Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Director: Taika Waititi

Cast: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rachel House, Rhys Darby, Cohen Holloway, Rima Te Wiata

Genre: Comedy

Year: 2016

'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' is a heartfelt comedy that portrays rebellious orphan Ricky Baker's adventure when he and his foster father get lost in the woods, whilst trying to escape and outwit the outside world.



Waititi recently became known to mainstream audience through his direction of the hilarious Marvel super-hero film 'Thor: Ragnarok'; however, this was hardly his first film, despite probably being the one which gained him the most public attention. 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' was initially released at the Sundance Film Festival and does show Waititi's ability to direct a diverse selection of films. Its style is very similar to that of 'Ragnarok', with his witty humour seeping through every line of its slick dialogue, yet the film remains unquestionably unique.
Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is moved into foster care where he lives with jovial Bella (Te Wiata) and her bitterly reserved husband, Hector (Sam Neill), Auntie and Uncle to Ricky, respectively. However, when Bella unexpectedly dies, Ricky learns that he must be taken back into child care of which he refuses by running away into the wild, only to get lost. Hector manages to find him and tries to escort him home, but when through an argument between the two leads to Hec fracturing his ankle, they both resort to surviving within the vast forest, known as 'The Bush'.
Simultaneously, the rampant Child Welfare representative Paula, who goes to any means to track down Ricky, is after the both of them, threatening imprisonment for Hector and a not so dissimilar fate for Ricky. Thus, this crafts an intricate and charmingly hilarious cat-and-mouse, survival adventure film.

As said before, the writing in 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' is sensational. Helmed by auteur Taika Waititi, he delivers plenty of humour through his excellent screenplay, with jokes that provide chuckles to absolute belly laughter. This keeps the film in constant high spirit and never feels dull or slow paced at any moment. Unfortunately, some sections do admittedly feel somewhat rushed or the passing of time feels fairly instantaneous with not much apparent indication, unless it is stated by characters. Additionally, sometimes key events might feel briefly explored only to move onto another point within the film, but don't underestimate the movie's capability to inject relevant emotion when necessary. On several occasions it takes the opportunity to develop the gradual relationship between Ricky and Hector, who start off despising each other, yet they slowly begin to tolerate the other's quirks and become closer friends. This development really works within the film and gives a greatly satisfying arc for both the characters, despite all the tragedy and struggles they had to face and overcome. Both Ricky and Hector, being the key protagonists within the film, are instantly likable and memorable, and this is the same for the majority of the other well written characters throughout the film.

The plot does twist and turn constantly, regularly changing course of where the audience might predict it is heading. It introduces us to more quirky, unique and eccentric characters throughout, who all insert their own personalities within the film and always steers away from potentially making the story irritating, repetitive or predictable. This is indication of great screenwriting and the whole of the supporting cast are just as exceptional and memorable as the main characters.
The antagonist, Paula, also is memorable, although far from likable. She, alongside the rest of the police force, encapsulate the common comedic film stereotype that shows the police being fairly incompetent and foolish, which adds its own charm. Paula has to tolerate many unintelligent colleagues, herself not being much better anyway, which shows how the film utilises comedy from both perspectives.

The setting of the film is magnificent, the cinematography capturing beautiful landscapes of New Zealand for the backdrop of the adventure. The imagery is rarely less than this standard and presents the viewer with jaw dropping shots, hardly dissimilar to what 'Lord of the Rings' accomplished through their cinematography; however, 'Wilderpeople' doesn't possess the fantastical element.
Speaking of other films, there are several references to other movies and pop culture which are regularly used effectively and again, add their own humour to the film.
It is a surprisingly good mixture of genres - comedy, with a satire upon survival techniques, merged with an element of action, with dashes of emotion lacing the entire plot together incredibly efficiently.

In terms of the film's action aspect, the third act delivers an unexpected action set piece for its finale which still manages to contain the same charm the rest of the film has, while at the same time depicting some impressively intense car chases, etc. The third act works as well as it does because of the brilliant development of Ricky and Hector's relationship which makes the end have more heart and emotion.

Ultimately, this film delivers some excellently written screenplay, with witty humour, strong emotion and a whole range of other feelings. While sometimes the pacing feels a little off, the film nevertheless shines as a 'majestical' achievement for Waititi, who will no doubt continue to progress within the film industry.

Verdict: 8/10