A national manhunt is front and center for the most unlikely of friendships, in “Hunt For the Wilderpeople”. Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky (Julian Dennison) gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. With opportunities more beautiful and expanding socially than ever before, Ricky quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata), the cantankerous 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 dangerous bush. As a national manhunt ensues, including officers from surrounding towns, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. It’s the ultimate test of friendship, and how far we go to make a difference for the ones who deserve another chance. “Hunt For the Wilderpeople” is directed by Taika Waititi, and is rated PG-13 for thematic elements including violent content, and for some adult language.
Beneath its comedic layer of positive energy, “Hunt For the Wilderpeople” is a film that explores many themes (Mostly adult) for the deconstruction of a family. This is a very well made movie on a technical and script level, that goes far beyond the limitations that independent comedies suffer from. Make no mistake about it, this movie is first and foremost a comedy. I released some hearty laughs for the brutally honest exchange between Dennison and Neill, and that tone couldn’t be more appropriate for a movie that deals with awkwardness at a young age so brilliantly. Ricky is an outcast, so Waititi focuses quite often on the very reactionary deliveries that Dennison delivers on in a rich and hilarious manner. The first act really kicked this movie off with a bang, and it’s in the introduction to our main protagonist where the movie grabs its audience right away, by forcing you to embrace the lovable loser who has been bounced around his entire life, starving for the affections of love. The second act does suffer a tad from that humor turning a little conventional, albeit mainstream in its delivery. This isn’t a major problem, but it makes the punchlines during most of this transition feel forced or even expected. Luckily, it doesn’t stay in this ideal for too long, as the finale of the movie returns to the unpredictable status that made a majority of this movie a very delightful sit.
On a technical level, Waititi crafts a visual business card that echoes the praises of this man being one of the most adventurous and experimental filmmakers of the 21st century. It was in “What We Do In the Shadows” where we really got a taste for what Taika can do visually to embrace his original side to camera tricks and angles, but it’s in this film where he perfects such beautiful and alluring takes throughout the movie. There’s several continuous panning shots throughout the film that serves as a transitional montage throughout Ricky and Hec’s adventure in the wild. What is so interesting about this is how the edge of the screen never feels like a cutting of the angle, and everything continues, sometimes with the same character being shown multiple times in the very same shot. This establishes so much storytelling and time deposition in one single shot, and it was easy to follow because these shots take their time with the events that they are telegraphing. Another awesome shot was a quick pan-out after a crisp edit. This is where the movie will focus on something entirely new during the next scene, and then it jumps out about ten feet to put us in the shoes of someone within the movie in real time. Taika is smart enough to never use this angle too frequently, but I would be a liar if I didn’t say I asked for it mentally on more than one occasion. Without spoiling anything else, the movie also does some very crafty takes on some gorgeous landscape wide-angle shots that relate to the audience the very immense portion of land that our characters travel through, quite often offering a surprise behind every tree.
My only problem with the visuals in the movie was a CGI boar that appeared in the movie for a couple of minutes. To anyone who has watched the trailer, this scene sticks out like a sore thumb amongst a movie that is shot entirely on location, with green landscapes. The outlines on this boar are terribly shaded, almost to the point of feeling like you are watching a video game. I would’ve been perfectly fine with this scene being cut, but when I thought about it, I realized that the ending of this scene is one of many adult themes that the movie takes on. It’s all very important to the maturing of Ricky’s character, I just could’ve done without how distracting the computer-generated animal felt to the impactful scene.
The relationship between Ricky and Hec is the most important aspect of this movie, and through their relationship the movie feels the easiest to lose yourself and feel fully invested. After the big bombshell happens during the first act, we quickly learn how important these two are to the other’s survival. Besides Ricky being a troubled youth, we embrace his character because we see the kind of potential that his Auntie did, complete with endless charisma that is out of this world for a child actor. As Ricky, Dennison has impeccable comedic timing, as well as a somber innocence that makes him instantly likeable. As for Neill, this is his best delivery since “In the Mouth of Madness”. What adds to the other side of the acting spectrum that “Madness” did alike, is here Sam plays everything kind of quiet. His actions speak louder than words, and as a straight man to Ricky’s joker personality, Neill slowly peels back a flower of suppressed emotion that finally allows him to open up to another individual. It’s the film that focuses on the importance of finding a place where you belong, but it’s in the performances of these two brilliant minds where the movie allows the audience into that special place. That bond touched me in a way that was so much more important than just casual laughs.
“Hunt For the Wilderpeople” is a brilliantly acted, beautifully crafted diatribe about the importance of family and breaking away from your comfort zone. The film is a well-stitched gem, combining the best of an energetic road movie and the depth of a coming-of-age story. Waititi is the teacher of such a warm-hearted lesson, and it’s through this latest dramedy where Taika shows us the importance of affection in script.
8/10