Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016, New Zealand, classified PG (New Zealand, Australia), PG13 (Singapore), PG-13 (United States), 12A (United Kingdom))
Run time 101 minutes, directed by Taika Waititi, starring Sam Neill and Julian Dennison
Overall rating: 22/25 (★★★★⅖)
Sweet as or not? – Definitely sweet as.
Verdict: Multi-talented director Taika Waititi creates a truly enthralling and memorable experience showcasing the best that New Zealand has to offer.
Watch or Skip? – Watch it when you get the chance to.
Review by J.M. Broad · March 29th, 2021 (March 30th, 2021 NZT)
Kia ora folks, and welcome back to Sweet As?, the review site reviewing stuff with New Zealand panache from a uniquely NZ perspective, so you don’t have to, here for the second time this month and with a review that is not as part of a special. This time, we’re reviewing another film and another adaptation of a book, which is of course Barry Crump’s Wild Pork and Watercress, and the film Hunt for the Wilderpeople made in the land of the long white cloud better known as Aotearoa New Zealand.
Anyway, before we jump into this review, it is as always time for the obligatory disclaimer. If you are not interested in film adaptations of books, or if you do not want to see the New Zealand bush for one hour and forty-one minutes, please go to another corner of the site or leave the site altogether and go to another corner of the Internet.
If you are interested in reading this review, however, please do feel free to continue from this point on.
Now, without further ado, let’s jump straight into the review. Hunt for the Wilderpeople begins as expected, with the obligatory production company logos and that of the New Zealand Film Commission before seguing into a choral soundtrack and a bird’s eye view of the vast New Zealand wilderness, seemingly something straight out of a tourism advertisement and then the opening credits in a modern typeface, as would be the norm for a five-year-old film.
Of course, one thing which I noticed immediately is that the film is divided into chapters that are superimposed in a whimsical typeface adopted as part of this movie’s stylistic elements in a similar manner to a book. Whether this was intended by the director, I do not know (please do tell me if this was intended by the director in the comments section below, making sure to keep it family-friendly), but it makes it all too clear that this is an adaptation of a written work and I feel that we do not need to know the obvious, so immediately this is something of a let-down.
A few minutes later, we are given a glimpse into country life including hunting for a pig, although the slaughtering is replaced with shots of a knife and solid red colour so as to keep it PG, as well as a glimpse of family life complete with a cheesy song and pop culture reference reflecting the mean streets of South Auckland and the cultural impact of hip-hop music before tragedy strikes.
Inevitably, we are given the talk and the reference to classic Kiwi snack foods and beverages like Burger Rings and L&P (that’s Lemon and Paeroa for those of you out there who are not well-versed in Kiwiana), as well as religion in the following sequence which includes a cameo by the director and a jaunty organ number, and then the start of the next ‘chapter’ where we learn more about the characters and the complicated situation they find themselves in, which is expected from what is described as a comedy-drama film.
We finally get much needed comic relief and our first look inside the bush with hallucinations of talking burgers and pavlovas, before yet more references to the mean streets of South Auckland and the cultural impact of hip-hop, which seems to be a recurring theme in this film, as are the perennial Japanese organised poems that are none other than haikus, although further on within the bush sequence the film tends to delve into clichés including the good old campfire and once we encounter a Department of Conservation hut, a mainstay of the New Zealand great outdoors, the divide between young and old demonstrated by looking for mobile data, which does cause it to be a let-down as it lacks uniqueness however still manages to retain the stand-out factor.
Yet more comic relief is provided by mispronunciation leading to a change in ethnicity for one of the main characters before we get to the main bulk of the film, comprising our dynamic duo going walkabout and trying to run away from the law, shown via a montage set to music of both traversing the vast expanse of the bush and visuals of real news outlets, no less.
Much later in the film, with the introduction of secondary characters comes even more cultural references courtesy of NRL team the New Zealand Warriors, and homage to the Light as a Feather advertising campaign for the Cadbury Flake chocolate bar, which will be reviewed on Sweet As? in due course (shameless plug), making the audience feel immersed in New Zealand culture and engaged in the film, although I believe that this movie is in danger of becoming commercialised (luckily, it doesn’t).
On that note, it is now opportune time to move onto the visual effects, which take inspiration from the whimsical and blur reality with fiction through the implementation of footage from Television New Zealand’s 1 News Breakfast programme, social media screengrabs and headlines from RNZ as well as the New Zealand Herald, to name a few.
Throughout the film, the combination of the whimsical and the blurring between reality and fiction, as well as the raw landscapes filmed on location around the great outdoors of Aotearoa (bad news for those of you in the South Island, these are up north in Tāmaki Makaurau and the Central North Island), including the changing of seasons over the course of this epic odyssey add the much-needed stand-out factor to the film and makes it worthy of a tourism advertising campaign showcasing everything that New Zealand has to offer. Kudos are in order to the visual effects crew.
Now, onto the fundamentals of the film, which are the acting, directing and soundtrack respectively. The acting brings together a melting pot of different types, with the main protagonists played by emerging talent Julian Dennison and silver screen veteran Sam Neill, as well as conspiracy theorist ‘Psycho Sam’, played by comedian Rhys Darby who embodies the role perfectly through fear of the government and thinking that the All Blacks are not human, amongst other things.
In terms of the protagonists, their performances are exceptional and they prove throughout this flick that they are a dynamic duo who make this story of adventure, action, going walkabout and eventually the quest to find a huia engaging for the audience and a truly enthralling experience.
Now, for the directing. Award-winning and multi-talented director Taika Waititi, who writes, directs and makes an appearance in the film, as previously mentioned, has adapted this Barry Crump story into a truly enthralling and accolade-worthy experience which deserves full marks, as does the acting and possibly the visual effects by immersing the audience in this epic odyssey and including memorable one-liners, to name a few things. Kudos are in line.
Finally, we move onto the soundtrack. The soundtrack, comprising a multitude of original songs spanning a wide range of styles and genres composed and performed by Moniker, otherwise known as The Phoenix Foundation, is flawlessly set to every moment of this adventure and brings an element of the whimsical to the film, as is somewhat expected, however at times some songs can be construed as borderline kitsch so that is a bit of a let-down.
Last Word
To summarise, Hunt for the Wilderpeople was a truly enthralling experience with acting and directing of the top calibre and with visual effects that blurred the division between reality and fiction effectively and in a much better fashion compared to fellow New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, although the plot is satisfactory and draws upon clichés at times, however it ends with a bang in the form of a vehicular chase sequence featuring the quintessential ute and features one-liners that make this a memorable watch.
The Addendum
Ratings – Acting: 5/5, Soundtrack: 4/5, Visual Effects: 4/5, Plot: 4/5, Directing: 5/5
Overall rating: 22/25 (equates to 4.4 stars overall using Sweet As? star rating calculations criteria)
Sweet as or not? – Definitely sweet as.
Watch or skip? – Watch it when you get the chance to.
How can I watch this film?
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is available on various optical disc formats and some streaming services. Excerpts from the film, along with the trailer, are available on the NZ On Screen website (nzonscreen.com (external link opens in new window)) with other commercials and audiovisual content.
It is also available to purchase and rent on NZ Film on Demand (ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz (external link opens in new window)) along with other films, however this option is only available in Aotearoa New Zealand, and possibly ‘Straya.
A number of television networks also air this film in a periodic manner.
Sweet As? 