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(1 - 33) of 33 OFCS Rating: 81% Fresh Page   1   "It's not often a young actress takes over the screen as forcefully as Keisha Castle-Hughes does in this compelling New Zealand drama."   ReelTalk Movie Reviews   Betty Jo Tucker "Think of all the images of girls in U.S. pop movies -- so halter-topped, so perfectly coiffed and appointed, so self-consciously cute, so Mary-Kate-and-Ashleyed. Pai is none of that but much more."   Nitrate Online   Cynthia Fuchs 3/4 "Though Whale Rider moves at a snails pace, it generally remains interesting mostly because we're seeing a culture that's so different from our own."   Reel Film Reviews   David Nusair C+ "Keisha Castle-Hughes gives a natural performance that is heartwarming and memorable."   Ozus' World Movie Reviews   Dennis Schwartz 2/4 "Caro seems less concerned with evoking the economic or socio-political baggage bringing the film’s characters down than she is with telling the same sappy tale of patriarchal perseverance we’ve seen so many times before."   Slant Magazine   Ed Gonzalez "No se queda en la mera descripción antropológica; es ante todo una fascinante historia sobre el coraje, la auto confianza, los vínculos familiares, las tradiciones..."   Uruguay Total   Enrique Buchichio A- "I'm sure I have never seen a film like this before. It is subtle, but makes its points clearly and simply. It is storytelling at its very best."   EricDSnider.com   Eric D. Snider 3/4 "Director Niki Caro has created an alternative piece of family viewing amidst all the wizards and adolescent secret agents out to save the world."   eFilmCritic.com   Erik Childress B "How interesting to see a movie about a young woman who doesn't want to escape the sexist, ostensibly antiquated culture of her family but instead commits herself to changing it for the better."   Film Blather   Eugene Novikov 3.5/4 "This is what a children's film should be like."   Cinema Crazed   Felix Vasquez Jr. 3.5/4 "Poignant, intelligent, courageous and informative, Caro’s lyrical exposition dares to take on the imagination of children and their adult counterparts and whisk them away in a somber storytelling mood that’s culturally compelling."   Movie Eye   Frank Ochieng C+ "Has its heart in the right place, and in Castle-Hughes it boasts a young protagonist of charm and energy; it's just a pity the rest of the film isn't quite worthy of her."   One Guy's Opinion   Frank Swietek 5/5 "An enchanting, deeply spiritual, and ultimately enthralling New Zealand movie about the struggle of one ardent young Maori girl to fulfill her destiny."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat 3/4 "The story itself is richly rewarding and uplifting -- the coming-of-age tale of a girl who must defy the odds to achieve her goals."   ReelViews   James Berardinelli 4/5 "Film-festival favorite mixes family, tradition and modern concerns for a drama that earns the good feeling you leave with."   Netflix   James Rocchi 4/4 "Pai's unflagging spirit in the face of staggering personal hardship (and infuriating chauvinism) resonates with eloquent inspiration."   Palo Alto Weekly   Jeanne Aufmuth 7/10 "[Keisha Castle-Hughes] makes believable a character that, frankly, was written to be flawless."   Window to the Movies   Jeffrey Chen 1.5/4 "[It] tries for a somber tone that it can't maintain, partly because the cute protagonist conveys no gravity and partly because it's too frequently going for laughs or stupid melodramatic crises."   MovieMartyr.com   Jeremy Heilman 7/10 "It's an engaging, well told and moving tale."   Screen It!   Jim Judy 4/5 "It's a simple & poetic story of legend a& inevitable change to maintain traditions, but what really makes the film worth seeing is Keisha Castle-Hughes."   Cinerina   Karina Montgomery B "Think of "Whale Rider" as "Once Again Warriors.""   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford 4/4 "A wonderful, uplifting film about the healing power of communal growth and adaptation."   Mark Reviews Movies   Mark Dujsik 8/10 "There is a mythic quality to the story."   rec.arts.movies.reviews   Mark R. Leeper 1.5/4 "An excellent first performance can't balance naïve writing and direction"   Movie Habit   Marty Mapes "There’s so much that’s right and yes-finally! about this simple and unpretentious film that even it’s predictable heartwarmingness and uplifting triumph-of-the-human spiritness seem groundbreaking."   Flick Filosopher   MaryAnn Johanson A- "The movie is not just genuinely lyrical, but, even harder to manage, it is lyrically genuine."   Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies   Nell Minow 4/5 "This film is so stunningly beautiful to look at--and such an uplifting story--that you can understand why it has won so many audience awards at festivals all over the world."   Shadows on the Wall   Rich Cline B "An interesting, and often successful compromise in seeming to honor tradition, but at the same time delivering a politically-correct, liberal, tradition-breaking message."   Laramie Movie Scope   Robert Roten "Once destiny is introduced into the story it deflates any sense of suspense."   Movie Views   Ryan Cracknell B- "Moves like a whale, itself. It’s slow and meditative, yet massive in scope and emotional importance."   Eclipse Magazine   Sean O'Connell 9/10 "Beautiful Keisha Castle-Hughes is a spunky young charmer with a gravity reminiscent of Anna Paquin."   www.susangranger.com   Susan Granger 3.5/4 "There is an indescribable power to the film that springs from firelight--what we've lost in modernity as orphans to our collective past."   Film Freak Central   Walter Chaw Read review   In the Dark   Jonathan F. Richards  (1 - 33) of 33 OFCS Rating: 81% Fresh Page   1