Hidalgo (Sky Rider)

So, I finally caught it yesterday. The movie is decent, though it drags in a few spots where it should have kept the pace up. I particularly liked the finale; it was easily the most intense part, and that showdown with the villain was solid. All in all, the film is 👍! If anyone else has seen it, let me know what you thought.😁 Hidalgo is a beast of a horse! 🙂🙂🙂

coastalangler62 🙂
FJBG

👍

I don't hit the theaters that much, and honestly, I basically just stumbled into this movie by accident, but I'm so glad I did.

It’s a beautifully told story—and I have to say, the fact that it's based on true events caught me off guard, which adds such a fascinating layer to everything. It’s about the bond between a man and his horse, the search for identity (is he Native American or white?), and the clash of two cultures across continents. Plus, it’s packed with tension, style, and actual humor.

At first glance, it seems like a "light" watch, but once you walk out of the theater, it sticks with you on a much deeper level.

Seeing Vig from LOTR on screen is such a breath of fresh air. Seriously, they couldn't have picked a better actor to play a long-distance rider.

It’s like a mix of "The Last Samurai," "One Thousand and One Nights," and "Indiana Jones."😁

All in all, both Hidalgo and his rider are real, flesh-and-blood heroes, flaws and all, just trying to find their place and identity in the world around them.

My only gripe is that there was zero hype for this movie here in the States, which pretty much explains why so few people showed up to talk about it on this thread. Such a damn shame.

I haven't seen a crowd like that in any American theater lately. Sad, but true.🙄

Still, there are those of us who show up regularly, even when the lineup is total garbage. 😁

coastalangler62 🙂
FJBG

So, a friend dragged me out for dinner and then had the nerve to suggest hitting the movies on Saturday night. I tried to explain, pretty nicely too, that nobody with half a brain tries to snag tickets for a show at 9:40 PM on a Saturday.😁
But then we roll up to the theater near Vatican City, check the screen, and wouldn't you know it—there are 245 open seats for "Hidalgo".😲

We end up grabbing tickets (on a Saturday night, of all times!), and I’m sitting there internally grumbling about what kind of garbage movie this is if absolutely nobody is watching it.😁
Turns out, my pessimism was totally misplaced. We walked out of that theater feeling great and actually loved it.

I think there were maybe 20 or 30 people in the whole damn theater...

Sarah King25 said:(I have to admit, I was actually quite taken by the fact that it’s based on true events—it adds such a fascinating layer to the whole thing!)

Well, it isn't exactly a documentary—at least not when it comes to Hopkins. That said, the segment involving the Native American massacre is surprisingly accurate (usually they're cast as the villains 🙄 ), and even that shot of the frozen chief is an exact match for those old historical photos.
To be honest, I mainly went to see it because of VM—he brings something entirely different to every single role he takes. Plus, I caught his photography exhibit which featured some incredible behind-the-scenes shots—for instance, that Ghost Dance sequence was just breathtaking; that specific angle looking over the rows of cannons toward the tents...
The movie felt a bit scattered to me—almost as if the director couldn't quite decide if he was making an action flick, a romance, or a period piece... you know, it’s a bit of a mishmash. Sadly, my local theater pulled it from the schedule after only two weeks, and I really wanted one more chance to catch it.
Considering it's Disney's, it actually turned out quite well. 😉

I heard later on that those so-called "historical facts" aren't even accurate to begin with😁😁
Honestly, it didn't change a thing about how much I loved the movie and its core message—just this individual's journey to find out who they really are.

If I wanted a lecture filled with strictly proven historical data, I’d just watch some documentary😁

To me, this was an adventure film: and I mean a real one, too.😉

Sarah King25 said:I reckon there were maybe 20 or 30 of us in that theater total...

Out of a thousand seats, barely 8 or 10 were even occupied.
Some people won't bother hitting the cinema unless the title sounds spectacular. I have friends who judge an entire movie based solely on its name; if the title looks okay, they go. Judging a film by its title is a flawed logic. A movie could be called "writing with a ballpoint pen" 😁 and still be a masterpiece!

Marketing also dictates publicity. Attendance is just a reflection of how much money was thrown at advertising. 🙄 Ridiculous. 👎

coastalangler62 🙂
Alfred FJBG

Man, seeing these posts makes me feel like a total idiot for skipping that movie...

Seriously though, just because a flick doesn't have some massive Hollywood marketing machine pushing it doesn't mean it sucks... BTW, wasn't it only in theaters for a little bit...? Or maybe I just totally missed the window... ?

It’ll probably hit the shelves at a local Blockbuster or something pretty soon, so you'll actually have a shot at catching up on what you missed..😉

Forget it, everything is just one big marketing gimmick these days—it's a damn shame..

Sadly, I missed seeing it on the big screen, but I'm planning to catch it at home really soon.

I really love seeing the newcomers arrive, people who feel the need to revive a two-year-old thread just because of one single sentence. It’s not just one topic, either; it's fifteen or twenty of them at once.
Bravo.

That movie hit the DVD shelves ages ago