WHALE RIDER: Quick View (1 Viewer)

[Yumbo]

this south pacific tale set in coastal NZ, has had lots of praise.

still watching...sound is ok, slightly low.

picture - the opening titles had terrible EE, the credits weren't too bad as they were small.

no EE in movie so far, but picture is VERY soft - was it like this theatrically?

how many Shortland St actors are in it? lol.

 

[Paul_Scott]

any disc reviews for Whale Rider?

specifically a/v quality.

sounds like a movie i'm pretty sure i would enjoy, but $20 street price i'm a little gun shy until i get the word on the quality.
Cloumbia is not what they used to be.

 

[Marc Colella]

Here are a few:

http://www.currentfilm.com/dvdreview...eriderdvd.html

http://www.thedigitalreview.com/foru...=&threadid=414

http://dvd.ign.com/articles/455/455841p1.html

 

[Paul_Scott]

thanks, Marc.

two of the reviews here seem to have different reactions to the vid quality than Chris.
from IGN:

Dark colors are rock solid, as are flesh tones and black levels, and everything has a nice sharp edge to it. There doesn't appear to be much, if any edge enhancement, ghosting or any signs of dust on the print.

oh well. i find myself frequently disagreeing with the general concensus as far as things like this go, so i guess i'll just have to see for myself.

now i have to decide if i want to use my BB Dick Van Dyke gift card on this or the Enigma SE
decisions, decisions...

 

[Yumbo]

well,

picture seemed to improve in 2nd half of film.
then right at end there was the dreaded EE in one shot - of the long boat.

yes, the contrast is high in places.

for soft pictures, all the long shots in beginning - of the coast - on the road. One would think the focus would be sharp here, just no detail at all.

viewed on a 50" plasma using an RP-82.

Enigma SE is definitely improved.

as a movie, WRider is rather simple (and overhyped IMO).

I found the extras more interesting...maybe I'm too familiar with the culture, movie-wise.

cheers

 

[Lewis Besze]

It looked awesome on my small 36" Wega.I guess I'm not all to bothered by EE as I didn't see any.The sound was suitable for this movie with a lot of dialog.There wasn't much of a surround activity even on scenes that could benefit from it,like the underwater footage.Bass was there when needed,and even "scary" at one time when the stranded whale's tail hit the sand underwater,during an attempted rescue.A very moody but gorgous score by Lisa Gerard,unfortunatelly she didn't sing.
A beautiful film,it deserves all the recommendations it gets.

 

[BarryS]

Great film. The DVD looked very nice to me.

 

[MikeM]

I thought the DVD looked very good in most parts, and only a slight bit of lost detail on some of the wide shots. I have to agree with the review on The Digital Review, which gave the transfer an "A-". I better agree with it, because I wrote it.

 

[IanHo]

Hmm, I guess not many people have seen this film since I couldn't find to many posts about it. :frowning:

The movie's pace and story would be considered slow for most people but the ending makes it all worthwhile. This film was a lot like Talk to Her by Almodovar for me. By the time I got to end I realized how wonderful this movie is and few movies are capable of bringing out waves of emotions like this. And the girl who plays Pai is absolutely fantastic. I rented this movie along with Terminator 3(Decent brainless action flick and I like to give my 5.1 system a workout whenever I can)....

.....but Whale Rider is the movie I'll go to sleep thinking about. Check it out.

 

[Zen Butler]

I cried like a baby.

 

[SteveK]

Ian - I know it's been quite a while since you posted and you may not see this reply. But I must agree that the girl who played Pai was fantastic. The scene where she's crying her eyes out while delivering a speech to honor her father is extremely moving. It's hard to believe that was her first acting job, but I'm sure it won't be her last. She definitely has a lot of natural talent.

Great film!

Steve K.

 

[Lewis Besze]

It's hard to believe that was her first acting job, but I'm sure it won't be her last

She'll return as "Queen of Naboo" in Episode III[SW]

 

[jason:g]

I saw the film at the cinemas. It's really great on the big screen. I am not sure that I'll be getting it on DVD, as I already have too many DVDs.

 

[Chris PC]

Loved that movie. I have the DVD. There were a few lame looking scenes. Overall, good movie.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Very good film.

One thing I hope someone who does this can anwser for me, I see it all the time and just don't understand it.

Why do people come onto the HTF and post their thoughts while watching a movie? Especially with bunch of picture and audio quality critiques.

When I watch a film, I get sucked up into it and wouldn't want to turn it off until it's done. The practice puzzles me.

 

[David Lawson]

She'll return as "Queen of Naboo" in Episode III[SW]

Her poor career. :frowning:

I acquired this film in a trade sight unseen and enjoyed it immensely. I can't believe I passed on it while it was in theaters.