source: Whale Rider

There is no doubt in my mind that this was the best film I saw in 2003. I am a huge fan of the Lord of The Rings trilogy, and I am in no way disappointed with Return of The King, but the bottom line is that Whale Rider is one of the best films that I have ever seen. It joins previous favorites such as 2001, The Graduate, and Brazil as a film that rises to level of great, timeless art.

I don't think I have the right words to express how beautiful a film this is. What I will say is that it touched my soul. An hour after the movie was over, I began to cry again. Now, a day later, I begin to tear up just thinking about it. The little girl in the film was truly magnificent.

I enjoyed this movie. It is basically one of those coming of age stories. A girl proves to her grandfather that she is the one destined to become chief even though he is against throughout the film because he wanted a boy. We get some good feel good moments with the girl and her reading the speech dedicated to her grandfather and her saving the whales. The landscape is beautiful and the other characters have depth and matter,ie the grandma, dad, and other kids, which is what a lot of movies lack. That is just one of the things that separates this one from the pack of other small films; and why this one is worth watching. FINAL VERDICT: A good film for adults and kids. It has an original story and characters and worth picking up at the video store.

Greetings again from the darkness. Keisha Castle-Hughes is absolutely terrific in this gem of a film. A small New Zealand village searches for their next chief in all the wrong places. So many magical moments but none more powerful than the young girl giving her speech in honor of her grandfather represented by an empty chair. The first 30-45 minutes moves a bit slow, but the it is well worth the wait. Beautiful New Zealand scenery and a glimpse into a tradition-based society that is struggling to keep its traditions alive. Not a lot of surprises but many poignant moments.

I have had this film sitting on the shelf for months and months. I don't even remember buying it. Picking it at random off the shelf at random tonight I decided to watch it. I'm stunned. It is a quite extraordinary film. It is wonderfully shot and marvellously acted. Keisha Castle-Hughes is a gifted actress. In one scene where she reads a verse to her uncle (who is not present at the time) and is crying as she reads it, she is both captivating and utterly convincing. There are plenty of others on here who will do a much better job than I in writing a synopsis for you, in my opinion you don't need one. Just watch it. It is a treasure of a film that is thought provoking and very moving. I consider it a to be a true masterpiece of film and urge you to watch it at your earliest opportunity.

"Whale Rider" is one of those movies that leaves you uplifted when you leave the cinema. One which leaves you with those pleasant shivers. The movie is not about girls being better than guys or vice versa. It is about breaking traditions that have been dominated by males for centuries. We need to break that old patriarchal paradigm if we are to move on and grow as a species. We are moving into an age of equality for men and women. Anyone who found this movie boring should perhaps go and see it again as they have obviously missed the point.

I would love to give encouragement to more Maori movies, and the actors were all very good, but this movie should have been called, "The old man is a conservative jerk repeatedly until you have to stop watching." I enjoyed the glimpses of Maori culture and all of the dances and songs. But after the old guy was an insensitive, tradition-bound, stubborn buffoon the seventeenth time, even the novel setting and good acting could not overcome my pervasive irritation with the movie. If you want unloving dads, rent "I Never Sang for My Father." If you want great Maori characters, rent "We were Warriors." "Whale Rider" has a very charismatic and photogenic little girl as the novelty, but she can't save this turkey.

You can never imagine there is so huge power exists in a little girl though Paikea looks so weak. The film is about dream, courage. When I watched Paikea finally riding a whale to the big blue sea, I could not help dropping the tears. I was totally conquered by the splendid scene. That is the climax of the film. You must be patient when you watch it because of its slow pace. But if you can be calm enough, I am sure that you will enjoy the excellent movie. It is definitely one of the best films in 2002. Keisha Castle-Hughes deserved the Oscar nominee (best actress), though she was very young (12). Unluckily the field was too strong for her. In addition to great performance, the cinematography was impeccable. More words are useless. Just watch it. If you need courage, please watch this film. 9/10

There was lots of talk of this movie when it came out but I missed it in the theater runs. I noticed that it was on Movie Central over the weekend and made a plan to see it. What an amazing movie. Right from the beginning it manages to draw you into the story, the place and the people. Beautifully filmed and wonderful acting from a truly amazing cast, this is a story of changing culture and keeping strong ties with one's past. In a world where many of us have lost touch with our history, this is a great story of maintaining strong ties to culture and family. Truly beautiful and an amazing story makes this a great movie to share with family and a poignant reminder of the every day struggles to keep culture and beliefs alive in this modern world that we live in. 9/10