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Whale Rider |  | Director: Niki Caro
Actors: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
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Rating:  286 reviews
Sales Rank: 3644
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D02272D
ISBN: 1404943722
UPC: 043396022720
EAN: 9781404943728
ASIN: B0000CABBW
Theatrical Release Date: July 4, 2003
Release Date: October 28, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
As her beloved grandfather, chief of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, struggles to lead in difficult times and to find a male successor, young Paikea is developing a mysterious relationship with whales, particularly the ancient bull whale whose legendary rider was their ancestor.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
One of the most charming and critically acclaimed films of 2003, the New Zealand hit Whale Rider effectively combines Maori tribal tradition with the timely "girl power" of a vibrant new millennium. Despite the discouragement of her gruff and disapproving grandfather (Rawiri Paratene), who nearly disowns her because she is female and therefore traditionally disqualified from tribal leadership, 12-year-old Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is convinced that she is a tribal leader, and sets about to prove it. Rather than inflate this story (from a novel by Witi Ihimaera) with artificial sentiment, writer-director Niki Caro develops very real and turbulent family relationships, intimate and yet torn by a collision between stubborn tradition and changing attitudes. The mythic whale rider--the ultimate symbol of Maori connection to nature--is also the harbinger of Pai's destiny, and the appealing Castle-Hughes gives a luminous, astonishingly powerful performance that won't leave a dry eye in the house. With its fresh take on a familiar tale, Whale Rider is definitely one from the heart. --Jeff Shannon
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 286
 Review for school project February 1, 2010
Mark A. Griffith
The beginning of the movie starts out with Porourangi standing by his wife as she gives birth to two children. Unfortunately, both the wife and son die, leaving a girl behind. The grandfather, Koro, is upset because he was hoping the boy would be the new village chief since his own son Porourangi wasn't interested. To make matters worse Porourangi gives the child the same name as the legend Paikea, who rode on the back of an ancient whale bringing their ancestors to New Zealand. Koro is furious, because he knows a girl could never have the right to become what her brother would have been, the new chief. He says he wants nothing to do with her.
The next scene is when Paikea is older and attending middle school. Despite her grandfather's anger, we see her riding on a bicycle with him. Her name has been shortened to Pai and she has been raised by her grandfather and his wife Nanny since her dad left her to go to Europe to pursue a career as an artist. Her father comes back to the village though for a visit. Father and son embrace closely in the way of the Maori, by touching noses. Anger erupts though when Koro learns that Porourangi is expecting a child with a woman he met in Germany. Porourangi asks Pai to return to Europe with him, but she changes her mind as they're leaving.
Pai knows that Koro is always looking down at her as unworthy and he seems to stay angry with her through most of the movie. Despite his attitude though she feels that she is meant to be the leader of the village, and tries desperately to prove this to Koro. We are constantly seeing the self determination in Pai set against Koro's inability to question his beliefs. She loves her grandfather, but she also has the courage to speak through her actions, in an attempt to show him that she is the future of the tribe.
Koro disciplining Pai is something that occurs over and over, especially when she is interfering with his goals of finding a new leader among the boys of the village. In one scene they are working on the engine of an old boat and Koro explains how the twines of the rope used to start the engine together represent the strength of their ancestors. When the rope breaks Koro goes off to find a new one and Pai re-ties it and starts the engine. This angers Koro and he reprimands her.
Koro decides to form a cultural school for the village boys, hoping to find a new leader. Pai secretly follows the lessons and with the help of her uncle Rawiri learns how use a fighting stick. Her grandfather, once again is enraged when he finds out. As a final test for the boys to see who will become chief, Koro takes them out to a spot in the ocean and tosses his whale tooth necklace into the ocean. The boy who retrieve's it will become the new leader of the future. Unfortunately none of the boys are able to bring it back and this causes Koro to fall into a great state of depression.
Uncle Rawiri, returns to the spot in the ocean that the necklace was thrown into with Pai. She jumps in, and returns not only with the necklace, but also a lobster. She didn't seem to realize what it meant to find the whale tooth necklace only that it would make her grandfather happy again.
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The climax of the film then takes place at a school ceremony, where Pai is honored for winning an essay contest. She wrote about the pride and love she has for her grandfather. Koro wasn't there when it began and he got even more delayed when he found himself on the beach when he discovered whales stranded in the sand. The whole village tries to keep the whales alive, especially the largest one. They try using a rope and tractor to turn it towards the ocean in the hopes that it would be able to swim. The rope snaps though and they decide to give up. Pai stays behind though and climbs up on top of the whale. The giant creature finds the strength to push itself back into the water with Pai on its back. Nanny realizes that Pai is no longer with them and the whale is gone. The crowd is immediately overcome with horror. They finally see her on the back of the whale, riding up and down in the water like the ancestors of long ago did. The water eventually overcomes her and she is forced to let go. The next scene shows her in the hospital with Koro by her side asking for forgiveness. He has finally acknowledged that she is the "wise leader". She opens her eyes and smiles.
The final scene shows the canoe that Pai frequently went to when she needed to be by herself. The villagers were pushing it together, towards the ocean with Koro and Pai sitting in the center.
 Pia- Against All Odds February 1, 2010
James & Katie (Greensboro, NC)
The movie Whale Rider is about a young girl named Pai who lives in a small Maori village with her grandparents after her mother and twin brother die in childbirth and her father leaves to travel around the world. Pai's twin brother was supposed to be the next leader of their village and his death causes Pai's grandfather, Koro, much distress. After realizing that there is no hope for another grandson, Koro begins to train the first-born males in the village in the traditions of their people. Pai desires to learn with the boys, but Koro does not allow this, as only males can be chief. Pai is not discouraged and turns to her uncle for help. After all the boys in the village fail the final tasks of retrieving Koro's whale's tooth from the ocean, he becomes very depressed and feels there is little hope of finding a new leader for his people. Koro calls to the spirits for help, as does Pai because she cannot stand to see her grandfather depressed. Soon the spirits answer and send the whales that help bring their ancestor Paikea to help. The whales become beached and the village people attempt to help them back into the ocean but are unable to. Pai however communes with the leader whale's spirit and climbs atop him to try to convince him to go back to sea, as her ancestor had done. The whale responds and swims back to sea, with Pai atop, a vision of the Maori ancestor Paikea is seen by the villagers. Koro then realizes Pai's destiny as the next chief and accepts her for who she is.
This movie relates to World Religions because it demonstrates many aspects of indigenous cultures through the Maori village. The movie shows the importance of family and heritage to the people. It also shows the importance that the Maori placed on their beliefs in the spirits as helpers. The whale spirits showed the village who the next chief was, when they were unable to see it. The movie displays traditional ceremonies, such as the one at the end with the dancing and chanting. The education and initiation process for the new chief of the village is also shown in the movie, and most indigenous cultures have some form of education and initiation of the spiritual leaders for the next generation. The movie also shows how important the customs are to the people. There is also insight into how the modern world is influencing and changing the indigenous people. During the movie, many of the women smoked which was a big issue to Pai. Also, some of the Maori people had abandoned their traditional ways and moved away or joined gangs. This is causing generational gaps and history is being lost.
-Review Written By James Beasley
 An absolute must see movie... January 28, 2010
Auj (North Carolina)
In a native Maori New Zealand tribe, a set of twins are born into a long line of chiefs, the boy being the one destined to carry on the lineage of warriors, but fate takes a hand and alters the future. Both mother and her newborn son die shortly after the birth and a baby girl is left behind to fulfill a legacy. The father, too distraught over the loss of his wife and newborn son leaves his daughter in his parents' care. From the moment she was born Paikea was a reminder to her grandfather Koro that there was no male to carry on generations of Maori chiefs. Paikea struggles to convince her grandfather that she does not have to be a male to be a great leader and that she is the one who is meant to carry on the tradition and will lead their people forward into the future. Her father returns home with news that he is an expectant father and asks Paikea to go back to Germany with him. When she hears the distant sounds of the whales, it was a call to turn around and go home to her village. Still she was unable to stir emotion in her sober-faced grandfather. When Koro gathers a group of young boys for training to seek out the next one who was to be the leader, Paikea seizes the opportunity to prove herself worthy to her grandfather. Koro refuses to see her as anything other than a 12 year old girl. She only succeeds in angering him further in her futile attempts to become a fighter. Koro's spirit is broken when neither of the two potential boys who were chosen to find the whale's tooth he tosses overboard is able to deliver. Paikea, who senses her grandfather's pain and disappointment, takes it upon herself to call to the ancestors when Koro's attempts fail. Paikea tests her faith once again when she invites her grandfather to a school production only to leave heartbroken with trophy in hand and tears in her eyes. There is a very strong sense of tradition, family, togetherness and spirituality that bonds the people of the Maori tribe. They are an indigenous group of people that all bans together for celebrations and share a close knit relationship and profound belief in their heritage and rituals. Their primal instincts give them the strength of one and a true sense of brotherhood. When the next morning comes the village is awoken in horror at the sight of multiple beached whales on the shore. In her final, desperate attempt, young Paikea risks her life and sets out to prove once and for all that she is brave and can be a great leader. She is determined to fulfill her destiny in spite of the odds, ready to join the ranks of her ancestors and become the next generation Whale Rider.
Coming of Age in a Native Tribe January 28, 2010
Alyson T. Bumgarner
This coming of age story follows the incredible and abstract Paikea. The sole survivor of her birth, she left behind her mother, and twin brother who would have been the next chief of the Maori tribe in New Zealand. The story jumps right into the disapproval of her grandfather, the chief of their tribe, who feels little hope, and very little want for Paikea, immediately after Paikea's father leaves the tribe. The story follows Paikea through her late adolescent years, watching as she, despite her gender, intends to be the person or prophet her grandfather is looking for, the person he feels he lost with when her twin brother died at birth. Through trial and error, and much shunning from her grandfather's presence Paikea teaches herself the "old ways" and learns how to become chief of the Maori tribe, with the assistance of a young male friend, her grandmother, and her black sheep uncle. Paikea learns the ways of the warrior, her heritage, and the ways needed to connect with her ancestors, in order to win her grandfather's attention and trust, and continually fails miserably.
This movie focuses much on the idea of indigenous sacred ways from myth-based religions of early native tribes. The sole idea of the tribe, is that a warrior Paikea, for which our young heroine Paikea was named, saved their tribe when they traveled to New Zealand. He was tired and scared, but was then able to catch a ride upon the back of the whale and came to their new destination to live. Paikea's twin brother, being the first born son of the first born son of the chief was intended to fill the role of chief and "whale rider". Throughout the movie, you are able to see the greetings in which people of this tribe greet each other, mimicking the breath of a whale into each other's face, rather than a hug or a kiss. You can see native body art, and dress, and see the hierarchy that exists between all of the tribe. But I think the most incredible of these sacred ways is the way that they turn to their ancestors, who are now embodied as whales, for guidance.
I was skeptical when renting it, but very pleased at my choice. This movie kept me captivated, both with suspense of what would come next, and with the heart strings it pulled at throughout the movie. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone.
simply amazing December 6, 2009
JOURNEY TO (NYC)
beautifully filmed, beautiful moral. i watched this movie when it first came out when i was 11. i didn't pay much attention and thought it was boring. after watching free willy with my sister about 2 months ago, they mentioned a story about someone who rode a whale. i didn't think much of it until i had a dream that night about the whale rider. so what did i do? research! i realized i had seen whale rider before when i was small. anyways got it, watched it, cried tears of joy. WORTH EVERY PENNY. plus the new zealand accent is amazing, makes the American one sound horrible. :)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 286
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