Whale Rider

Rating:
Summary: Will far surpass your expectations
Review: 'Whale Rider' was a shock for me. I had no expectations for it, other than knowing that (a) Keisha Castle-Hughes got an Oscar nomination for it; (b) it had been very well-reviewed by the mainstream movie press; and (c) the track record for New Zealand filmmaking over the last couple of years (as exemplified by Peter Jackson) has been very, very strong.

Even with all that factored in, 'Whale Rider' was still a complete shock: it is nothing short of wondrous filmmaking. If you liked the message of empowerment carried by films such as 'Bend It Like Beckham,' then 'Whale Rider' will make your spirits soar.

Oh, and believe it: Keisha Castle-Hughes - born of an Australian father and a NZ Maori mother - deserves that Oscar nomination. It's very hard to believe this was her first time on a movie set. She is electric. You will have no problem envisioning Castle-Hughes' "Pai" as the next Maori 'great leader.' In fact, everyone in the movie has it figured out, save the one that matters: her grandfather and current leader, Koro (in a fierce portrayal by Rawiri Paratene). What will it take to get him to see it? Nothing short of a simply amazing event.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Movies I've seen
Review: This movie is completely underrated. Keisha Castle-Hughes is being nominated for Best Actress in this year's Academy Awards for her brilliant performance as Pai. This young newcomer to the film world has a wonderfully natural ability to bring warmth and honesty to her character despite having no acting experience at all.

This is the story of a young girl's impression on her Maori tribesmen and family. Born to a line of Chieftains who date their heritage back to the mythical Whale Rider Paikeia, young Pai is the unexpected and shunned heir to her family lineage when her mother and twin brother die in childbirth. After painfully losing his wife and boy, the chief's eldest son relinquishes his obligations for tribal leader and departs the country to follow his own ambitions, leaving young Pai to be raised by her grandparents in New Zealand.

Koro, the tribe leader, eventually grows to love young Pai, but never truly accepts her as part of the family. As a girl she's useless to him. In order to maintain the traditions of his heritage that had been passed down through generations of first-born males, he decides to take matters into his own hands by training the young boys of his village in a vain search for a new chief. Young Pai proudly embraces all the traditions of her culture despite her grandfather's forbidding because she loves him uncondtionally. It isn't until the end that Koro discovers the answer he was looking for had always been right in front of him.

Other people who've seen this film were expecting more flash and bang based on the reviews, but I thought the temperament of the story was just right. This was honest and mild yet emotionally powerful.

While I am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, I'll be the first to admit that Whale Rider is a worthy contender for a Best Picture oscar. Unfortunately, it was not nominated for this category at all. It's equally a pity that actor Rawiri Paratene, who plays Koro, was not nominated for Best Supporting Actor, who I think is more Oscar worthy than Johnny Depp. If you want to see an honest film about love and acceptance, watch Whale Rider. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Best Movie I've Seen in the Last 1/2 Year
Review: Okay. I don't live in the US, so I can't see movies when they come out in English- I have to wait for them in DVD. But this was still an incredible movie.

Cinematography is wow. The acting by all characters moving. The writing, the storyline...I cried. Niki Caro takes us through the emerging culture of the Maori, struggling to keep the old ways, as nearly every culture today does, yet in the midst of technological change, and the import of Western values. And perhaps not all those values are bad... In no way is the culture of the Maori denigrated in this- rather the opposite, it is revealed in new ways to the outside world, as something valuable and worthy to be followed. But it is also evolving, emerging, as is every culture, in every time.

It is Keisha who makes this movie work most of all. She is cute without being pretentious- she is honest and open in her acting, and so creates a character that desires goodness, and yet on terms of what is right for her soul, not necessarily what is dictated for her. She is an Idealist NF dealing with an often absent Artisan SP father and a very strong Guardian SJ grandfather. Her world is controlled by the Guardians, and she seeks to break free, and bring freedom, as an authentic Idealist.

Benefits to the DVD: Cut scenes were really great, especially the dinner scene, though I'm still trying to figure out why the scenes were cut. And the section on some of the cultural background of the Maori people was very enlightening.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Movie of ALL Time!
Review: I now have a new favorite movie. My husband also gave this movie five stars and it is odd for the two of us to agree on the value of a movie. Take this as a motivation to rent or buy it! Young Pai faces a challenge as she is something she cannot help: a girl. She comes from the Maori tribe of New Zealand, where the rite of the chief is passed on to the first-born male. Pai's twin brother dies at childbirth breaking the line of ancestry. The movie shows the complex relationship she has with her grandfather, who has been disappointed all these years in the fact that his only grandchild is a girl. The story line grows as Pai faces challenges put in place by her stubborn grandfather, and watching her grow in spite of her grandfather's old ways is the gem of the movie. Also adding to the magic of this movie is the soundtrack that is composed by former Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard. You really won't be disappointed and might just find yourself falling deeply in love with this film as I have. It really is proof that no movie is like a Sundance movie. Don't be frightened off by the accents of the actors. At first it may seem difficult to follow but your ears will grow accustomed to it in a short time. Don't give up on it in the beginning because you'll be glad you didn't.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful, Emotional, Brilliant Film
Review: First of all, Castle-Hughes is indeed the youngest Best Actress nominee (Tatum O'Neal won a Best Supporting Actress oscar), and it is well deserved. Her performance is nothing short of mesmerizing. Many reviewers here have said that her motivation in this film is to become the new tribe leader and her actions are all intended to prove to her grandfather that she is worthy. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Pai does not crave power or leadership. She only wants what all children - what all people - want: love and acceptance. The power in this film lies with the fact that Pai is humble and selfless, and this is what ultimately leads to her ascendance. When she sings to the ancestors (the whales) to come to them, she is not doing it to prove she is the leader - she is doing it to help end her grandfather's suffering. She doesn't care about herself - she just wants her grandfather to be happy. She also cares about her tribe and its traditions - she is far more interested in Maori history than anyone else her age, perhaps more than anyone other than the tribal elders. She loves her heritage and her grandfather, and when she sees an opportunity to make a difference she doesn't want to be left out. She is not driven by a desire to lead. She only wants to help and to belong, and in so doing she changes the lives of everyone around her.

There are so many emotional moments in this film it is impossible to think through them all without getting choked up. I knew very little about the film going into it and was really blown away by the masterful storytelling by these relatively new filmmakers. Frankly, I'm surprised this film wasn't nominated for more than just the one nod to Keisha Castle-Hughes. At the very least it deserved a nom for Adapted Screenplay (RETURN OF THE KING was the Best Film but as an adaptation it was lacking). I think it deserved a Best Film nom ahead of SEABISCUIT, which I thought was fine but nowhere near as good as this. Going by the oscars alone WHALE RIDER is certainly an extremely underrated film, and deserves to be seen. If richly-drawn characters and simple but engaging human dramas are your bag, don't waste the money renting it - this one is a must-own.

Rating:
Summary: Bold, Beautiful Film
Review: "Whale Rider" is not your everday girl power movie.

The heroine, Paikea(Keisha Castle-Hughes), is the granddaughter of a New Zealand chief and the descendant of the famous Paikea, who supposedly rode a whale through the South Seas to New Zealand. Her grandfather has been awaiting the next male chief: alas, his oldest son (whom it has to be) becomes an artist and his oldest son dies at birth. But he leaves a twin sister...and that is the lovely Paikea who wants nothing more than to be the next chief.

Ah but her grandfather has different ideas. THough he cares for her, he grows to believe that since her birth (she's about 13 in the movie), everything bad has happened. He tries to establish a school for boys to teach them "old ways"; Paikea learns these ways on the sly. The more she tries, the angrier her grandfather becomes.

Though this movie deals with such noble themes as leadership and the mystical relationship humans can have with animals, its settings are quite mundane. The families live in modest though modern houses. The school is adequate though threadbare. Children are born in hospitals. The grandfather is a chief by night but seems to clean sewers or set up septic systems by day.

The movie also moves slowly. I still enjoyed it but I can see how the pacing could bother some viewers.

Yet I would recommend this movie to nearly everyone who enjoys art house fare or coming of age pictures. You'll also witness an astonishing performance from Castle-Hughes.
(DVD note-the feature on its making is great)

Rating:
Summary: Typcial Happy Hollywood Ending!
Review: While Keisha Castle-Hughes is a little beauty and a fine actress, I don't feel her role was powerful enough to deserve an Academy Award nomination. Plenty of news articles have touted her as the youngest actress to ever be nominated for best actress of the year. Baloney! Tatum O'Neal won the Best Actress Oscar when she was 10 years old for her portrayal of Addie Loggins in "Paper Moon". "Whale Rider" drags along until near the end when I was finding myself saying, "Wow!" but then the producers turned what could've been a great tragic story into the typical happy Hollywood ending, making the ending completely unrealistic and unbelievable.

Rating:
Summary: A beaufiful film
Review: Whale Rider is a rare and wonderful film. It is set in a small seaside Maori village in New Zealand and concerns the chief, who has no first-born grandson to carry on the old ways. He does have a loveable and plucky granddaughter, Pai, named for the legendary founder of the Maoris who came there on the back of a whale. Pai adores her grandfather, but he has forbidden her to study the old ways because she is a girl.

This is one of those movies that draws you into its world completely with its honesty. The Maori world comes alive thanks to the Maori cast and one can easily relate to the universal themes of love, rejection, disappointment, and courage. The 12-year old star, Keisha Castle-Hughes is so genuine and charismatic, it is no wonder she has been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. She is a natural talent, beautiful, inspiring, and delightful to watch.

Whale Rider has the art-house feel to it, because it deals almost exclusively with emotions. Village life and underwater scenes of whales are lovingly photographed and accompanied by a haunting score. There is a lot of Maori culture in it, but the desire for acceptance and respect are universally understood. If you like character-driven stories with heartwarming elements of the supernatural, you'll enjoy Whale Rider.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful the Whole Time
Review: "Whale Rider" is a great 2003 drama release from New Zealand. Unfortunately, it was also one of the most underrated films of that year. Its powerful message catches many audiences' hearts, especially the theme of twelve-year-old Pai being ignored by her live-in grandfather. The writing wonderfully expresses every emotional aspect. It doesn't miss a single drop of it for a second. This film becomes an emotional rollercoaster as Pai struggles to find her place in life on her own. As she overcomes many odds, the dramatic theme arises while the sense of hope feels closer. The film becomes more interesting as Pai breaks the gender barriers, namely when her grandfather says, "only boys allowed." Such happenings deserve tremendous respect for the writers.

Talented child actors are very rare. Keisha Castle-Hughes proves in her role as Pai that she is truly talented. This emotional role earns her the title as the youngest Oscar nominee for Best Actress at age 13. Her heart and soul is present through every scene. Her hardhitting emotional scenes are incredible. All other performers also portray their characters wonderfully.

"Whale Rider" is a great movie for those looking for a powerful drama. This will keep audiences interested and pleased for a long time.

Rating:
Summary: Girl Power
Review: Unlike so many Hollywood movies which like to convey women as "powerful and independent", yet still dress them up like barbie dolls, this movie truly shows "girl power" in an authentic way. Newcomer, Keish Castle-Hughes role in this movie is truly inspiring for all women and girls. I highly recommend this movie. It will not only inspire you but teach you about a culture that is not often talked about.