15 Most Critically Adored Films 2016 - Ranked

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% (168 reviews)

From the same mind that brought moviegoers vampire comedy What We Do in the Shadows, director Taika Waititi, comes Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Kiwi author Barry Crump, it’s a charming adventure comedy-drama about a foul-mouthed orphan with a penchant for hip hop called Ricky (newcomer Julian Dennison), his begrudging guardian Hec (Sam Neill) and the manhunt that follows after they purposefully go missing in the New Zealand bush.

Shot in locations including the Central Plateau and Waitakere Ranges, the movie’s cinematography makes much use of New Zealand’s stunning scenery. It’s the brilliant comedic chemistry between Neill and young Dennison, however, that really makes the movie so winsome and no doubt the basis for its huge success both in New Zealand, where it ranks as the highest grossing homegrown movie, and further afield.