Review:

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is an unexpectedly heartfelt comedy that hits all of Taika Waititi's usual Kiwi humor but is a little overbalanced towards drama. After seeing Julian Dennison in Deadpool 2, I was afraid he would be as loud of a character here, but while he is consistently hilarious, he is certainly a more toned down and real character. Sam Neill is really good too, but Dennison is easily the star. Wilderpeople does have pacing issues and there are a few scenes we could cut; it's only an hour and fort minutes, but towards the end it starts to drag. The story is pretty good, although not much really happen in the bigger picture and there are some questionable decisions and plot issues. The characters are what really pull Hunt for the Wilderpeople through. Every actor and actress does a great job and really embrace their character and no one really feels like a "movie character." I would have liked to see a a more gradual evolution in Dennison's character, but it's a minor thing. It's a shame that Hunt for the Wilderpeople didn't get much attention state-side, but now that Waititi has Thor: Ragnarok under his belt, I think it enough people (myself included) going through his backlog to get Wilderpeople a little more love.