Taika Waititi’s family comedy, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, might not be his most buzzed-about film at the moment—the adventures of a god and a Hulk are currently commanding most of the attention—but that’s likely to change now that a trailer has been released. The What We Do In The Shadows co-director sends his mismatched fugitives on a fraught yet hilarious journey through the New Zealand rainforest where they bond in spite of themselves, which bodes well for the purported “superhero buddy film” tone of Thor: Ragnarok.
Ricky (Julian Dennison) ends up in Hec’s (Sam Neill) foster care, though the latter would prefer to leave the child-rearing to his wife Bella (Rima Te Wiata, from the ’90s Full Frontal TV series). Ricky and his “Uncle” become the titular wilderpeople after an injury leaves them stranded in the wilderness, which causes Ricky to miss some kind of check-in with a Child, Youth and Family department employee (Eagle Vs. Shark’s Rachel House). The city-bred Ricky isn’t quite cut out for being on the run, though—as House’s character notes, he’s like a pre-pull-ups Sarah Connor.
That’s only one of many funny moments in the trailer, which also sees Ricky and Hec ask a recluse (Waititi-film regular Rhys Darby) for assistance in evading the “law.” The film premiered at Sundance, and will be released in theaters on March 31.