The Hunt for the Wilderpeople came to my attention earlier this year. I missed my chance to see it in the theater, but decided to buy it on Vudu. I convinced my wife to watch it with me and we both ended up enjoying it. The film has some beautiful shots as well as a great story supported by equally successful performances. I give Hunt for the Wilderpeople the Must See rating.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a fun and heartfelt story
Ricky (Julian Dennison) is a troubled youth who has bounced around from foster home to foster home finally finding a family that loves him. Bella (Rima Te Wiata) and Hec (Sam Neill) take Ricky in and slowly win him over. However, after the family dynamic changes, Hec and Ricky run off into the New Zealand bush. Paula (Rachel House), from child services, orders a manhunt to return the two fugitives and put Ricky back in the system and Hec in jail.
There is definitely some nostalgia with the casting of Sam Neill for this film. In essence, the story is about a man, who isn’t exactly fond of kids, stuck in the bush while evading hunters with a somewhat obnoxious youth. It may sound similar to Jurassic Park and there are definitely comparisons that can be made minus the dinosaurs.. However, the story of this film is different and the tone is definitely not the one Spielberg created in the latter. The young Julian Dennison does an outstanding job and the connection with Neill is so organic. I loved so many moments in this film and Neill subtle facial expressions and body language made me laugh multiple times. Julian reminded me of a much more talented, or at least a less annoying, Andy Milonakis.
I’ve only seen two of Taika Waititi’s films so far, but this film has made me a fan. The setting of New Zealand definitely created some beautiful sweeping shots. One of my favorite elements were his shots to show the passing of time. Rather than just doing a montage he spliced a series of shots together to seem like one long take moving from left to right. However, characters, often the same ones, would appear in frame at the same time. It created the effect of moving forward while giving it a visually appealing way.
I’m looking forward to seeing what he is able to do with Thor Ragnarok next year. I hope Marvel gives him some room to be himself. His style reminds me a bit of Edgar Wright. He seems to do more visually with comedy than a lot of other comedy films out there, which is one of Wright’s talents.
If you love good stories that really reflect on reality than you owe it to yourself to see this movie. You’ll laugh, cry, and walk away feeling extremely satisfied. This movie can appeal to the avid film nerds and the casual movie watcher. I consider this to be one of the best films of the year. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison were fantastic and delivered a memorable performance.
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