Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Directed by: Taika Waititi | 97 minutes | adventure, comedy, drama | Actors: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Oscar Kightley, Stan Walker, Mike Minogue, Cohen Holloway, Rhys Darby, Troy Kingi, Taika Waititi, Hamish Parkinson, Stu Giles, Lloyd Scott

New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi, who is currently making waves with the third ‘Thor’ film – ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ – has a funny, light-hearted style with an eye for characters. This was also seen in his mockumentary ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, which depicts the daily worries of a group of somewhat goofy vampires trying to find their place in the modern age. No matter how special or dryly funny the situations in which the characters found themselves, Waititi still managed to illuminate the characters in a loving way, so that as a viewer you actually got a bond with them. The latter also happens in his ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’, a drama / fairy tale / farce about the rebellious orphan Ricky (Julian Dennison) who bonds with his gruff foster father, ‘Uncle’ Hec (Sam Neill) and through a misunderstanding the New Zealand bush has to flee from the authorities. The film looks nice, is quite comical in its time, but lacks the ‘bite’ of the aforementioned vampire film.

‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ quickly gets a laugh when ‘real bad egg’ Ricky Baker is dumped by child protection in a hut on the moor – ok, the New Zealand bush – because no one else wants him. A quick montage shows what he has up his sleeve – most of it fairly innocent: ‘stealing’, throwing with things, more stealing – but Bella (Rima Te Wiata) doesn’t care. She just smiles lovingly and looks at him slightly mockingly as the uninterested Ricky circles the cottage and sits back in the back of the child protection car without saying a word. But he has no choice and is sentenced to his new foster home.

Those first awkward moments in Ricky’s new house are perhaps the most fun. When they all (briefly) sit at the table, when Ricky goes to his bedroom and we hear Bella (from the hallway) explain what is and is in the room. And when Ricky runs off as fast as he can, but Bella finds him sleeping on a hill two hundred yards away the next morning. Running away is not as easy as it seemed. But from that moment on, the film actually flattens out a bit. Bella and Ricky bond very quickly and the predictable situation where the clashing Ricky and Hec (or ‘Hic’ as they pronounce it in New Zealand) are assigned to each other and slowly but surely become friends, also happens very quickly. .

Fortunately, the dryly comedic Kiwi humor of many characters is very infectious and the atmosphere sympathetic. The New Zealand landscapes are of course attractive. ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ is a nice mix of genres and movies, with a bit of ‘First Blood’ and ‘Thelma & Louise’ and similar in style to Wes Anderson’s films. There are some nice comedic moments in the film. Ricky’s often unpoetic haiku, for example, are amusing and the episode in which he goes to seek help on his own and comes across a relaxed young horsewoman, whom he falls in love with instantly, is amusing. Especially when she takes him to her father’s house, who recognizes Ricky from a police report and wants to take all kinds of selfies with him, the chuckle is blown.

Unfortunately, there are also very bland parts in the film, with deadly jokes or forced misunderstandings; for example, when Ricky says that Hec let him do all kinds of things, but that he had to ‘play with himself’, after which Hector is of course called a child molester / abuser. Also an idiotic, anarchic hermit that our friends encounter is a hit and miss. Disguised as a bush, he reminds of a pleasantly deranged Monty Python character, but his antics never get really fun.

Dramatically, it could have gone a little deeper or been better developed. From Ricky’s background we only hear snatches. Why has he (became) such a problem child and how has he formed his character? Where does his love for hip hop come from, for example? He does throw in some cool hip hop or slang now and then, which is funny, but it doesn’t seem to have much of a basis. The same goes for Hec’s character and, ultimately, the bond they build together. This one is surprisingly believable and touching by the skilled actors, but there could have been a lot more here. Much of it has to do with the style of the film. Throwing a little bit of everything into a mix doesn’t make it serious enough (especially when the movie’s ending is approaching) to really feel a lot for the characters or worry about their fate, but also not hilarious enough to make a quirky become a cult classic. Ultimately, the film offers great entertainment for the whole family and boasts beautiful performances, but it’s just not original, humorous or deep enough to really make an impression.