Rapa Nui (1994)

Director:

Kevin Reynolds

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Reynolds (story)
Tim Rose Price (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 September 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

Plot:

Tenuously based on the legends of Easter Island, Chile, this story details a civil war between the two...

Plot Keywords:

Statue | Easter Island | Canoe | Kissing | Child Nudity

Awards:

1 win

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jason Scott Lee	...	Noro
Esai Morales	...	Make
Sandrine Holt	...	Ramana
Eru Potaka-Dewes	...	Ariki-mau
Emilio Tuki Hito	...	Messenger
Gordon Hatfield	...	Riro
Frenxa Reuben	...	Heke
Hori Ahipene	...	Overseer
Chiefy Elkington	...	Fisherman
Ruihana Rewa	...	Old Woman
George Henare	...	Tupa
Rawiri Paratene	...	Priest
Pete Smith	...	Priest
Mario Gaia	...	Short Ears
Cliff Curtis	...	Short Ears

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Easter Island, Chile

Company:

Majestic Films International

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Rapa Nui had long abandoned carving moai by the time of the Cult of the Birdman.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mars Attacks! (1996)

Jason Scott Lee in his element

Like many, I was jolted to hear a bunch of ancient Polynesians sounding like "valley girls" and their boyfriends, but let it pass since at least they were all speaking the same language as they would have been anyway, unlike movies like "Seven Years in Tibet" where Austrians spoke English to Austrians, Tibetans spoke English to Tibetans, and otherwise people who wouldn't have been able to speak with each other all conversing in perfect English... that movie was frankly too much for me. As for the different accents in Rapa Nui, I assumed it was a way to show class differences (after all, Jason Scott Lee has proved he can handle about any accent): the chief spoke hoity toity British, Lee sounded like a poor little rich boy (which he was in the movie), so it kind of made sense. And as a great Jason Scott Lee fan, it doesn't matter how well- acted or historically correct or whatever else the movie is or isn't (and by the way I found it completely passable in those senses) as long as we are treated to generous footage of Jason Scott Lee showing off his perfect physique -- and in this movie he nary wears a stitch. Most of the other young male actors, incl Elias Morales, are up to the job as well. I understand perfectly how thrilled one reviewer was about Sandrine Holt's "performance" and feel the same way about her leading man. Anyway, to avoid redundancy, I basically agree with the other positive things other reviewers have said about the movie, and believe one reason it didn't do great at the box office was due to its unusual subject matter -- something that John Q Public isn't always great at handling.