Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 27, 2026

Taika Waititi's "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" (2016) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Visions Home Video. The supplemental features on the release include filmed Q&A session; archival audio commentary by Taika Waititi, Sam Neill, and Julian Dennison; making of featurette; original trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The one who got away

Sometimes, you have to lose yourself first to find yourself. Some people swear that it is true. Then they describe very particular experiences that apparently reset their minds and made them see many things differently. Like the world they have been living in. Or their role in it. Or everything they had been sacrificing while pursuing various trivial goals. These experiences, they say, helped them discover a truer, happier version of themselves that most were unaware existed.

Plenty in Taika Waititi’s film Hunt for the Wilderpeople can be rationalized with this statement.

In a lonely corner of the New Zealand bush, Hec (Sam Neill) and Bella (Rima Te Wiata) welcome Ricky (Julian Dennison), a problematic orphan who has spent his entire life moving through various juvenile centers. They are warned by Child Services officials that Ricky will need time to adjust and a lot of love, and then reassured that he can become the son they have always dreamed of. Just hours later, the predictably difficult bonding process begins. Just hours later, the predictably difficult bonding process begins. However, Bella unexpectedly dies, and the same officials from Child Services quickly declare that Ricky can no longer stay with Hec. When Ricky refuses to go back and disappears in the bush, with Hec going after and then joining him, the authorities launch a massive manhunt that quickly becomes the biggest news event in the country.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a collage of absurdist episodes where all major characters are forced to ‘lose’ themselves in a foreign environment. More than two-thirds of the material in these episodes features the two fugitives and, according to the biggest fans of Hunt for the Wilderpeople, is supposed to be very funny. A few somewhat funny bits emerge here and there, but the truth is that virtually all of this material is just awkward. Some of it is awkward by design, and some of it is very awkward because it does not come together as it should.

This is where Hunt for the Wilderpeople becomes a rather intriguing film for a somewhat different reason. Could it be that, like the two fugitives, Waititi also becomes temporarily ‘lost’ in a genre film working with material that is foreign to him? Whether intentionally or not, this is precisely the impression Hunt for the Wilderpeople leaves. As such an intimate project, plenty in Hunt for the Wilderpeople begins to make perfect sense — the awkward overlapping of the funny and the unfunny, the melodrama quickly collapsing into absurdist theater, the random messaging and proper finale.

The only indisputable strength of Hunt for the Wilderpeople is its exploration of New Zealand. Waititi’s camera visits some truly spectacular locations that sell the country in the absolute best way possible. The lush green hills and valleys, the snowy mountains, the barren areas, and distant metropolitan skyline all look breathtaking.

Waititi’s director of photography was Lachlan Milne, who soon after lensed several episodes of the popular TV series Stranger Things.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Visions Home Video's 4K Blu-ray release of Hunt for the Wilderpeople does not have a Blu-ray copy of the film. If you need one, must consider acquiring this Blu-ray release.

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the Blu-ray release linked above. We have not provided downscaled screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray release.

I do not have any older home video releases of Hunt for the Wilderpeople in my collection. I do not have a theatrical experience with it, either. I do not stream, so my first viewing of the film was made possible with the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases.

On the 4K Blu-ray, I viewed the film with HDR and thought it looked rather extraordinary. For example, virtually all of the panoramic outdoor footage had the strengths of what I consider 'reference material'. Delineation, clarity, and especially depth were enormously impressive on my system. Also, I really liked how the HDR grade handled the darker visuals. The expanded color gamut of 4K also helps the 4K presentation look incredibly lush. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the density levels of all visuals remained terrific, too. I did not notice any encoding anomalies to report in our review. The entire film looks immaculate.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. (I viewed a substantial portion of it on the Blu-ray, too). I do not know whether Hunt of the Wilderpeople was finalized with an all-digital soundtrack. However, if it does have an all-digital soundtrack, it would make perfect sense that clarity, sharpness, and balance are so well managed. Dynamic contrasts are good, too. The chase footage at the end has the best of them.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by Taika Waititi, Sam Neill, and Julian Dennison. The more interesting comments address the special locations where different parts of Hunt for the Wilderpeople were filmed, the funny material, and the evolving relationship between the two male stars.

• 10th Anniversary Q&A Session - in this filmed Q&A session, Taika Waititi, Sam Neill, and various other people that worked on Hunt for the Wilderpeople answer questions about the conception and production of the film. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Making of Featurette - a short program featuring interviews with Taika Waititi, Julian Dennison, and Sam Neill, as well as raw footage from the filming of Hunt for the Wilderpeople. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Bloopers - in English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original trailer for Hunt for the Wilderpeople. in English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Poster - original poster for Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

• Cards - four collectible cards.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The outrageously funny film many people describe after viewing Hunt for the Wilderpeople remains elusive to me. I find Hunt for the Wilderpeople intriguing as an experimental, intimate project. However, too many layers of contrasting material make it obvious it was not conceived and shot to impress as such. This 4K Blu-ray release celebrates its 10th anniversary with an outstanding 4K presentation, so if you are a fan, treat yourself with it. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.