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Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Adventure · Comedy · Drama · 2016

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

Movie details

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

“Nature just got gangster.”

2016 Adventure · Comedy · Drama 1h 41m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Hunt for the Wilderpeople?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Nicholas Nickleby

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Walkabout

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Oliver Twist

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Drama · 1948

When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble, for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger and his criminal mentor, Fagin. When kindly Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes plots to kidnap the boy.

The Magnificent Seven

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Western · 1960

An oppressed Mexican peasant village hires seven gunfighters to help defend their homes.

The Cowboys

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Brigsby Bear

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Taika Waititi

Written by

Taika Waititi

Sam Neill

Sam Neill

Hec

Julian Dennison

Julian Dennison

Ricky

Rima Te Wiata

Rima Te Wiata

Bella

Rachel House

Rachel House

Paula

Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne

Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne

Kahu

Oscar Kightley

Oscar Kightley

Andy

Stan Walker

Stan Walker

Ron

Court is in session

Put Hunt for the Wilderpeople on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.