100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 127: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Director: Taika Waititi
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Riama Te Wiata, Rhys Darby, Rachel House

Description: A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid (Julian Dennsion) and his foster uncle (Sam Neill) who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

Review: I wanted to see this film as soon as I saw the trailer and I didn’t disappoint me one bit. A foster kid from the big city and a grouchy bushman are forced to form an unlikely alliance to survive in the New Zealand wilderness. The film is adapted from the book “Wild Park and Watercress”. The movie is in perfect balance, it blends comedy, drama, action and heart all together.
The two leading characters, Ricky and Hector, are polar opposites. Not only because of their age difference, but Ricky is from the big city and Hector is an outdoors man. The intereaction between the two is fun to watch, it’s funny and heartfelt. The young Julian Dennison and acting veteran Sam Neill are fantastic in this film.
The movie is divided in novelistic chapters and has many great moments. My favorite is the scene where they meet Psycho Sam, which is the most hilarious part of the film. But “Hunt for the WIlderpeople” also as some touching moments of drama.
“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is a movie that will probably be overlooked, but this is just one of those gems. I got the chance to see it, if you have that chance too, go see it. It’s a great film!

Rating: 5/ 5