Watership Down

Reviews

r96sk
It sure lives up to its reputation! The sole thing I knew about <em>'Watership Down'</em> pre-watch was that it's relatively graphic and had an impact on children at the time of its release. Well, I can certainly see why! Heck, even by today's standards it's still pretty out there in terms of how it portrays the violence. The animation, for its time, is absolutely splendid - super effective! The music is also noteworthy. I will say that I don't think the characters are anything above solid, like post-watch I can't really remember any of them individually; visually at least, because the voice cast are very good.

CinemaSerf
The instantly recognisable tones of Sir Michael Hordern set the scene as he tells us a tale of yore about the rabbit. How it got it's white fluffy tail, it's strong hind legs and it's speed, sure, but also of it's vulnerabilities. It is the animal that most others just want to eat! Many generations later and a colony is struggling with overcrowding. Mankind is encroaching on it's territory and there simply isn't room in the warren anymore. "Hazel" suggests to the boss that they start a new one, but he flares up and refuses. Together with "Fiver" they go anyway but it's not long before they encounter the rather more militaristic one run by the menacing "Woundwort" who rules with claws and blood. I aways though their something Orwellian about Richard Adams's novel, and the selection of the sweet and docile bunny rabbit as the subject for this rather ferocious analysis of societal dysfunction adds even better to the anachronisms as even they prove to have a class system, an hierarchy and even their own furry version of a secret police! The animation is gorgeous to watch. The innocence and frivolity; the violence and the brutality - they are all captured quite graphically at times as the story unfolds. Art Garfunkel's song "Bright Eyes" doesn't actually feature so prominently as I'd remembered, but it does add quite potently for the few moments it's used to illustrate that which is tantalisingly close for "Hazel" and co. There's something truly fitting about a conclusion that seems righteous, even if it does rather reinforce the survival of the fittest mentality that these critters are trying to escape - with four legs or two.
Movie Recommendation
- Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics1974-01-15As Japan gears up for the 1964 Olympic games, the cops start to crack down on the gangs, under pressure from the public and the press, adding a new dimension in the war for power among the yakuza families of Hiroshima.More...
- The Hideout2007-11-16A mystery-thriller about an Italian woman who moves to Davenport to open a restaurant. After her husband commits suicide, she spends fifteen years recovering at a Minnesota mental hospital. When she builds herself up enough to begin another restaurant, she discovers that a murder took place there fifty years earlier. She decides to investigate and finds a secret plot.More...
- Ben and Me1953-11-11A revisionist version of American history as a small mouse comes to live with Benjamin Franklin and turns out to be responsible for many of his ideas; including the beginning of the Declaration of Independance!More...
- Saint Jack1979-04-27Jack Flowers is an American hustler trying to make his fortune in 1970s Singapore in small time pimping. His dreams of building a fortune by running a brothel himself and returning to the States is materialized when he is offered the opportunity by the CIA to run a brothel for the R&R activities of U.S. soldiers on leave in Singapore.More...
- Saving the Titanic2012-04-15In the hours after the Titanic struck an iceberg 100 years ago, a team of shipbuilders and engineers raced against time to save the stricken vessel. Based on eye-witness accounts, this film reveals what went on below decks in the hours before the Titanic sank, telling the previously relatively unheralded stories of engineers who fought courageously to hold back the power of the sea and keep the power systems running, even when they learned that all was lost. Most of these men died but their actions bought enough time to save many lives. This drama-documentary tells a poignant story of self-sacrifice by the Titanic's engineers, stokers and firemen in the face of impending death.More...
- We Lost Our Human2023-03-21There's been a glitch — all the humans are gone! Can you help pampered pet siblings Pud and Ham journey to the center of the universe to fix it?More...
- The Yellow Car1963-06-29On a tourist trip abroad the passengers on the coach witness an assassination attempt on the President Hurkas. One of the tourists has evidence against the perpetrators, and is killed when the coach reaches Sweden. Another passenger observes how one of the perpetrators is picked up by a yellow car. She is kidnapped and locked up in a mental hospital.More...
- Mr. 30002004-06-15Aging baseball star who goes by the nickname, Mr. 3000, finds out many years after retirement that he didn't quite reach 3,000 hits. Now at age 47 he's back to try and reach that goal.More...
- Amphibian Man1961-01-03People living at a seashore town are frightened by reports of an unknown creature called "the sea devil". Nobody knows what it is, but it's really the son of doctor Salvator. The doctor performed surgery on his son and now young Ichtiander can live under water. This gives him certain advantages, but also creates a lot of problems.More...
- In a Glass Cage1986-08-06A mysterious teenager named Ángelo cares for Klaus, a German doctor with a dark past who lives trapped in an iron lung.More...
- The Challenger Disaster2013-03-18When the space shuttle Challenger blew up in 1986, it was the most shocking event in the history of American spaceflight. The deaths of seven astronauts, including the first teacher in space Christa McAuliffe, were watched live on television by millions of viewers. But what was more shocking was that the cause of the disaster might never be uncovered. The Challenger is the story of how Richard Feynman, one of America's most famous scientists, helped to discover the cause of a tragedy that stunned America.More...
- The Adventures of Prince Achmed1926-09-03Taken from The Arabian Nights, the film tells the story of a wicked sorcerer who tricks Prince Achmed into mounting a magical flying horse and sends the rider off on a flight to his death. But the prince foils the magician’s plan, and soars headlong into a series of wondrous adventures.More...
- The Thief and the Cobbler1993-09-23It is written among the limitless constellations of the celestial heavens, and in the depths of the emerald seas, and upon every grain of sand in the vast deserts, that the world which we see is an outward and visible dream, of an inward and invisible reality ... Once upon a time there was a golden city. In the center of the golden city, atop the tallest minaret, were three golden balls. The ancients had prophesied that if the three golden balls were ever taken away, harmony would yield to discord, and the city would fall to destruction and death. But... the mystics had also foretold that the city might be saved by the simplest soul with the smallest and simplest of things. In the city there dwelt a lowly shoemaker, who was known as Tack the Cobbler. Also in the city... existed a Thief, who shall be... nameless.More...
- Permanent Vacation1981-03-06In downtown Manhattan, a twenty-something boy whose Father is not around and whose Mother is institutionalized, is a big Charlie Parker fan. He almost subconsciously searches for more meaning in his life and meets a few characters along the way.More...
- Viy1967-11-27A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of a witch in the church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him.More...
- Hui Buh: The Castle Ghost2006-07-20After 500 years, castle ghost Hui Buh finally has some royal residents to haunt, but he soon loses his license to scare and must get recertified.More...
- Arsène Lupin2004-10-13As the daring thief Arsène Lupin ransacks the homes of wealthy Parisians, the police, with a secret weapon in their arsenal, attempt to ferret him out.More...
- The Visitor2008-02-21A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.More...
- Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii1972-10-25British progressive rock band Pink Floyd perform at the ancient Roman Amphitheater in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy in 1971. Although the band perform a typical live set from the era, there is no audience beyond the basic film crew. The Bluray version of 2025 contains the following audio streams: 96kHz / 24bit LPCM uncompressed, 96kHz / 24bit 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos (Feature film only). You can choose to watch the entire movie or just the concert.More...
- The First Great Train Robbery1978-12-14In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.More...
Similar Movies
The Cook, the Thief, ...
1989-10-13The wife of an abusive criminal finds solace in the arms of a kind regular guest in her husband's restaurant.The Hitchhiker's Guid...
2005-04-28Mere seconds before the Earth is to be demolished by an alien construction crew, Arthur Dent is swept off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher penning a new edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."Shooter
2007-03-22A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes horribly awry and disappears, living in seclusion. He is coaxed back into service after a high-profile government official convinces him to help thwart a plot to kill the President of the United States. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, Swagger becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. He goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why, eventually seeking revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.Earth
1998-09-16It's 1947 and the borderlines between India and Pakistan are being drawn. A young girl bears witnesses to tragedy as her ayah is caught between the love of two men and the rising tide of political and religious violence.Running with Scissors...
2006-10-27Young Augusten Burroughs absorbs experiences that could make for a shocking memoir: the son of an alcoholic father and an unstable mother, he's handed off to his mother's therapist, Dr. Finch, and spends his adolescent years as a member of Finch's bizarre extended family.The Harder They Come
1972-09-01Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.Youth Without Youth
2007-10-26Professor of language and philosophy Dominic Matei is struck by lightning and ages backwards from 70 to 40 in a week, attracting the world and the Nazis. While on the run, the professor meets a young woman who has her own experience with a lightning storm. Not only does Dominic find love again, but her new abilities hold the key to his research.The Lovely Bones
2009-12-26After being brutally murdered, 14-year-old Susie Salmon watches from heaven over her grief-stricken family -- and her killer. As she observes their daily lives, she must balance her thirst for revenge with her desire for her family to heal.Sing 2
2021-12-01Buster and his new cast now have their sights set on debuting a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in glamorous Redshore City. But with no connections, he and his singers must sneak into the Crystal Entertainment offices, run by the ruthless wolf mogul Jimmy Crystal, where the gang pitches the ridiculous idea of casting the lion rock legend Clay Calloway in their show. Buster must embark on a quest to find the now-isolated Clay and persuade him to return to the stage.Haruta & Chika
2017-03-04Haruta is handsome and smart, Chika is bright and naive. When they were children, they were friends until Haruta's family moved away while he was in the 3rd grade. They meet again during a high school entrance ceremony. After all of these years, Chika is eager to join the wind instrument club. Due to an incident, the wind instrument club is about to be disbanded. Chika can't give up the flute so she attracts Haruta to her side and tries to recruit members from the wind instrument club. The group attempts to solve various cases taking place at their school while they plan to take part in a contest.Dune
2021-09-15Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.The King's Avatar: Fo...
2019-08-16In this prequel to the animated series The King's Avatar, Ye Xiu enters into the pro gaming world of Glory, and competes in the first Pro League series tournament.The Dimension Travele...
1998-12-26A teenage girl makes a new friend at her school who tells her that she has the ability to travel between worlds.Spring Night
2025-07-09Middle-aged Yeong-gyeong and Su-hwan meet at the wedding party of a common friend. She passes out drunk, and he carries her home on his back. Soon this becomes a daily ritual, as the two broken beings – one’s spirit consumed by alcohol and the other’s body sapped by arthritis – begin to find strength and solace in each other. Their gentle, platonic bond – outside society, outside history – offers a chance at salvation, but is severely stressed by Yeong-gyeong’s repeated relapses.Carrie
2002-11-04An awkward, telekinetic teenage girl's lonely life is dominated by relentless bullying at school and an oppressive religious fanatic mother at home. When her tormentors pull a humiliating prank at the senior prom, she unleashes a horrifying chaos on everyone, leaving nothing but destruction in her wake.There Will Be Blood
2007-12-26Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview, moves to oil-rich California. Using his son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. However, local preacher Eli Sunday suspects Plainview's motives and intentions, starting a slow-burning feud that threatens both their lives.The Bucket List
2007-12-25Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a hospital room and discover they have two things in common: a desire to spend the time they have left doing everything they ever wanted to do and an unrealized need to come to terms with who they are. Together they embark on the road trip of a lifetime, becoming friends along the way and learning to live life to the fullest, with insight and humor.Julia
2008-03-12An alcoholic becomes involved in a fellow A.A. member's plan to kidnap her young son from the boy's wealthy grandfather.Sahara
2005-04-06Seasoned adventurer and treasure hunter Dirk Pitt, a former Navy SEAL, sets out for the African desert with his wisecracking buddy Al in search of a confederate ironclad battleship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across Dr. Eva Rojas, a beautiful scientist who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.Titan A.E.
2000-06-16A young man finds out that he holds the key to restoring hope and ensuring survival for the human race, while an alien species called the Drej are bent on mankind's destruction.