2016 - IN REVIEW: MOST OVERRATED

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE

Every critic and cinema goer that saw this New Zealand comedy seems to have fallen in love with it, calling it hilarious, heart warming, poignant, etc etc. I also had one friend who saw it three times in the cinema within a few weeks, she loved it that much. Personally though I got very little out of this film. I found it flat, dull and I barely even smiled whilst watching it, let alone let out a genuine laugh.

In fairness, I saw the film very late in 2016, so the hype for the film was at its nadir, so I went into watching “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” with very high expectations. Granted this is the baggage I brought into the film, and not necessarily the film's fault, but these expectations didn't get close to being met. I was expecting something genuinely fresh and heart warming, and for its comedy to have a bite to it but alas this was not in the film I watched. The whole thing felt too safe, if that makes any sense, like it had been made to cater for the mass public. There is nothing wrong with this if that is the case, but I like my cinema to have more of an edge without hitting the same generic dramatic beats.

The main issue I had with the film is that I just was not a fan of the main character, Ricky, nor the actor who played him. I felt he was fair too casual in the role and lacked weight, with the exception of the pud around his ribs (don't stress, they make fun of the boy's weight throughout the film, so I should be allowed in my review). I also wasn't impressed with Sam Neill as the grumpy older “uncle”, there was just a disconnect there where I couldn't care about him and the boy nor their journey together. And if you are not a fan of these two characters, that's a problem, because they are the crux of the film.

The one character I did love though was the “Auntie” character, who is played by Rima Te Wiata, who also played a very similar role in the superior New Zealand horror/comedy “Housebound”. She is actually hilarious in her role, with her heart of gold and kind hearted ribbing of the boy, but her screen time is limited and once she leaves the film, so does all its fun.

I know I sound like a grouch with my assessment of “Hunt of the Wilderpeople”, as it is meant to be a fun, light comedy with heart, but sadly I found none of this and as such think its the years most overrated film by far. However in saying this, I'm obviously in the minority when it comes to this opinion.  I also should say that I found director Taika Waititi's previous film "What We Do In The Shadows" to be slightly overrated too, so this may be a case where I'm just not the same wavelength as the directors.