Film reviewer Nick Scott shares more of his observations and comments. This time it’s the locally made and directed film The Legend of Baron To’a.
From the advertising on television, you would think The Legend of Baron To’a was a simple comedy about a Tongan businessman coming home to Auckland and having to retrieve his father’s, the famous wrestler Baron To’a’s, lost wrestling belt, It is not that simple. 
The movie starts off as you might expect but the twists in the story and the other characters give the film a nice complexity. It really is a thinking person’s story, It may seem simple on the surface but not if you ask questions like, Is that action the right thing? Or the good thing? Nothing is truly right or good, and the characters, especially the main character are complex people, not stereotypes.
The setting and some of the situations should be familiar to most New Zealanders. In this film you will have your favourite character, which is a good thing. It means that the characters have been well developed. As in other films with a good range of characters, some of them are familiar to you. The ending that was promised by the advertising does not come until quite late in the movie.
There is a lot of violence, but no blood. This is necessary for a film based on a story about wrestling. Most people will enjoy this film. Do not expect a light-hearted comedy but, as with many contemporary Pacifica films, nothing is done too seriously.
Nick Scott Nick Scott has a B.A from The University of Waikato where he studied film under Sam Edwards. Nick has retained a keen interest in cinema. He studied Te Reo Maori at Te Wananga O Aotearoa part-time for 3 years and then from 2014 to 2016 Nick collaborated in writing “The Traveller’s guide to Maori Place Names”.
Note: the images included in Nick’s review of The Legend of Baron To’a are not taken in South Auckland.
And you’ll enjoy these three articles featuring Director Kiel McNaughton and the cast of The Legend of Baron To’a
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11470519
https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/news/all-star-cast-assemble-pasifika-action-film
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