Hunt for the Wilderpeople

This was a big surprise for me. I really didn’t know what I was expecting with this movie, but what I got was a sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching story about a man and a foster child reluctantly forming a bond. Meanwhile, everyone else thinks the boy was kidnapped and are on the hunt. What we get is a mixture of comedy, great characters with interesting dynamics, and a look at the New Zealand wilderness.

The kid, Ricky, was quite funny and had lots of great lines, like “Are you gonna manslaughter him?”, which had me laughing out loud on a number of occasions. Sam Neill meanwhile is great is subtly providing us with a character we sympathize with and can cheer for.  Their chemistry works really well also and the way they come to understand each other really works.

The only issues I had with this film are a tonally off cameo by Rhys Darby and the way the story concluded.  I’m not sure how else they cold have ended it, but I think they could have made some different choices with Ricky’s decisions. But otherwise it was movie that really had me emotionally invested. And it has a really funny lord of the rings reference.
9/10