Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Written & Directed by Taika Waititi
Starring: Sam Neil, Julian Dennison, Rhys Darby, Rima Te Wiata, and Rachel House
Special Features: Commentary with Director Taika Waititi and Actors Sam Neil & Julian Dennison, Behind the Scenes, Blooper Reel
From the box: Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh new start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the Loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family.
This one snuck up on me. I went in not knowing anything about it. I hadn’t even seen a trailer. All I knew was that Sam Neil was in it and I didn’t even realize that was him on the cover at first glance. Boy, was I in for a treat.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a fantastic movie. Start to finish it’s a blast to watch.
Sam Neil and Julian Dennison have such a fantastic chemistry together. They are hilarious and heartfelt which is a great way to describe the film as well. They’re just two of a cast full of fantastic performers. I laughed out loud numerous times, especially courtesy of Julian Dennison, who is a star in the making, and Rachel House who was absolutely hysterical.
Wilderpeople is one of the best films of 2016 and features a top notch script and great direction from Taika Waititi. I’m definitely going to be watching for more from him (he is also responsible for the already cult classic What We Do In The Shadows).
The DVD has a few features including commentary and a pretty funny blooper reel. I would have loved to have seen much more in terms of features but the movie was so great it almost doesn’t matter. I think at the end of the day 2016 will go down as being a great year for world cinema with movies like
Hunt for the Wilderpeople and
Closet Monster nearing the top of the lists (don’t be surprised if both of these films end up near the top of my Best of 16).
You can see
Hunt for the Wilderpeople on DVD now with a blu-ray coming in just a few weeks. This is a definite must see film so get out there and get your hands on it.
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Garon Cockrell is the Founder and Editor of Pop Culture Beast and host of The Pop Culture Beast Show. He founded the site over seven years ago to have a place on the internet to write about the things he loved. Since then, Garon has become a best-selling author (Demonic and Other Tales), an award winning screenwriter (Best Screenplay 2013 Motor City Nightmares Film Festival), and a cast member on the top rated podcast, Never Not Funny.
