The Eagle Huntress

Name: The Eagle Huntress
Genre: Adventure, Sport, Family, Documentary
Released: November 2, 2016
Duration: 87 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Aisholpan, Daisy Ridley

2016

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Ratings

See All

6.5

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.5	Your Score
6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Eagle Huntress: Most Important Event (US)

Now Playing: The Eagle Huntress: Most Important Event (US)

Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: November 2, 2016 | G

Starring: Aisholpan, Daisy Ridley

Summary: The Eagle Huntress follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries. [Sony Pictures Classics]

Director: Otto Bell

Genre(s): Adventure, Sport, Family, Documentary

Rating: G

Runtime: 87 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Ariel Scotti

Nov 2, 2016

The Eagle Huntress is all at once an inspiring story for children of all ages to believe that they can do anything, a reflection of the unfairness of gender roles and a rare and unique look at a remote part of the world. Read full review

IndieWire Kate Erbland

Nov 2, 2016

A soaring, sweet documentary that welcomes its audience into an unexpected new arena, The Eagle Huntress offers up a movie-perfect story with a leading lady who has something to share with everyone. Read full review

Time Out London Cath Clarke

Dec 13, 2016

You want to know more about what Aisholpan is thinking behind that shy determined smile. But that’s not her way. You can imagine her as the gutsy heroine of a Disney animation. Read full review

Joey Nolfi

Oct 27, 2016

The movie’s restrained second half stuns, ranking as one of the most magical stretches of nonfiction filmmaking in recent years. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Susan Wloszczyna

Nov 2, 2016

Does it matter that the trajectory of The Eagle Huntress feels scripted at times and the actions we witness are sometimes staged or even manipulated? Somewhat. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Nov 29, 2016

A striking if predictable and plainly-staged docudrama set in one of the world’s most forbidding landscapes. Read full review

Boyd van Hoeij

Aug 5, 2016

Visually, the results are quite often striking, and they are also sharply cut together. But there’s a nagging suspicion throughout that there’s been more preparation for especially the set-pieces than would normally be the case on a documentary. Read full review

SEE ALL 26 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

Deanomite

Feb 7, 2020

Wow i never knew there was championship eagle hunting. The eagles are huge. The photography is excellent, the story very compelling, the characters are interesting, especially the 13 year old girl taking on eagle hunting and tribal prejudice at once. It's a bummer that even dudes livingWow i never knew there was championship eagle hunting. The eagles are huge. The photography is excellent, the story very compelling, the characters are interesting, especially the 13 year old girl taking on eagle hunting and tribal prejudice at once. It's a bummer that even dudes living way up in the mountains with nobody around are misogynist. i like how the old eagle hunters look like pimps. Seeing her eagle hunt brought tears to my eyes but i don't know why.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

kathytreece

Nov 26, 2016

Saw this at the Landmark Edina. Beautiful scenery with a happy ending. The girl has a wonderful smile. It's amazing how these people can get the eagles to collaborate with them in the hunt.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LeZee

Jun 5, 2017

The animal slavery.

I remember when this film was considered for the Oscars race. But some people were saying everything from the film was staged, instead of reality. I was like, had no idea what to say for such accusation since I haven't seen it yet. That's when I just had watchedThe animal slavery.

I remember when this film was considered for the Oscars race. But some people were saying everything from the film was staged, instead of reality. I was like, had no idea what to say for such accusation since I haven't seen it yet. That's when I just had watched 'Brothers of the Wind', an Austrian documentary style feature film on the almost similar theme. So I had lots of expectation on this one, but now, after watching, in fact, while watching itself got frustrated by it and also very happy it did not make into the Oscars.

I expected a Mongolian tale and yes, it was, but about a Kazakh family. Except the subtitle for the language spoken in the film, there was an English narration that voiced by Daisy Ridley in the background to explain the events properly. Because this is not an interview kind of documentary, but follows a couple of characters to their adventures. Yep, almost entire film did not look like a natural event, but pre-planned. It's a directional debut for the filmmaker. Definitely he has the capacity, but did not pick the right theme.

It's about a nomad family living in the nowhere of Mongolian grassland. The film opened with by saying the eagle training art is older than many historic events and its people the region has seen. So this little family has no son since the art is only passed on to them for generations. But the 13-year-old Aisholpan is interested to follow her father's footstep. That's where it all begins when she begins her training, following to have her own bird before competing in the biggest annual event in the nation.

I don't know when the last time I rated a film this low, especially for a documentary film, probably this one is the first. I hated everything about the film since I'm a big animal fan. Lots of people who saw it appreciating without the brain. I wonder, would they all appreciated as well the abduction films like 'Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story', 'Abducted: The Carlina White Story' et cetera for not revealing the truth, but the crime committed in it, just like an eaglet was abducted in this.

For me it looked like about an animal abuse and animal slavery. Everything they did in the film were for pleasure, for the record, for honour and of course for the film-making. Since humans are civilised and at present in the modern world, we had ended many inhumane practices and this is one of them should be abolished as soon as possible.

If a farmer uses a cattle (domestic animal) in his field means he's intended to feed the millions. So do you think snatching an eaglet (wild animal) and training it would do the same or any worth. In fact, it is to kill other animals, like the fox. If an eagle hunts a fox in the natural world, that's very natural, but doing it for human is a big imbalance. DON'T SUPPORT SUCH FILM GUYS. Hats off to the Academy Awards for snubbing it. The competition that showed in the film was good, but I really heart broken when they went on to prove even more than that in the third act.

It is not an inspiring film, but disgusting. If people/animal fans go after on a fiction feature film like 'Wiener-Dog' for depicting animal(s) badly, why not this documentary film based on the live- real. Please don't show it to the little kids. This film joins the list of those a very few I hate badly such as 'Man vs. Wild'. I regret watching it, but I would have not known such bad practice is still exists in the 21st century. If you are an animal lover like me, stay away from it. Instead, I highly, strongly recommend a beautiful, inspiring, message film 'Brothers of the Wind'. So totally ignorable film.

01/10… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

SEE ALL 3 REVIEWS