fear and disappointment that she was not born a he. What follows is a multi-generational struggle between tradition and familial bonds, as Pai sets out to prove to her grandfather that she is the fated "whale rider" that will succeed him as tribal leader. The great thing about "Whale Rider" is that the conflicts are immediately recognizable, with no real violence and even though no one in the film is truly a villain. With warmth, humor, and some genuine tears, the film explores the themes of duty, change, sacrifice, partriarchy, and, in the end, love--all in so natural a way that the film seems less art and more real life. Not bad. Not bad at all.
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