Movie Review-5 Whale Rider

Whale Rider was made in 2002. And this movie is New Zealand movie. This movie has the role that a whale is important. I introduce this story to you.


There was the village of the Maori near the beach of New Zealand. There was an old legend. It was “Paikea who was a brave man got on a whale, and he came here from far away. And his descendant is Maori.” This legend has been conveyed for a long time. In addition, it was decided that the head of Maori was always a man.

One day, Porourangi’s daughter was born. Porourangi was the eldest son of the head who called Koro. And the daughter was named Paikea. It was same name with the legendary brave man. But her mother and twin younger brothers died of the result that she was born. Porourangi was very sad, but Koro worried about having lost the successor of the man. He thought about only tribe things all the time. Porourangi looked such Koro, and he left the village. Paikea was brought up by grandparents. They were Koro and Flowers. But Koro was not accepted her. Because of she was a girl, not boy! Koro grieved in having lost the grandchild of boy all the time. But he picked her up on the bicycle and took the school to and from.

Paikea became 12 years old. One day, Porourangi, he was her father, came back to the village. He became an artist abroad. Koro wished he became the successor, but he didn’t intend to become the successor. Paikea was troubled. Will not the tribe need me? She thought. And she decided to leave the village with her father. However, in the journey, she heard some kind of cries from the sea. She came back to the village again. But Koro was the same as before. He was not able to love her obediently. He gathered the boys of the village in the meeting place. And he made a school to inherit the culture of Maori. He brought up the successor, and he prayed for the new head of Maori being born from them. But Paikea was not able to go to the school, because she was a girl. Therefore she learned a traditional song and dance secretly. And she learned art of stick fighting called Taiaha from her uncle. It was only succeeded to man from old days.

One day, she won the boy of the village by the art of stick fighting. She was pleased, but her grandfather looked it. Koro was very angry. He increased a feeling of hatred for Paikea.

One day, the last test was performed at the school. Koro threw a traditional necklace made of the teeth of the whale into the sea. The boy who took it should have become the successor. But there were nobody. Koro was shocked, and he has been in bed.

Paikea looked such her grandfather, and she went to look for the necklace. At last, she found it. And her grandmother received it, but it was a secret on her grandfather.

One day, Paikea held the school arts festival. Because she wanted to make relations with Koro better. She invited him to the school arts festival. He got ready to go for her school arts festival, and he left his house. But he found that a lot of whales were washed ashore on the beach.

In the meantime, Paikea read a speech at the school arts festival. The speech was that she wrote for her grandfather. It was the poetry that repeated the thought of him and the legendary brave man. And the school arts festival finished. And then, the villagers noticed whale washed ashore on the beach for the first time. Koro had an unpleasant feeling. The whale didn’t readily return to the sea. But suddenly, Paikea stepped on the back of the whale. The whale and she just went into the sea. And then, another whales returned to the sea, too. The villagers were dumfounded. Flowers, Paikea’s grandmother, was surprised. And then, she gave the necklace to Koro. It is the necklace which Paikea left with her grandmother before. Koro was very surprised. And he realized that Paikea deserved to be the head of Maori.
Finally, Paikea stepped on the canoe. It was birth of the new head of Maori.

This movie was very impressed. Especially, I was interested in Koro and Paikea relations. I thought that he certainly loved her. This movie was good in happy ending. In addition, the scene of the tribal traditional dance was excited. I like it. The scene of the school arts festival was impressed, and I cried. I felt the love of the family. This was a very good movie.


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