Hunt for the Wilderpeople

I saw this movie last night in Hokitika. There was a queue outside, which caused comment enough amongst the locals, as this never happens. The cinema was packed with an amazing demographic of people, for example, on one side of me were toddlers with their Mums, on the other a lone hunter-type and behind me a group of retired farmer ladies. I think this speaks volumes on the draw of this film. To put it simply, it ticks all the right boxes. Everyone in Aotearoa (NZ) will know these characters in some form or another; from the gruff old bushman, to the earthy mother figure and the chillaxed cop. It is that familiarity that makes it more engrossing and funny. But not just here, its mix of subtle bathos and pathos will make it universally appealing, of that I am certain. In short: Good on ya, Taika! 'Marvellous' film!

New Wes Anderson?/ Live action Pixar's Up?/ Herzog road trip flick?/

All these things and more/ Hunt for the Wilderpeople/ Is one of a kind/

Taika Waititi/ Blends Conchords' quirky humour/ With blunt honesty/

It's an oft-told plot/ Here, stripped of (most) cliché, and/ Adorably sharp/

No adoption tale/ Treats its heartwarming heartbreak/ With such frank sweetness/

In Waititi's world/ Rude haikus voice real trauma/ Death is nonchalant/

He finds poignant joy/ In the saddest images/ Peace in a barn fire/

But lost in the woods/ With a brave dog named Tupac/ Old man and boy heal/

Learning life lessons/ In New Zealand's lush splendour/ As they hide their poop/

Good ol' grumps Sam Neill/ And Julian Dennison/ Are pricelessly cute/

Wry, no-nonsense laughs/ Battling boar and Rachel House/ Gleeful cartoon foe/

As the pace ramps up/ Tender character beats meet/ Thelma and Louise/

And a denouement/ So crisply wholesome there'll be/ Something in your eye/

A tiny triumph/ Mighty but unpretentious/ With humongous charm/

One of the year's best/ Don't miss these Wilderpeople/ The skux life chose you!

-9/10

A brilliant funny movie that still respects the sadness that happens in life but tries to show you that fun and laughter can still be our main focus.

I think this is the best so far of Taika Waititi's films and recommend it to anyone to see. I saw it after a long-tiring week at work and I half expected to nod off in the cinema theatre because I was so tired. But I didn't. I laughed and chuckled most of the way through the film and came away re-energized and very happy I had gone.

Would see again if the opportunity came up, which is likely as most of my friends are raving about it and a few are wanting me to go with them to see it again!

Kiwi director Taika Waititi of "Boy" and "What We Do In the Shadows" fame will shortly be stepping into the big leagues directing the next "Thor" movie.

In the meantime he has conjured up another slice of real Kiwi life on a budget that would probably fail to cover the catering bill for his new movie. Waititi translates Kiwi writer Barry Crump's book into a screenplay full of Kiwiana, irony and humour.

We meet Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) as the local police (Oscar Kightley) and "enthusiastic" Child Care worker "Paula" (Rachel House), attempt to rehouse the young Maori lad with his new adoptive foster parents. "Aunt Bella" (Rima Te Wiata), child loving and with a heart of gold together with husband "Hec" (Sam Neill), a loner bushman with little desire to house a young delinquent.

Ricky's long list of offences are mentioned, including "smashing stuff and throwing rocks" but Paula is very determined, oft repeating her personal motto, "no child left behind".

The opening scene sets the tone perfectly, as Ricky carefully surveys his new accommodation and quietly returns to the police car.

Despite finding his new basic rural surroundings somewhat bewildering, including a gloriously bloody wild pig hunt, Ricky starts to become part of the family as he is showered by Aunt Bella's practical love and understanding.

Following an event, Ricky and Hec strike out on their own into the New Zealand bush as a national man hunt for the pair commences. Can they get on, will Hec's heart eventually melt, if indeed he can find it? This is a comedy drama with emphasis on the humour with incompetent hunters, crazy bushmen (Rhys Darby) and comical situations. However framed with underlying sadness and a serious story under pinning the whole endeavour. The tone is reminiscent of director Waititi's' "Boy" and manages to stay consistent throughout. Waititi even allowing himself a brief cameo, to great comedic effect.

There are plenty of belly laughs for those that understand and know New Zealand well. Neill essaying your everyday "she'll be right" Kiwi bloke, whilst providing a much needed straight man to all the shenanigans.

Some scenes are pushed too far, with Paula's quest going to ridiculous length's for the sake of comedy and Darby overbalancing his scenes with his usual shtick. Somehow with the solid anchor of Dennison's fresh performance and Neill's experience, the ship manages to stay the right way up.

The New Zealand bush is shown in all it's glory with the addition of a great choral track to accompany the shots of the overhead tree canopy.

Overall a much more approachable and enjoyable film than "Shadows" which will play especially well with Kiwi's and Australians but does have broader appeal.

Summary

Hugely enjoyable comedy adventure with serious undertones and represents a real return to form for Waititi. It's also good to see Sam Neill on the big screen again, opposite a great new young talent.

Taika Waititi is starting to make some real waves in the film making industry. It's as simple as this - every film he makes, people like. In fact, people like them so much he's been trusted with the directorial duties in the next 'Thor' film 'Thor: Ragnarok'. That's big and shows people trust him with making their film. That decision was made prior to the release of 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' but I can confirm that this film will do his reputation no harm. In fact it's going to do it a lot of good. It's a very fine film and in my opinion his best yet.

I thoroughly enjoyed 'What We Do in the Shadows' but my one qualm with it was I felt it lacked a story to drive the humour. The man learns from his errors fast though and there is no such problem here. The story, while simple, is a driving force and makes sure things never get mundane or boring. Also helping this is a terrific cast of actors. Julian Dennison in the lead role blew me away and showed comedic timing far beyond his years. Sam Neill was as fantastic as ever and every cameo throughout is terrific and hilarious in its own way.

The film not only manages to make us laugh though, it also has a heart. There are some very sad and moving elements to the film which are handled exquisitely by Waititi. He makes us think and sobers us occasionally but never takes us away from the fun time we're having with the story. There's a lot more to the film than I expected going in. It has layers and works on a lot of levels. I can't say enough good things about this film. An absolute pleasure to sit through.