Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Captivating movie !

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Ricky (Julian Dennison) is an aboriginal, delinquent teenager who is transferred among foster homes in urban New Zealand. His newest foster assignment is in a farm near the wilderness. After a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, Ricky and the man of the house (Sam Neill) live in the bush as they are hunted down by government authorities.There is an early disappointment in the film when a likeable, eccentric character disappears too soon. Also, the plot device of an "old grouch" unlikely bonding with a misunderstood teenage boy has been done many, many times before.Despite these complaints, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is still an enjoyable movie. This is mainly because of Dennison's and Neill's performances - both individually and in their mutual chemistry. The film also gives credibility to a repeated theme: that bureaucrats rarely (if ever) give outcasts the help they need but still try to dominate their lives. Near the end, there is also a nostalgic reminder of "Thelma and Louise".With some good humour and the beauty of the New Zealand wilderness, this movie comes off as rather gratifying.

From New Zealand's best director, Waititi ('Eagle Vs Shark', 'Boy', 'What We Do in the Shadows'), comes 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople', which is a title that doesn't make much sense, but when explained with kid logic, it does - "Wildebeest walk thousands of miles. Feels like we've walked that may too. That must make us Wilderpeople!" Simple premise - Ricky (Dennison) is an orphan adopted by Bella (Te Wiata) and Hector (Neill), but when Bella dies unexpectedly, Child Services want to put Ricky back in 'juvie', so he runs away into the bush, where Hector has to protect him.There's so many things to like about this film - the score is great, the little chapter subtitles keep the pace moving, the visuals are stunning (or "majestical"), being filmed on New Zealand's north island, there's plenty of great jokes/quips and, most importantly, there's lots of heart. There's some nice sentimental moments and some sad ones, handled equally as well as the comedy. The bond formed by Hector and Ricky isn't forced or fake - it happens naturally and you become really attached to the characters, since it's mostly the two of them throughout.But there's still some time for some good support cast - Paula (House) as the 'Terminator'-like Child Services Officer hunting them down, Waititi himself as the priest and "Psycho" Sam (Darby). Probably my only criticism is that the film needed more Rhys Darby! It's great to see Neill understated and slowly shed his shell, but the film belongs to Dennison - chirpy, optimistic in spite of his ordeals and genuinely funny.

The first half an hour of this movie is very good. Some scenes are hilarious, the characters are very interesting and you just get caught up into the whole story. But then they kill off the most interesting character (the aunt) and what you get after that is a New Zealand version of "Up". It was so refreshing to see a female character with such humor and joy and rich personality like the aunty character. And then you are left with the cliché of an old grumpy man and a problematic fat kid, that didn't lose a single pound during God knows how many months of living in the bushes. OK, the story is alright, but the jungle chase gets just boring at some point and the dialogues weren't that interesting as in the beginning. The movie ends with a spectacular car chase with explosions like it was some cheap action movie. That was quite disappointing for me. But nevertheless, it's an amusing movie to watch.

Such a lovely heartwarming film, highly recommend.The cast is fantastic and all the beats are on point.Looking forward to seeing what the director does with Thor: Ragnarok.This film had me glued from start to finish.Sequel?...