By Mac Spain
Author: Mac Spain
So this film is directed by Taika Waititi who previously brought us the quirky and offbeat What We Do in The Shadows and I hope to god I’ve said his name right because this man is responsible for me having such a great time when I went to see this at the cinema! Hunt for the Wilderpeople is easily one of the best films I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this year and why? Because it’s just such a fun movie, from beginning to end I found myself enjoying every moment and I can honestly say there’s not a single thing I would want to change about it.
Now the film is all about a national manhunt that’s ordered for a rebellious young boy and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand brush. There’s some absolutely wonderful shots of the New Zealand landscape throughout the course of the film, but my highest praise would have to go to the characters. This is very much a character driven film and every single one of them is just bursting with likability.
I mean the whole dysfunctional dynamic between this young boy and his foster uncle is really quite engaging, they simply couldn’t be more different to one another and that doesn’t sit well at all to begin with. As time moves on though and circumstances force them to work together, they do end up developing a bond with each other.
If you’ve ever seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom or any film from Wes Anderson for that matter, I think that’d probably be the best comparison to make. I could definitely see in places a kind of Anderson inspired look in Waititi’s direction. It’s not just in the visuals either, but the way humour is played for. A lot of the humour comes from just how eccentric each of the characters are and the unusual things they come out with.
Unfortunately this film hasn’t really been shown at that many cinemas across the UK, but I’d encourage anyone to see it at the first chance they get. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is funny, intelligent, poignant and deserving of so much more attention and praise.
