Rent Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
4.0 of 5 from 747 ratings
1h 37min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky (Julian Dennison) gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the grumpy Uncle Hec (Sam Neill), and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family.
- Actors:
- Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Oscar Kightley, Stan Walker, Mike Minogue, Cohen Holloway, Rhys Darby, Troy Kingi, Taika Waititi, Hamish Parkinson, Stu Giles, Lloyd Scott, Selina Woulfe, Mabelle Dennison, Sonia Spyve, Timothy Herbert, Tuss
- Directors:
- Taika Waititi
- Producers:
- Carthew Neal, Matt Noonan, Leanne Saunders, Taika Waititi
- Writers:
- Taika Waititi, Barry Crump
- Studio:
- Signature Entertainment
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Children & Family, Comedy
- Countries:
- New Zealand
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 16/01/2017
- Run Time:
- 97 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.40:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Bloopers
- Featurette
- Director's Commentary
- Making Of
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Reviews (11) of Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Unusual + funny chase movie set in New Zealand bush - Hunt for the Wilderpeople review by PV
At times, this resembles one of those amateurish Children's Film Foundation films from the 1970s. This comes complete with dastardly carton character baddies (the police, child welfare officers, huntsmen).
It's basically a chase movie. So far, so cartoony.
However, the charm of the script + great acting + action lifts this above that. It's an enjoyable movie and great for anyone who wants to see the lush New Zealand landscape.
I do not believe for a minute that ANY social services in NZ or any developed country would behave like this or dump a child with a family consisting of two ex-drifters in the middle of nowhere. But the plot demands it.
Some comic scenes - very visual comedy. Some work, some don't. Some funny wordplay too.
So 4 stars despite the negatives.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Little NZ film - Hunt for the Wilderpeople review by NC
Nice to see fresh film with nobody you know. Done simply and well, with fabulous NZ countryside. Makes a pleasant change from the multi million pound re-hashes with known names that should know better.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Hilarious and moving - Hunt for the Wilderpeople review by CP Customer
One of the most funny, enjoyable, un-PC films I've seen in a long time! I laughed loads, Sam Neill was as usual excellent in his role.
It reminded me of the good times I had tramping in New Zealand.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
Hunt for the Wilderpeople review by Adrijan Arsovski - Cinema Paradiso
In an ocean of superhero over-saturation and explosions galore, Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople comes as a refreshing, albeit all-too-familiar story about how a boy and his quirky uncle beat all odds to finally bond like they’ve supposed to long ago. Think Pixar’s Up, with Sam Neill as a grumpy old man and Julian Dennison playing a kid always hungry for more knowledge and adventure – meets Big Daddy halfway in a feature for both teens and adults to enjoy. Hunt for the Wilderpeople just brims with honesty and soul.
Director Waititi already showcased his talents with his previous feature named What We Do in the Shadows, where he employed a mundane approach to a narrative subject as old as time – vampires. This time, his talents took a turn toward and away from the supernatural, in the form of a family comedy drama about a boy and his uncle on a run. Interesting to note is, as both films very much differ in theme and motifs, their underlying message still manages to remain the same. And it reads ‘honesty prevails at the end, no matter how hard the journey has been and what perils were overcome’. Always nice.
The story is a straightforward hero’s journey from point A to B, with few twists and turns along the way: but even then it surprises how it still manages to stay mostly human. And typical like all journeys the hero embarks on, Hunt for the Wilderpeople loves its antagonists which are somewhat subverted in their appearance as the ‘ones who’re supposed to save the day’. Instead, their main goal is to break the unlikely ongoing bond between an illiterate vagrant and a rebellious young man, which they deem as unacceptable by any and all means on their disposal. Whether they succeed or not, is left to be seen.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is an ambassador for New Zealand’s vast untouched landscape which brings joy even to the cruelest of hearts. The soundtrack is carefully picked and gives away that ethnic feel of nostalgia and yearning for a life in the countryside free of technology and modern distractions. Quickly it becomes clear that our heroes’ journey leads the unlikely rag-tag duo to battle the most dangerous predator of all: nature.
Also, thanks to Sam Neill, his newcomer co-star Julian Dennison is able to show a full spectrum of emotions that make the whole ordeal even more plausible than (I guess) director Taika Waititi has envisioned his project in the first place.
To conclude, and one can say that Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a must see for everyone who’s an uncle or plans to become one in the foreseeable future.