FIRST CHOICES
As of 23 November 2024
The following is a list of New Zealand Feature film titles, found on VHS tape, DVD, Blu-ray or Streaming that are my recommendations for "must see" or "first choices".
This is a subjective list and not meant to be any sort of authoritative compulation. Most NZ Film fans will have their favourites, and I do not mean to suggest that yours are not valid.
These are some of mine, for my own reasons. However, a newcomer to New Zealand films should find some excellent entertainment from these films.
They are alphabetically listed for convenience, and not meant to indicate any order of importance, nor do I mean to suggest that titles not included are unworthy of viewing.
The "Top50" scoring is from a 2012 New Zealand Poll of about 1000 New Zealanders, including critics and industry workers. I might also add that the two top New Zealand video stores,
Aro Video of Wellington and Alice in Videoland of Christchurch are mostly in agreement with this list.
NOTE: Link to "Sneak Peek Trailers - New NZ Films soon to be on DVD.
25 April - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2015 - IMDB 7.1
An Angel At My Table - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1990 - IMDB 7.4 - Top50 #17
Bad Blood - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1982 - IMDB 6.5
Beyond Reasonable Doubt - PAL DVD/Streaming - 1980 - IMDB 6.4
Beyond the Edge - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2013 - IMDB 6.8 - FREE
Boy - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2010 - IMDB 7.5 - Top 50 #2
Braindead - aka: Dead Alive - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1992 - IMDB 7.5 - Top50 #21
Bread and Roses - PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1993 - IMDB 7.4(?)
Came A Hot Friday - PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1984 - IMDB 6.4 - Top50 #16 - FREE
Cinema of Unease - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1995 - IMDB 7.3 - FREE
Cousins - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2021 - IMDB 6.9
Daffodils - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2019 - IMDB 5.8
Dark Horse, The - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2014 - IMDB 7.4 - FREE
Dean Spanley - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2008 - IMDB 7.2
Desperate Remedies - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1993 - IMDB 6.6 - Top50 #50
District 9 - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - 2009 - IMDB 7.9
Eagle vs Shark - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2007 - IMDB 6.7 - Top50 #20
End Of The Golden Weather, The - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1991 - IMDB 6.2 - FREE
Fantail - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2013 - IMDB 6.8
Footrot Flats - PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1986 - IMDB 7.0 - Top50 #13
Forgotten Silver - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1995 - IMDB 7.4 - Top50 #40
Fracture - PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 2004 - IMDB 6.3 - FREE
Frighteners, The - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/HD/Blu-ray/Streaming/4k - 1996 - IMDB 7.1 - Top50 #33 - FREE
Goodbye Pork Pie - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1980 - IMDB 6.8 - Top50 #4
Great Maiden's Blush, The - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2016 - IMDB 7.8(?)
Heavenly Creatures - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1994 - IMDB 7.3 - Top50 #5
Her Majesty - NTSC/PAL DVD/Streaming - 2004 - IMDB 6.9
Hibiscus & Ruthless - PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2018 - IMDB 5.8
Hobbit, The: An Unexpected Journey NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - 2012 - IMDB 7.8 - Top50 #39
Hobbit, The: The Battle of the Five Armies - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - 2014 - IMDB 7.4
Hobbit, The: The Desolation of Smaug - 2013 - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - IMDB 7.8
Home by Christmas - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2010 - IMDB 7.1(?) - FREE
Hook, Line & Sinker - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2011 - IMDB 6.2(?) - FREE
Housebound - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2014 - IMDB 6.7 - FREE
Hunt for the Wilderpeople - PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2016 - IMDB 7.8 - FREE
Illustrious Energy - PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1988 - IMDB 7.9(?) - Top50 #34 - FREE
In My Father's Den - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2004 - IMDB 7.4 - Top50 #7
Insatiable Moon, The - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2010 - IMDB 6.7 - Top50 #24 - FREE
Joika aka: The American - PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2023 - IMDB 7.1
Jojo Rabbit - PAL/NTSC DVD/Blu-ray/4K/Streaming - 2019 - IMDB 7.9
Justice of Bunny King, The - PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2021 - IMDB 6.7
King Kong - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - 2005 - IMDB 7.2 - FREE
Lord of the Rings, The - The Fellowship of the Ring - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - 2001 - IMDB 8.9 - Top50 #25
Lord Of The Rings, The - The Return of the King - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - 2003 - IMDB 9.0 - Top50 #23
Lord of the Rings, The - The Two Towers - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/3D Blu-ray/Streaming/4K - 2002 - IMDB 8.8 - Top50 #31
Love Birds - PAL/NTSC DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2011 - IMDB 6.0 - FREE
Lovely Bones, The - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2009 - IMDB 6.6- Top50 #45
Mahana aka: The Patriarch - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2016 - IMDB 7.1
Memory & Desire - PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1997 - IMDB 6.5
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1984 - IMDB 7.2
Mr. Pip - PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2013 - IMDB 7.1 - FREE
Navigator, The - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1988 - IMDB 6.6 - Top50 #29 - FREE
Ngati - PAL DVD/Streaming - 1987 - IMDB 7.5 - Top 50 #28
No. 2 aka: Naming Number Two - NTSC/PAL DVD/Streaming - 2006 - IMDB 6.5 - Top50 #44
Once Were Warriors - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1994 - IMDB 7.9 - Top50 #1
Orator, The - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2011 - IMDB 6.9 - Top50 #37
Out of the Blue - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2006 - IMDB 7.1 - Top50 #14 - FREE
Perfect Strangers - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 2003 - IMDB 5.2 - FREE
Piano, The - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming/4k - 1993 - IMDB 7.5 - Top50 #6
Poi E, The Story of our Song - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2016 - IMDB 7.6
Poppy - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2021 - IMDB 7.1
Power of the Dog, The - NTSC/PAL DVD/Streaming - 2021 - IMDB 6.8
Price of Milk, The - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 2000 - IMDB 6.6
Quiet Earth, The - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1985 - IMDB 6.7 - Top50 #10 - FREE
Rain - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 2001 - IMDB 6.9 - Top50 #26
Rain of the Children - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2008 - IMDB 6.9 - Top50 #38
Red, White & Brass - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2023 - IMDB 7.0
River Queen - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2005 - IMDB 6.0 - Top50 #41 - FREE
Second-Hand Wedding - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2008 - IMDB 6.3 - Top50 #32
Silent One, The - PAL DVD/Streaming - 1984 - IMDB 6.2
Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, The aka: The Rainbow Warrior - NTSC/PAL Laserdisc/DVD - 1992 - IMDB 5.5
Sione's Wedding aka: Samoan Wedding - NTSC/PAL DVD/Streaming - 2006 - IMDB 6.3 - Top50 #18
Sleeping Dogs - NTSC/PAL Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1977 - IMDB 6.3 - Top50 #11 - FREE
Slow West - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2015 - IMDB 6.9
Smash Palace - NTSC/PAL VHS/Laserdisc/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1981 - IMDB 7.0 - Top50 #9
Starlight Hotel - PAL VHS/Laserdisc/Blu-ray/DVD - 1987 - IMDB 7.0
Sylvia - PAL DVD - 1985 - IMDB 6.7(?)
Uproar - PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2023 - IMDB 6.6
Utu/Utu Redux - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1983/2013 - IMDB 6.9 - Top50 #8
Vai - NTSC/PAL DVD/Streaming - 2019 - IMDB 7.4 - FREE
Vigil - PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 1984 - IMDB 6.8 - Top50 #19
Whale Rider - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2002 - IMDB 7.5 - Top50 #3
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted - PAL VHS/DVD/Streaming - 1999 - IMDB 6.3
What we do in the Shadows - NTSC/PAL DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2014 - IMDB 7.6
Whina - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2022 - IMDB 7.2
White Lies - PAL DVD/Streaming - 2013 - IMDB 7.0
Whole of the Moon, The - NTSC/PAL VHS/DVD - 1996 - IMDB 5.9
World's Fastest Indian, The - NTSC/PAL DVD/HD/Blu-ray/Streaming - 2005 - IMDB 7.8 - Top50 #12 - FREE
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