 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Whale Rider
- Review Date: March 2, 2004
- PG-13
- Genre: Drama
- 2003
Common Sense Media says
Excellent to watch and discuss as a family.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has some tense family confrontations. The death of a mother and baby in childbirth is very sad. A character is injured, but ultimately recovers. There is brief strong language. Characters drink and smoke and there is a brief drug reference. The movie presents a minority culture with great dignity and respect, and the theme of equality is exceptionally well handled.
What's the story?
WHALE RIDER is set in the Maori community of New Zealand. According to legend, the Maori came to Whangara when their great leader Paikea led them by riding on a whale. Ever since, the Maori have been led by the descendants of that leader. The movie begins with the birth of twins, the latest in that line. But the boy twin and his mother die. Over the objection of the current leader, Koro (Rawiri Paratene), the girl twin is named Paikaea. Her heartbroken father leaves New Zealand, and Pai is left to be raised by her grandparents. Koro loves Pai (Keisha Castle-Hughes) deeply, but he is still bitter about not having a male heir. When she is 12, Koro assembles the local boys to begin to train them in the traditions of their culture and test them to see which has the courage, skill, wisdom, and leadership. It is clear to her grandmother (Vicki Houghton) and to Pai herself that she has all of those qualities, but Koro, struggling fiercely to maintain the Maori pride and identity against the assaults of the modern world, cannot allow himself to consider such a change.
Is it any good?
Writer-director Niki Coro perfectly suits the style to the story. The modest buildings in the midst of the starkly beautiful setting conveys the contrast between the timeless culture of the Maori and the ephemeral artifacts of the modern age. Pai's perceptiveness and quiet persistence are always evident, but when she finally speaks from her heart, standing on stage in a school production, wearing traditional garb, she is purely luminous. The movie is not just genuinely lyrical, but, even harder to manage, it is lyrically genuine.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about talk about the traditions of their own cultures.
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Educator and Parent of 9 and 14 year old
April 9, 2008
AGE
An absolutely beautiful movie
I checked out the Common Sense Media notes before I took my 9 year old and 5 year old to the movie. I was prepared for the opening scene with a baby and mom dying in childbirth (which happens in the opening scene) and kept checking my 5 year-old's face - it all happened so fast with alot of montage photography that it went over his head. From that point on, Whale Rider is one of the most beautiful and moving films that I have seen all year. It makes you laugh and cry. The characters are wonderful, the cinematography extraordinary. We had long discussions with my daughter afterward about the struggle to preserve native cultures and the abiilty of girls to be leaders, and the importance of pursuing your dreams even in the face of opposition - all were themes of the movie. I really can't recommend this highly enough.
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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
This was an excellent movie. It is definitely an enjoyable show!
This was one of the best movies I have seen for a long time. It wasn't a "grown-up" movie, and it wasn't a kiddie show. I think that it was a great movie, definately a break from the usual tired old shows, there were no "bad guys". The grandfather wasn't evil in not letting her be chief, he was just very traditional. This is a very nice change from the usual one-sided baddies in many movies. Over all, I found this movie to be a wonderful movie.
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Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
A wonderful movie
This is a beautiful movie with a message of love, acceptance and triumphing when the odds are against you. Younger kids who watch this may not completly understand what is happening, so you may have to explain it, but all in all, it is one of the best movies I've seen in a while, and everyone who I know that has seen it loves it.
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Teen, 14 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
A movie that is very uniuq with a great story.
Whale Rider is not only a great picture it has a great message two. Should be rated PG-13 but not a very intense PG-13.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
A must watch for tweens.
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Teen, 13 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
This was an okay movie, It was scary at the end!
It was not very easy to understand, and the accents were hard to understand. It was a little slow at the beginning of he movie but the end was very exciting but a little scary. It was sort of hard to understand the spiritual stuff but it was interesting. It was very suspensful at the end, and Whale Rider is a pretty good movie!
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
...
I didn't like the actual whale-riding part, but the rest was really great. Good themes to discuss with tweens.
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Kid, 11 years old
October 17, 2010
AGE
Perfect for tweens!
I think that this movie sends a message to be strong and do what is right no matter what happens.
What other families should know:
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| Studio: | Newmarket Film Group |
| Director: | Niki Caro |
| Cast: | Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 105 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | June 6, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | October 28, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | brief language and a momentary drug reference |
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