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| A wide variety of elements are placed in and around a big bush that the two leads stand in front of on this infectious poster for Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople |
Ricky Baker is an orphan and a rebel boy, who is placed with a married couple in New Zealand's bush land, but when their situation there alters, the authorities want to move the boy again ...
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is written, co-produced and directed by great New Zealander filmmaker Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark (2007)), who also has a part in the film, with Tearepa Kahi (Taua (2007, short)). It is an adaptation of Barry Crump's (Song of a Drifter (1996)) novel Wild Pork and Watercress (1986).
Waititi has created a true favorite and winner here, a heart-warming, very vivid and uplifting film with a light approach to life. The charismatic firecracker Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2 (2018)) as Ricky Baker exceeds all expectations. Sam Neill (The Piano (1993)) is splendid as uncle Herc, and several of the scenes that the two share are pure gold. In smaller roles Rhys Darby (Wild Life (2020, TV-series)) shines as Psycho Sam, and Rachel House (Millie Lies Low (2021)) as the child welfare worker and Oscar Kightley (Moana (2016)) as her sidekick Andy the police officer, - as well as Waititi himself in the part as the minister, - are hilarious, the latter in the film's funeral scene.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople has an inspired score (by Lukasz Pawel Buda, Samuel Scott and Conrad Wedde (Boy (2010), all)) and musical choices, a wild boar attack with impressively good-looking effects, and lots of breathtaking wild nature and photography (by Lachlan Milne (Minari (2020))), which also makes the film a great nature-lover's pleasure. This is a must-see.
Related posts:
Taika Waititi: The day after ... the 2020 Oscars
2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2017 in films - according to Film Excess
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - Waititi injects franchise with a colorful, 1980s-infatuated, fun-filled blast
Eagle vs Shark (2007) - Waititi's witty if flawed debut
Flight of the Conchords - season 1 (2007) - Oddball musical comedy with NZ favorites a hit
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 4.5 mil. NZ$, approximately 2.8 mil. $
Box office: 23.9 mil. $
= Mega-hit (returned 8.53 times the cost)
[Hunt for the Wilderpeople was released 22 January (Brazil + Sundance Film Festival) and runs 101 minutes. Waititi began working on his adaptation in 2005. 2 mil. NZ$ of the film's budget was from the New Zealand Film Commission. Shooting took place around June 2015 in New Zealand. The film opened #33 to a 78k $ first weekend in 5 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #15 and in 200 theaters (different weeks), grossing 5.2 mil. $ (21.8 % of the total gross). North America was the film's 3rd biggest market. Its two biggest were Australia with 8.3 mil. $ (34.7 %) and New Zealand with 8.1 mil. $ (33.9 %). The film was the first local film to gross more than 1 mil. NZ$ in its opening film and is the highest-grossing New Zealand film to date. Waititi returned with Team Thor (2016, video), Team Thor: Part 2 (2017, video) and theatrically with Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Neill returned in Tommy's Honour (2016); Dennison in Love and Time Travel (2016). Hunt for the Wilderpeople is certified fresh at 97 % with a 7.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Hunt for the Wilderpeople?
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