Rapa Nui is a 1994 film directed by Kevin Reynolds. It was produced by Kevin Costner and Barrie M. Osborne, among others. The plot is based on Rapanui legends of Easter Island, Chile, in particular the race for the Sooty Tern's egg in the Birdman Cult. The historic details of this film are questionable, but the central theme—the destruction of the island's irreplaceable forests—is well authenticated. There are two classes of people; Long Ears and Short Ears. Long Ears, marked by large wooden plugs in their ear lobes and a certain tattoo, are the ruling class. The working-class... Short ears have no ear plugs and a different tattoo. Young men from each Long Ear tribe compete in the annual Birdman Competition. The winner’s tribe gets to rule the island for a year. Ariki-mau has been the Birdman for 20 years. He has a conviction that one day the gods would arrive in a great white canoe and take him to heaven. His advisor tells him to build more and bigger moai statues to curry favor with the gods and encourage them to come sooner. Ariki-mau petulantly rejects the latest statue – which stands over 20 feet tall – as too small.
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| Release date: | April 14, 1994 |
| Directed by: | Kevin Reynolds |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 107 Minutes |
| Producer: | Kevin Costner, Jim Wilson |
| Editor: | Peter Boyle |
| Screenplay by: | Kevin Reynolds, Tim Rose Price |
| Estimated budget: | $20,000,000 |
| Genre: | Action, Adventure |