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Whale Rider
EMAILPRINTNewmarket Film Group

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 31 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 158 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Niki Caro
Witi Ihimaera (novel The Whale Rider)
Directed by: Niki Caro
Release Date:
Theatrical: June 6, 2003
DVD: October 28, 2003
Running Time: 105 minutes, Color
Origin: New Zealand / Germany
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for brief language and a momentary drug reference
Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa, Mana Taumaunu, Rachel House, and Taungaroa Emile
A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill her destiny. (South Pacific Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: North Country
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The genius of the movie is the way is sidesteps all of the obvious cliches of the underlying story and makes itself fresh, observant, tough and genuinely moving.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Ann Hornaday
One of the best performances -- and movies -- of the year so far.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
Evokes its spirituality with deft strokes and wonderful humor.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan
A substantial film of unexpected emotional force. And when at a certain point it seems to slip the bonds of this world and take a leap of faith into an almost mythological dimension, it breathlessly takes us along for that memorable ride.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Seduces us with its leisurely pace and felicitous details into believing that something miraculous is afoot in a mundane rural community.
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Castle-Hughes and Paratene are nothing short of remarkable in their roles.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
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 movie that rewards the patient viewer.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
Caro gives the fablesque story -- based on a 1,000-year-old Maori legend -- both a contemporary and timeless quality, anchored by newcomer Castle-Hughes' powerful and haunting performance.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
You can say nothing of Castle-Hughes except that she's already a movie star: The camera loves her and we do, too.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Mark Caro
One may gripe that the tale at times seems familiar, yet that familiarity is also part of the movie's power: Here's a story from halfway around the world that somehow connects with the hearts of viewers of almost any culture.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak
The real find in this lovely family film is Castle-Hughes, who makes Pai's confusion, emotional fragility and devotion palpable.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
what makes Caro's film a future classic is What so many movies geared toward younger audiences lack: a cool and very courageous 'tween heroine whom boys and girls of all ages can admire
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Sheri Linden
The film boasts a terrific newcomer in the lead role, exquisite widescreen photography and a powerful sense of place.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Ernest Hardy
Writer-director Niki Caro, who adapted the screenplay from the novel, has crafted a script replete with both crowd-pleasing touches and subtle but powerful insights into all the characters.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Gregory Weinkauf
Once in a while a film comes along that is as sound, smart, sweet and significant as can be, and Whale Rider is such a film.
Read Full Review >Variety Dennis Harvey
Combines straightforward coming-of-age narrative with Maori mysticism to most engaging effect.
Read Full Review >Newsweek David Ansen
While Whale Rider is a doozy of a female-empowerment fantasy, its mercifully free of any feminist smugness.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
An excellent way to teach children that movies don't begin and end with Hollywood blockbusters.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Connie Ogle
There is magic here, enough to make Whale Rider worthy of the audience-choice awards it has earned at film festivals worldwide.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Like last year's Inuit sensation ''The Fast Runner,'' the Maori drama Whale Rider is based on a folk myth, and it's told with an elemental timelessness that feels like a swan dive into prehistory.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
An inviting international audience-pleaser.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
Story itself is richly rewarding and uplifting - the coming-of-age tale of a girl who must defy the odds to achieve her goals. There's plenty of humor to keep the overall tone light.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Pai is resourceful and in harmony with the natural world in a way that will charm and enthrall young viewers.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
The Canadian film "Atanarjuat" travelled back to the past to meet an ancient legend on its own ground and treated the tale realistically. Whale Rider whisks its legend up into the present, and then adds a touch of lyricism.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
Though there's a formula at the film's core, Whale Rider still has the good taste to make that formula go down easy.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
Whale Rider is one long, sensitive downer capped by an uplifting finale. A martyr fantasy that turns victorious -- it's a surefire recipe for arthouse crowd-pleasing.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
By the end, a sense settles in that Whale Rider could have accomplished as much -- and been considerably more powerful -- as a 25- minute short.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Michael Atkinson
Like the film, Pai's character is muddily conceived and ill-focused, but the coltish, tremulously delicate Castle-Hughes is a hypnotic camera subject.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 158 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Anonymous gave it a10:
I absolutely loved this movie, and thought it was a great drama. I cried my eyes out towards the end. So to you, "retroboy" who says this movie was "crap" and that those of us who enjoyed it need to get a life, I say that you need to use more punctuation and learn to spell, because it looks like a ten-year-old wrote your review.
marie b gave it a10:
This movie was outstanding , it was very inspriring and spiritual . I would watch it again . The movie was very moving and touched my heart as i cried my eyes out :) sry to hear that the others didnt like it . But thats there opinion .
Michelle gave it a9:
Whale Rider was a very meaningful film putting yourself in the mind of a determined young girl. Why do people rate zero? It's because they don't appreciate what they have and keeping themselves in their tiny shells. Never be a person like that.
Laura R gave it a10:
Moving. Spiritual. Stirring. Breathtaking. An utterly refreshing film for which there is no comparison.
Teddy P gave it a0:
Dull, no real deep meaning to it. Unbelievably boring; once of the worst films I have ever seen. Trying to create something meaningful and failing miserably. Absoloute mess. If you want to see a good film, i suggest the Shawshank Redemption.
Tuahine P. gave it a0:
I really didn't like the movie because originally it was about a boy not a girl and if you take a good look at the movie its kind of a disgrace to maori kind.
retroboy gave it a0:
This was the the worst6 movie ever i hate it it sucked to the people who liked it i say get a life! very predictable and slow + the ending sucked i hat this boring crap movie a i hope whale rider 2 crashes and bern's THIS MOVIE WAS CRAP.
