beobnoxious After watching this movie one can only wonder why hasn't anyone heard of this what was happening in 1994 the overshadowed this movie. Was it a lack of promotion the presumably R rating?.I found this to be an excellent film all the characters main and supporting are very intriguing the setting is breathtaking , and the actors all played their roles superbly and with passion.I did not find a problem with the English speaking actors I feel the director wanted to get the point of the movie across without tiring the audience out by having to read subtitles.This is a movie after all not real life, one cant expect things to be exact.This movie is far different then most of what Hollywood churns out the plot is simple as the time the movie takes place the story is very believable and understandable with some historical elements thrown in. As one watches this film they will come to see that's there's no simple answer to the protagonist problems they will have to take them selves back to that time and place.As far as a love story goes i feel its an epic one easily as touching if not more so then Star Wars or Titanic, Also similar to 10,000 BC. Its shame that such a good movie seems to have gone virtually unheard of.

tfrizzell An odd subject of Civil War on Easter Island is the primary focus of "Rapa Nui", a dry and dull would-be love story from director Kevin Reynolds. The Civil War comes between the upper and lower class groups of the Chilean island. The richer and more powerful group wants the poorer citizens to make larger Moai statues (those famous heads that still stand even today) and it becomes clearly evident that this could mean more loss and degradation for those with little say. A love blossoms in the typical tradition and naturally it is bound by the classes. "Rapa Nui" is just not much of a production. I honestly got nothing worthwhile out of the movie and I really felt numb and completely empty by the final moments. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).

Mike The studios should be applauded when they take on a movie that involves an all new setting and topic, and encouraged to do so more often. We have plenty of stupid eye candy car chase movies and murder mystery flicks for those who enjoy that stuff. Rapa Nui goes somewhere else entirely. The road less travelled as it were.Set on Easter Island, isolated as it is literally thousands of nautical miles from its nearest neighbour, the movie fleshes out the most pivital time in that islands history, as we understand it from the archeological evidence available. The residents had every reason to believe they represented the only life in the universe. Those of the population with vision must have been appalled to watch their religeous zealots engineering the destruction of the only habitat in the world. The protagonist seems to be one of those who sees the folly and wants to prevent it. ** spoiler coming?**I am not the first to note that this film weakens its message by allowing, even fostering unintended humour at places where it is not appropriate. The head engineer of statue construction falling to the ground and flailing in a tantrum when the chief glibly states the statue, carved and transported with many months of tremendous labour is dismissed and ordered broken up as being "too small", and that chief, when he complains to his obviously self serving and manipulative with doctor/adviser,"I've been coughing up and vomiting blood lately. Do you think that means anything?" "No, replies the adviser, it's nothing". It seems as though the screenwriter thinks the viewer must have some levity to break up the serious subject matter. The humour takes away much more than it adds to the story however and hearing a couple of audience members guffawing from time to time when we should be sympathising with the frustration of the main character has the effect of pulling the rug out from under the mood. Even the 'last cutting' scene is overblown and rendered campy when this scene, of which perhaps the most empathy might have been drawn of any in the entire film, is played out almost as satire. **End of spoiler**So much for the 'It could have been better' part, the movie does deserve kudos for tackling new ground. The cinematography is beautiful, the love story plausable and the main characters earn our support. Bravo for being daring enough to make this flick. I just wish it had been distributed.

Bouteloua I have never seen so much nudity or near-nudity in a film where it isn't sexualized. It's quite refreshing. We just get to enjoy seeing the beautiful (and also ordinary) bodies of the characters going about their business, like you might see in an old National Geographic magazine. Okay, there is one love scene, but it's tame by Hollywood standards and it happens early in the film. The violence is mild compared to a lot of PG movies. This could be a good movie for young people to watch with an adult, if only to see people treating each other normally when their skin is showing.The plot is a bit comic-bookish, but it makes for an easy-to-follow story and good entertainment. You even get to learn a little bit of true stuff about Easter Island.