Rate It
|
||||||||||||||||
Rating Averages
My Friends |
Not rated. () |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
All Flixster |
(12875) |
5220 |
21979 |
Female |
(8680) |
3519 |
14817 |
Male |
(4195) |
1701 |
7162 |
More Like This
If you liked this, then you'll also probably like...
Got another recommendation for someone who liked this movie? Add it to the list!
Got an opinion? Use the buttons to vote on all the suggestions people have added.
If lots of people vote, the best suggestions will rise to the top.
| Rabbit-Proof Fence (68%) |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) (46%) |
|
|
| Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) (34%) |
|
|
| The Piano (43%) |
|
|
| Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (38%) |
|
|
Plot:
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding...( read more 
)
Meet Other Fans
Recent Reviews
-
MCT:October 5, 2008it was okay. it had a good plot and good acting, but it was not exciting enough to keep my interest.
A pretty good movie. I like the uncle, he's great. -
MCT:October 2, 2008Keisha Castle-Hughes was the youngest ever (age 13 back in 2003 ) to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category for her amazing performance as Paikea 'Pai' Aspirana in the film 'Whale Rider'.
Pai becomes the first girl ever born in line for possible succession as the tribe's chief. However, she is stubbornly opposed and suppressed by her grandfather, Koro Apirana, who wants a boy for the position. So the film comes down to a test of wills between Pai and her stubborn/traditionalist grandfather, Koro.
'Whale Rider' is a special favorite that I have watched many times and have recommend highly to a lot of people because of its human drama, charm, and culture -- and also because of its great story and acting. -
MCT:September 7, 2008
The Whale Rider is about a Maori girl named Pai Apirana. The movie takes place in a rural New Zealand town where Pai lives with her grandparents. When Pai was born her mother died and so did her twin brother. This was not a good situation because her grandfather, Koro, who is the current chief and leader, was looking forward to having a male son being the future leader of their people since Porourangi, Pai?s father, did not want to take the role of being chief. Porourangi had different aspirations and left town to pursue his own dreams, but would still come back every now and then to see Pai. Meanwhile, no one wanted to pay any attention to the fact that Pai could possible make an excellent leader to the Maori people. Everyone was expecting a boy, but in this movie Pai does not give up in trying to prove that she could have, some day, been able to lead her people, although she was not a male.
This movie provides information of not onlyt a touching story of a girl named Pai, but it brings you into a world you may not be familiar with. You get a glimpse of how people through out the world deal with situations that they do not have complete control over. Keisha Castle-Hughes, the actess who portrayed Pai, did a wonderful job in bringing out the innocence and determination to people who had no trust and confidence in a female to lead their people. As I watched this movie, as a woman, I felt as though anything is possible as long as you believe in your self and believe that what you are doing will help you in the long run as well as others to find some kind of peace. I recommend this movie to anyone of any age, especially people who are interested in different cultures. -
When I first saw the title of the movie one thing came into my mind ?it?s going to be a boring movie.? Well in the beginning of the movie when pai mother was giving birth to her and her twin brother that died at birth, they were showing clips of a whale I figured maybe somehow the daughter will have a love for whales. Like always I was trying to predict what happens in a movie and what it?s going to be about. The move is based on a girl who finds her true destiny by challenging the old traditions of her religion. In their religion the oldest son has a son of his own but the tradition is broken when pai twin brother dies at birth. Pai was facing trouble with her grandfather because she was not a boy. In this movie pai proved that sometimes ?ancestors? or people can change the old traditions for the good of the tribe. Many new traditions are challenging the old traditional ways because they have a different outlook on life. The tradition that they followed was that of a whale. They believed that they all came from whales. Many religions see animals as good spirits and they listens to the spirits of the animals to bring them direction. A lot of religions are mixing in global religions because the younger generations are going different directions and I think the pressure on the world may also be a reason why some tribe are mixing in new traditions within their old ways. A good lesson for this movie is that it?s important to never judge the strength and abilities all because of their gender. Their spirit can be much stronger, strong enough to change the old ways of a religion. Overall it was a pretty good movie and it mirrors a lot of traditions that are practiced today.
-
Bartola L. Lisbon Indigenous Religion September 6, 2008
Whale Rider
I was very impressed with this movie. From the beginning to the end I could feel the spirit of the indigenous tribe called the Maori.
Understanding the strictness of the culture, I felt sad when the grandfather named Poco wanted to denounce his granddaughter, Pike. Poco's only concern was for the death of his grandson and the myth that only men and at this time his grandson, who had died at birth would not be able to save their culture and bring it out of the dismal state it was now in.
The Maori tribe is a proud tribe and hold on to its traditions. However, a new time was approaching. It seemed that only Flower, Pikes' grandmother could only see the change coming. Flower encouraged Pike to follow her heart and her dream. Though Flower never overstepped her bounds she always included Pike in the first right rituals of the first born sons of their tribe.
Pikes father though raised within the village was not willing to stay or as his father deemed him, to be the savior of their culture. He in turn left after his first born died to pursue his own life. Pikes father did not agree with his father, believing that a prophet would come to save their tribe. Pikes dad tried to explain to his father that new times were arising and there would be no prophet.
Pike believed what her grandfather believed and she heard the call of the whale. Though following her own heart and the call of the whale, she set out on a journey to fulfill her own destiny which was totally against the old tradition of her tribe.
However, her grandfather did come to realize that change is good and acceptance though hard is inevitable.
I did not see any modern day religion within this culture. It appeared to me this small knit community shared in its old traditions of song, dance and plays, and through these means did they continue to keep their tradition alive.
I would totally recommend this movie because of the sincere belief system this tribe has. The Maori tribe holds on to the old tradition of passing down stories of how they came to be through story telling and dance. Though a small intimate tribe they struggled to stay together and come together in accepting the fact that women are important and change is an inevitable force that we all have to learn to accept. -
MCT:September 6, 2008
The beginning of the movie was quite slow and a little confusing to me but as it continues it became interesting. I had never heard of this movie until my teacher gave us an assignment on it, needless to say I am very impressed and glad I watched it. I always get so emotional with certain movies defiantly have to add this one to my list. The story was about the Whangara tribe who believed their ancestors were saved by the whales in the sea. The ?Whale Rider" is about a little Whangara girl named Pai, her mother and twin brother died during birth. This left her father and grandfather devastated because her brother was the next in line to become the leader of their people. Her father became so depressed about his wife and son he moved away and began a new life. Of course this left her to be raised by her grandparents ( Koro and Nanny). They both loved Pai but Koro resents her because she survived and not her brother. Pai tries very hard to prove to her grandfather she is the right person for the position to be chief. However because of his old rules and regulations he is unable to be open minded to change. The grandfather opens a school in hopes he would find a leader to take over, all the first born males in the village attended. Pai was determined to learn the things the boys did so her uncle helped train her. I really believe the best scene was when Pai was able to ride the biggest whale and the others followed this portrays that she is the leader, very powerful to me. I also enjoyed the different scene and imagery. I think I am going to check the book out at the library and see if I get the same affect after reading it.
-
MCT:September 6, 2008The Whale Rider takes a look into the centuries old based beliefs of the Maori tribe of New Zealand. Beliefs that are rooted in the ancient legend that this tribe (present) and all the ancestors that came before arose from the ocean and a whale named Paki. This is a culture that believes that only the first-born son of the chief can one day become chief. But with the death of her twin brother at birth, a young female, Pai, (Keisha Castle-Hughes) comes to realize taht her grandfather as well as most of the tribe are not ready for a female chief. Pai faces many obstacles along her journey of finding who she is and what destiny has planned for her. Two major obstacles that Pai must overcome are her grandfather, the chief and holder of the ancient ways and the second obstacle is being female in a ribe that believes that only men can be leaders. The story follows Pai's learning of the ancient ways, chants, rituals and legends in secret to her grandfather finding out and disprovong. Her grandfather, hoping to bring good luck (fortune) back to the tribe, he decides to school all the first born males of the tribe in the ancient ways. As a look into the beliefs and ways of another culture and their religion, The Whale Rider shows that even a tribe, as individual or whole, at times in their existance may need to reexamine their beliefs and change their way of thinking about the leadership of the tribe. But in so doing, not losing the ancient ways that made them who they are. The use of New Zealand as the backdrop and actors and actresses that made the charaters and setting believable. The Whale Rider is a movie that needs to be watched by any person that has an interest in the religions of indengious tribes. Also, can show people that the way that religious thoughts and/or beliefs can change with time without taking away from the foundation on which that religion is founded in. By: Samantha Cockman
-
Elicia Hopes
Whale Rider the film at first started off really intense a woman was in labor and she seemed to be having a very hard one. She died and her son died as well. But the little girl twin survived. The father of children was very distraught and his father came in and asked where the boy child is. It shaped how the father would be absent .The room was full of people and they singed at mothers death bed. At first the grandfather shunned the little girl and didn?t want to see or touch her. He later changed his mind and took real good care of her but more out of duty and not true love. He blamed her for the death of his grandson and his son leaving. The little girl was a fixture about town very stoic and serious. She never seemed too happy. Some older women we?re smoking and she got on to them quoting something her grandfather would probably say. The grandmother was a strong willed women .I guess as the wife of the chief she had to be. I think in beginning the grandfather acceptance of the granddaughter was because of the respect he had for his wife. The movie took place on an island somewhere near New Zeeland the religion of the people had more than one God and whales. Dance and chanting was a big part of their customs as well. It seems the people could find symbolism in anything even a rope
Every twine meant the people being held together. The Grandfather grew weary of the survival of his tribe so to find a male heir he had a school for all first born boys and trained them in the ways of the tribe.Pai the lead character in the movie could?nt attend because she was a girl. She Secretly was helped and trained herself in the ways so she could carry on customs. She just tried to be accepted by her grandfather and make him understand. The pivotal part in the movie is when the boys last mission was to fish a whale tooth out of water when grandfather threw it.None of the boys could get it.So when he arrived back he made Pai move out .He blamed her for everything,
One nite lots of whales washed up.One in particular was thought to be like the prophet of the religion .No one the whole villge tried to push him in the water . Tried and failed
So little PAi got the Whale back in water at first I thought she killed herself but she didn?t. Her Grandfather saw how she had courage to even risk her life to save customs and relions of village he welcomed as heir of chief. -
MCT:September 5, 2008Well, the little girl is not a bad actor, the scenery is beautiful, and the story is lovely but the movie itself? BORING! It's like they took an interesting, magical story and presented it in the absolute worst way that they could think of. It is extremely slow and mostly emotionless. The equality of the genders theme is way overdone. We get it. Anything boys can do, girls can too. The plot is one dimensional and often confusing. The characters barely develop, even though that seems to be the whole point.
I've been waiting a long time to see this film since it tends to receive such high rates and received critical acclaim. However, this might just be the most overrated movie ever. I am so disappointed and confused as to why everyone else seems to have fallen in love with this seemingly below average film. -
MCT:August 30, 2008
Little is the price of this tender film by new Zealand,where angels fear to tread indeed.Maori ancestry,mysticism and pure innocence,a film rich with a flow of teen magic.Castle-Hughes is brilliant.
-
MCT:August 13, 2008
Beautiful incite into the the Maori community of Ngati Konohi and their beliefs in a modern world. Very touching.
-
MCT:July 17, 2008
I loved this movie so much ! It just has soul to it . Keisha is an amazing actress for her age and i cried like a baby at the end of it ! A great movie !
-
MCT:July 15, 2008
fascinating look into a culture most of us wouldn't see, AND a meditation on guilt and responsibility, without being too heavy-handed. lovely movie
-
MCT:July 13, 2008
Really boring, but a an amazing performance by Keisha Castle-Hughes. She deserved an Oscar for one scene in particular.
-
MCT:July 7, 2008
Quite touching story, set in the ever-beautiful New Zealand, about a young girl and her determined quest to furfil a special destiny. Great acting by Keisha Castle-Hughes, whose performance here was surely worthy of the Oscar-nomination she later received.
Overall, however, this wasn't really my cup of tea, as I was expecting something a bit more engaging and a little less draggy. It's not that it was bad in any way, it's just more of a movie made for the New Zealanders themselves, who may better relate to the Maori traditions upon which the story here is based. -
MCT:July 6, 2008
''My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs.''
A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.
Keisha Castle-Hughes: Paikea
Whale Rider gets its namesake from the legend, a legend involving the Maori people coming to New Zealand as a result of their patriarch riding there many generations ago, from Hawaiki upon the back of a whale.
After many studies of language, farming, artifacts and sailing techniques, experts seem to agree that 'Hawaiki' is in fact the Huahine Island in French Polynesia, the Society Islands, northwest of Tahiti and perhaps 3000 miles northeast of New Zealand. It has been fairly firmly established that all of the Polynesian peoples originated from Eastern Asians who developed skills to build and correctly navigate large ocean-going douple-hulled canoes, which could transport not only people but also livestock including dogs, pigs, and chickens plus seeds and plants.
Today it is believed that the Maori in New Zealand and the natives Hawaiians originated from the same Polynesian people.
This background is necessary to fully appreciate the movie, Whale Rider while ultimately a simple story of family pride and honour.
Tradition has it that the first-born son of the chief will be groomed to become the next chief.
But Koro's son is not interested, instead wants to go to Europe and pursue his passion for art. His wife gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, but the mother and son die at childbirth, leaving only the daughter, Paikea or Pai for short. But tradition does not allow a girl to become chief.
Whale Rider requires alot of thought and detail to capture into words. The sheer beauty of the film conveyed not just through the breathtaking scenery including vast landscapes, tantalizing oceans stretching out into the horizon or underwater shades of blue and green, but one of family, of people and of love, tradition and a bond that remains unbreakable.
This makes Whale Rider beautiful not just to look at but on a whole new level that transcends anything we see.
Be it Koro, perfectly played by Rawiri Paratene, who stubbornly sticks to tradition and rests all his hopes on a boy to carry on his tribes legacy. Not realizing that what he has is already before him, regardless of gender and a break from tradition.
Cliff Curtis as Porourangi also is breaking from his traditional roots as mentioned before. His acting and bond with Paikea wonderfully shown in a scene with them in the night where they talk about Koro not wanting them and this for me really moved me and made me begin to cry. End of the day acceptance is important, and not being wanted is the most painful thing imaginable. We all want to be loved and to be appreciated and valued and Whale Rider does a perfect job of capturing this as best it can, effortlessly.
Keisha Castle-Hughes as Paikea really ends up being the star of the show, showing pure talent and believability. Just watching her in the play, reciting a memorized verse for Koro tears rolling down her cheeks, shows how immersed she is in the role of Paikea. In my mind she IS Paikea and thats how far the believablilty for me goes, and thats all the way.
Also I'd like to mention Vicky Haughton as Nanny Flowers who was totally lovely in her role as a loving yet firm woman who shows her love for her family, for Paikei and for Koro.
Whale Rider cleverly plays on your emotions until the very end, and so immersed was I with my darling love watching with me that I totally felt as if I was part of this world, part of their life. When a film like Rider achieves this successful capturing of your soul and captivates you so intentively you are left breathless.
I just know that Maori people and customs, these warriors of old, these legendary men and women, I am totally and completely in awe of and fascinated by.
Whale Rider's story of Paikea Apirana, is like the Ocean. Infinite and forever connected, each time you immerse yourself into it, you always see the beauty.
Like rain drops that fall down from the sky, every single tear from the heavens above reminds me of my love and of Paikei riding her people's symbolic Whale. That is how I feel about Whale Rider, truly beautiful like my woman. -
MCT:July 4, 2008
I had to watch this to study at school - so i didn't find it that great - but it is a sad movie, very moving.
-
MCT:June 24, 2008
It's an extremely good movie, and also educational at the same time. It lets you learn a lot about the Whangara's culture. I loved it, I recommend that everyone see this movie!
-
MCT:June 21, 2008
this movie was absolutely amazing, and the main girl is an excellent actress. also, the movie's main message is very nice.
-
MCT:June 19, 2008
The main character in this movie triumphes over the ages old belief that in order to be a chieftain, one must be a male. And in the process, she makes both that old tradition and a whale, her b#tchez.
Girl Power! -
MCT:June 13, 2008
Amazing movie, came out back in the early 2000's and loved it, I was still in 9th grade, so that was 2003, yeah. Anyways, I loved the story line and the Tribal life and its meaning were just so captivating I had to watch it again...after 5 years of looking and trying to remember the title I found it!. ROFL. Couldnt have been happier, now I am going to buy it. =) . Back to the movie, The chants, the meanings and the beautiful Kiwi countryside comes all into one in this movie, very admirable and a lesson of love and respect. A must.
-
MCT:June 8, 2008
A MARVELOUS STORY OF A YOUNG NEW ZEALAND GIRL AND HER GRANDFATHER WHOSE NATIVE WHANGARA TRIBE MUST CHOOSE A NEW CHIEF. HER GRANDFATHER FACES FOLLOWING THE TRADITONAL CUSTOMS OF HIS PEOPLE OR FOLLOWING HIS HEART. BEAUTIFULLY TOLD STORY!!
RODNEY KNOLTON
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
RKNOLTON@GMAIL.COM -
MCT:May 16, 2008
An exquisitely crafted and enchanting film that tiptoes gently between stark family drama and magic realism. The rhythms of Whale Rider are hypnotic as the ebb tide, haunting as the song of the humpback sea mammal, bracing as the ocean spray. It's a thoughtful, vivid spiritual coming-of-age story that transcends its particular cultural context.
-
MCT:May 5, 2008
Fantastic film with a very strong central performance by Keisha about a culture I knew little about. Great stuff
My Friends Said...
Whale Rider Recent Reviews
Register or sign-in to see your friends' reviews !
Comments
-
babeenora4891posted 319 days ago -
The best positive Maori film EVER. I love that they are talking about my ancestors (: GO NEW ZEALAND FILM-MAKING!
posted 634 days ago -
Big hairy deal, ancestors yadda yadda, whale spirits yadda yadda, attempting to recreate a myth, nearly drowning in the process, mildly amusing.
posted 764 days ago -
-
Has anybody ever seen Whale Rider f you have you would know that it is a great movie.
posted 860 days ago
