I love this movie.
Briefly, "Rapa Nui" is the native Polynesian name for Easter Island, and this story is set during a highly speculative, yet resonant, depiction of an end of an era that saw high superstition influence the Long-Ear ruling class to ruthlessly subjugate laborers of the Short-Ear clan for building and erecting ever larger giant stone-carved-statued "Moai" to placate seemingly ambivalent ancestral gods while depleting all their natural resources in the pursuit of this sole aim.
Featuring a great primal adversarial dynamic between Jason Scott Lee and Esai Morales, as former childhood best friends, equally noble but from different social castes - both competing in a breathlessly filmed islandwide triathlon of running/swimming/climbing contested by the various clans to decide who rules them all as "Birdman" overleader - as well as a private wager between the two men for which will win the hand of their lifelong romantic ambition, as personified in the lithely loinclothed Sandrine Holt (at her most naturally rapturious). All this while the only world they know is spinning out of control and collapsing around them.
"Rapa Nui" is a finely acted, well spun, sweepingly romantic historical epic tragedy with stunningly photographed oceanic vistas, harrowing action sequences, and an incredible ethnic music score from Police drummer Stewart Copeland! From the perfectly plausible authenticity of the costuming and sets, to cinematographer Stephen Windon's lush scope complimenting director Kevin Reynold's grand vision, the entire cast and crew sublimely complete a truly intimate and stirring portrayal of social revolution amidst environmental upheaval. It's honestly a gripping tour de force in adventure cinema, with an astonshingly realized recreation of a world lost to time. Firmly planted among my favorite films. And certainly one I am always pleased to expose more people to.
I've heard writer/director Kevin Reynolds subsequently express disappointment with this film. I understand it's difficult for him to have a fair perspective of something he's so intimately involved in the intricacies of attempted recreation of, especially when it doesn't perform finacially after much trouble. I suppose maybe it became a source of brow beating for him that perhaps factored into his immediatly following tumultuous period on "Waterworld"? Just speculating. But he should be extremely proud of his achievement here, because it is quite exceptional.
A new more finely tuned retrospective ought to be commissioned to accompany a long overdue restoration release of this film, assembling original existing behind the scenes promo featuerettes with more candid contemporary interviews. I've always been keenly interested in the making of this particular underseen gem. And I've always been curious about its vaguely alluded to production woes, as well as how hands on producer Kevin Costner was. It's one of my most coveted bluray remaster wishes, as I've never seen it in anything near a pristine presenation ever. It's worthy. Very much so. Anyone who appreciated Mel Gibson's "Apacalypto" - or perhaps Roland Emmerich's "10,000 B.C." or even James Cameron's "Avatar" - should be clamouring to add "Rapa Nui" to their top shelf collection. Classical mythologic hero's journey archetype done to perfection.
Sadly, as of the writing of the review, for some fool reason one of 1994's most beautiful films "Rapa Nui" is not readily availible, not attractively so anyway. I've never even seen a decent presentation of this, just an HBO recording from VCR, then an old pan and scan used rental VHS, and then finally a slapdash foreign DVD rudimentary transfer. Apparently Warner Bros Archive has released what may be a slightly improved presentation. Yet nevertheless, it is blatantly magnificient in every incarnation. So someone in charge please chose to do the right thing and preserve this film properly.
"Rapa Nui" really is deserving of discovery and reassessment. I feel like it's objectively a wonderful film. To me, it's absolutely a classic.
Briefly, "Rapa Nui" is the native Polynesian name for Easter Island, and this story is set during a highly speculative, yet resonant, depiction of an end of an era that saw high superstition influence the Long-Ear ruling class to ruthlessly subjugate laborers of the Short-Ear clan for building and erecting ever larger giant stone-carved-statued "Moai" to placate seemingly ambivalent ancestral gods while depleting all their natural resources in the pursuit of this sole aim.
Featuring a great primal adversarial dynamic between Jason Scott Lee and Esai Morales, as former childhood best friends, equally noble but from different social castes - both competing in a breathlessly filmed islandwide triathlon of running/swimming/climbing contested by the various clans to decide who rules them all as "Birdman" overleader - as well as a private wager between the two men for which will win the hand of their lifelong romantic ambition, as personified in the lithely loinclothed Sandrine Holt (at her most naturally rapturious). All this while the only world they know is spinning out of control and collapsing around them.
"Rapa Nui" is a finely acted, well spun, sweepingly romantic historical epic tragedy with stunningly photographed oceanic vistas, harrowing action sequences, and an incredible ethnic music score from Police drummer Stewart Copeland! From the perfectly plausible authenticity of the costuming and sets, to cinematographer Stephen Windon's lush scope complimenting director Kevin Reynold's grand vision, the entire cast and crew sublimely complete a truly intimate and stirring portrayal of social revolution amidst environmental upheaval. It's honestly a gripping tour de force in adventure cinema, with an astonshingly realized recreation of a world lost to time. Firmly planted among my favorite films. And certainly one I am always pleased to expose more people to.
I've heard writer/director Kevin Reynolds subsequently express disappointment with this film. I understand it's difficult for him to have a fair perspective of something he's so intimately involved in the intricacies of attempted recreation of, especially when it doesn't perform finacially after much trouble. I suppose maybe it became a source of brow beating for him that perhaps factored into his immediatly following tumultuous period on "Waterworld"? Just speculating. But he should be extremely proud of his achievement here, because it is quite exceptional.
A new more finely tuned retrospective ought to be commissioned to accompany a long overdue restoration release of this film, assembling original existing behind the scenes promo featuerettes with more candid contemporary interviews. I've always been keenly interested in the making of this particular underseen gem. And I've always been curious about its vaguely alluded to production woes, as well as how hands on producer Kevin Costner was. It's one of my most coveted bluray remaster wishes, as I've never seen it in anything near a pristine presenation ever. It's worthy. Very much so. Anyone who appreciated Mel Gibson's "Apacalypto" - or perhaps Roland Emmerich's "10,000 B.C." or even James Cameron's "Avatar" - should be clamouring to add "Rapa Nui" to their top shelf collection. Classical mythologic hero's journey archetype done to perfection.
Sadly, as of the writing of the review, for some fool reason one of 1994's most beautiful films "Rapa Nui" is not readily availible, not attractively so anyway. I've never even seen a decent presentation of this, just an HBO recording from VCR, then an old pan and scan used rental VHS, and then finally a slapdash foreign DVD rudimentary transfer. Apparently Warner Bros Archive has released what may be a slightly improved presentation. Yet nevertheless, it is blatantly magnificient in every incarnation. So someone in charge please chose to do the right thing and preserve this film properly.
"Rapa Nui" really is deserving of discovery and reassessment. I feel like it's objectively a wonderful film. To me, it's absolutely a classic.