From start to end, this film was fantastic. The love story was told well, with suitable elements of humour. The beginning of the film was filled with dread, as the story's ending was inevitable - however this predictability was not a bad thing, and increased the power in the film. The acting was fantastic all round - Rose Mciver, Ryan O'Kane, Miranda Harcourt, Mick Rose and Taungaroa Emile all did a brilliant job of their roles. Music was done well, and the film had very high production values. The crash itself was incredible, and in itself brought me to tears. They got their facts practically perfect, and the scenes of Ellis and Awa rescuing the people in the 1st class carriage, and yet not including Nerissa was heart wrenching. The film did justice to Ellis's bravery. The carol being sung over the scenes of the Tangiwai were beautiful, and were very moving. The other notable part of the film was the Cricket Test, which, although a few creative liberties were taken, there was nothing unreasonable, and the Test was very uplifting for the viewer. I have three small complaints of the film. Firstly, the interludes by Mt Ruapehu with the Maori. These were done well, and I understand what they were trying to do, but at the beginning these scenes didn't quite work. In the end however they managed to pull it off, so this was fine. Secondly, the song at the end of the film had the potential to spoil the whole film - I thought it was sung awfully, and intruded dreadfully into the emotional state the viewer was in. Thirdly, this film should have had more publicity than merely a TV show. It should be shown in film festivals, or in theatres as it being a fantastic film deserves as large an audience as it might possibly get.
Tangiwai
(2011 TV Movie)
Excellent Film With Huge Emotional Content
14 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers