7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush
Starring: Sam Neill, Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, Julian Dennison, Rima Te WiataComing of age | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Note: One salient plot point which probably verges on spoiler territory needs to be discussed in order to offer a comprehensible plot
summary. Those wanting to avoid such a spoiler are encouraged to skip down to the technical portions of the review, below.
Taika Waititi may have finally offered Benedict Cumberbatch some serious competition for most unusual showbiz related name (that’s a joke, of
course), but he’s also been in the news recently for another reason: winning the Academy Award for adapted screenplay for his work on Jojo Rabbit. The attention garnered by Jojo Rabbit
at
the Oscar ceremony in particular but in a wider, more general sense, may encourage some to seek out some of Waititi’s other films, and there’s
probably no sweeter, more charming (if occasionally slightly frightening) place to start than with 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Not to
put too much stock in any similarities between them (since each film is very much its own “animal”, kind of literally in the case of
Hunt
for the Wilderpeople), both Jojo Rabbit and Hunt for the Wilderpeople offer a young, awkward boy trying desperately to fit
in,
and (spoiler alert) both feature the death of a major character who had been nurturing that young boy. However, Hunt for the Wilderpeople
is not a period piece in any way, shape or form, taking place in contemporary times, albeit in the New Zealand “bush” where the lack of
creature comforts (if not a lack of actual creatures) can give the impression the story is unfolding in maybe the 19th century if it weren’t
for
the occasional interruption of modern devices like cellphones, cars and, ultimately, helicopters.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The IMDb lists both Arri Alexa and Red cameras as having been used, but fails to mention at what resolution the DI was finshed (I'm assuming 2K). This is another stunner of a presentation from the typically reliable folks at Sony. Detail levels are excellent across the board, both in close-ups, where elements like the slightly pill-laden fabric of Ricky's red checkered jacket or even the "Eastern European" eyebrows of Hec look precise and well rendered. Perhaps more impressively, in the wide shots featuring tons of jungle like vistas, delineation is typically excellent, as is depth of field, though in a couple of aerial shots, compression seemed just slightly wobbly to me. There are also a couple of kind of odd fluctuations in brightness and contrast, notably once Ricky meets a girl around his same age out in the wilderness, aspects which can intermittently lead to a slight diminution in detail levels and milky black levels.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which derives quite a bit of surround activity both from some really beautiful music (including what sounds like "native" New Zealand ethnic choral music), as well as a glut of naturally placed ambient environmental sounds in the outdoor sequences, which by far make up the bulk of the film. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly, though some of the heavy accents may lead some listeners to utilize the helpful optional English subtitles.
After I recently reviewed Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi's still nascent oeuvre sparked my interest, and I'm so glad to have had the chance to check out this earlier film of his. For my money, this is a more consistently heartfelt and moving film than Jojo Rabbit, and it features absolutely stellar work from Neill and Dennison, as well as some really lustrous cinematography which helps to show off how unbelievably gorgeous New Zealand is. Technical merits are solid, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople comes Highly recommended.
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