Hunt for the Wilderpeople
| Hunt for the Wilderpeople | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Taika Waititi |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Taika Waititi |
| Based on |
Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Lachlan Milne |
| Edited by |
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Production company |
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| Distributed by | The Orchard |
Release dates |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
| Budget | NZ$ 3 million |
| Box office | NZ$ 6.75 million[1] |
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a 2016 New Zealand film written and directed by Taika Waititi, based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump and stars Sam Neill and Julian Dennison. The film premiered In Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2016.[2] The film opened New Zealand wide on 31 March 2016, setting box office records for highest-grossing opening weekend and highest-grossing first week for a New Zealand film.[3][4]
Plot
Ricky Baker (Dennison), a defiant young city kid, is sent by child welfare services to live in the country with foster aunt Bella and cantankerous foster uncle Hec (Neill). When Bella suddenly passes away and child services decide to take Ricky back to a care home, Ricky runs away into the bush with uncle Hec in pursuit. Child services arrive to find the house empty, and come to the conclusion a bereaved and mentally unstable Hec has abducted Ricky. A national manhunt ensues, and the two have to get over their differences to survive.[5]
Cast
- Sam Neill as Uncle Hec
- Julian Dennison as Ricky
- Rhys Darby as Psycho Sam
- Rima Te Wiata as Aunt Bella
- Rachel House as Paula, the social worker
- Oscar Kightley as Andy, the police officer
- Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne as Kahu
- Troy Kingi as TK
- Cohen Holloway as Hugh
- Stan Walker as Ron
- Mike Minogue as Joe
- Hamish Parkinson
- Lloyd Scott (Scotty from the Crumpy commercials) as a tourist
- Taika Waititi as the Minister
Reception
Box office
The film grossed NZ$1,263,000 in New Zealand on its opening weekend, the highest grossing opening weekend for a New Zealand film, ahead of What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?'s $912,000.[4][nb 1]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, Hunt for the Wilderpeople has a rating of 100%, based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100, based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
Notes
- ↑ While the films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies had higher grossing opening weekends, they do not meet the definition of a New Zealand film per the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978.
References
- ↑ "New Zealand Box Office: April 21–24, 2016". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ↑ Harvey, Dennis. "Sundance Film Review: ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’". Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ↑ "Hunt for the Wilderpeople continues smashing NZ box office records". Stuff.co.nz. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- 1 2 "Hunt for the Wilderpeople breaks Kiwi box office records". Stuff.co.nz. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ↑ "Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople premieres at Sundance Film Festival". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ↑ "Hunt For the Wilderpeople". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ↑ "Hunt For the Wilderpeople". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Original trailer
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople at the Internet Movie Database
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople at NZ on Screen
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople at Rotten Tomatoes
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople at Metacritic
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