LJoass

One Star

Most 48 hour films have 1 or 2 great moments and this has like 8. A riot of a film from start to finish which works well in every department. All round amazing film from an all round amazing team.

SCUM

This was a cool story, told well. I like that you guys balanced the comedy and darkness within. The goons come across as a little useless which helps to sell the ending. And as said by others, great drone shots. It makes me want to have one for next year

A Helping Hand

It's a shame this movie was DQ'd cause you can tell the whole team is pulling their weight. And above all a real master class in compositional cinematography. Everything in frame always feels like it was put there on purpose which is crazy because so much of it is nature. Ka pai

Data Management and Security Training

Far out, it's so refreshing when a team takes an aesthetic like this and absolutely nails it. The sound, cinematography and editing all feel exactly how I imagine retro workplace instructional videos to be. The cherry on top is the two leads carrying the piece home with some great dead pan humour. Nice job team.

Tiny Pricks

If I'm right that this was a solo team then this is incredible. And if I'm wrong then it's still insanely good! Such a good chase sequence and the cactus comedy is my cup of tea! Great work!

I have a buddy for that

This is such a classic high school 48 (in all the good ways). A cool way to turn the buddy genre and a real fun team effort. Some great performances in this as well and I love how the use of colour helps seperate the characters into distinct personalities. Ka pai.

Unspoken Words

B-school represent! Somehow instinctively knew this was an Ara team before they went to O-house. But even if you subtract the nostalgia for my glory days, this movie is still awesome! A fun story, with (unless I missed it) completely unexplained telepathy rings, and barrels of gags. And a great comedic duo in these two.

The King of the Playground

It's been said before but the main duo here were excellent. And you got to give credit to a teacher who's willing to wear a silly outfit on a playground and scream about being the king of the castle. Ka pai team

Substance 1

Such a funny movie and a great time all round. Cool use of location which is really amplified by the set dressing and wardrobe. And loved how you finished the thing of with a song. Only issue is I couldn't hear the lyrics over all the laughing. Surely a Spotify release?

Little Re-Writing Hood

This was a really cool concept and the plot reminded me of the writing room in some of my early 48 hours films (meta-commentary perhaps)? Awesome work guys!

USBrie

Nice job team! Lots of fun to be had with this movie and great use of locations across the city. The performance from the lead was a stand out to me and there's something about the style of comedy used that really speaks to me. Ka pai!

Gates To Castle Yonder

This was definitely the right team to get fantasy as a genre. The commitment to props, wardrobe & location really shine; the only reason you'd recognise it's not actually the middle ages is the brilliant comedic performances. These guys also always have a way of taking a film somewhere you don't expect. Awesome job guys

RED RAIN

This film is real joy to watch. It's all been said here but the running gag of the wives and the 'taste human' we're truly inspired. And I remember being drawn in by the camera work from the very get go. Ka pai fellas

I MetaMan™

I'm rewriting this review because I swear I'd reviewed and publish it early but there's no evidence of that. It probably went something like this:

First, I'd like to give a the props, wardrobe, and locations teams my fullest congratulations. Cause when I imagine on Friday night Chester said "here's the long list of every single set up, location and scene we're shooting". Any sane person would've told him to get stuffed.

And if the sheer quantity of film isn't enough for you, the fact that it's executed so well is mind boggling. Every frame is filled with class and the sound design is perfect compliments the unfolding narrative.

And lastly, could the Dama cameos get any better? Ka rawe team

For When You Wake

If anyone wants to know why my eyes were puffy when the lights came up at the heats, it was tears of laughter from all the silly films, and had nothing to do with the immense heartbreak I experienced watching this.

Jokes aside, this was a beautiful film. You can see the path it's going down pretty much from the title card but it executes everything in a way that really forces you to connect with the character and their journey. It's also nice when a team gets the Found Footage genre and still takes time to make it visually pleasing. Ka pai tō mahi

A Delicate Situation

Not something I'd ever have expected to write, but this team's ability to get the audience to care about the emotional affairs of a front-load washing machine is wild. Probably one of my favourite uses of miniature as well. Ka rawe

Scrambled

You guys rock! You've really taken the cat and mouse genre and lent into it with this film. Great use of action which was really sold by the camera work. By no means an easy feat. Awesome stuff!

The Little German Boy and the Cave

The combination of animation styles in this is incredible! Such a unique and beautiful way to tell a story, which is also incredibly funny. Incredible stuff

The Road Not Taken

For a hot minute I didn't recognise the poem and I thought this was an original piece of text write specifically for 48 and I nearly exploded considering it was the first film of the schools heat. But it's still a hell of an accomplishment using a public domain poem and for me the animation style here complimented the tone even better than in The Little German Boy. Tino pai tīma

Music To Die For

"let's see how many different ways we can kill our friend" is probably one of the best ideas you can have on a Friday night so I feel like you guys would've had a lot of fun making this. Some truly inspired sequences (big ups to the energy sword) and a real hoot the whole way through! Ka rawe team

The Pursuit Of Murder

Such a cool film with a hilarious twist on the slasher narrative. Usually the masked killer is hidden in mystique so demystifying the character made for an interesting plot. And superb physical acting from our killer, gives us a lot without ever seeing his face. Nice job!

You broke my space laser!

Hell yeah man! If there's anyone ever asks why it's worth coming to the 48 hours heats, I'm gonna die then this movie. You can tell the whole team had such love for the game and just wants to make a wicked film (mission accomplished). The green screen and gun twirls slap so hard. Thanks guys for giving us this movie.

Precision Response Enforcement Command Intervention Operative Unit Specialists

Hell yeah! This is one heck of a movie. Such fun for the whole ride and an excellent way to do the Man Vs Machine genre. I'll be honest I thought or movie would have the most unhinged original song with a jaunty accordion milk drinking anthem but I think "I'm a mother f*ckin' killer robot" is the winner here. Great work team

LARVAE GIRL THE ROAD TO REVENGE PART 1

Before doing 48 Hours this year, I asked myself, "how can I be more like Herms Heroes?" and after seeing this film, I've decided I should be asking myself this question every day.

This is what 48 Hours is for: pure, unadulterated passion for making cool movies. The gags are great, the action even greater, but the greatest of all...

(Sorry, ran out of words. Will have to follow up in a sequel maybe...?)

Spoiler Alert

If I spent my whole 48 Hours setting up a single shot to look as flawless and cinematic as possible, it still wouldn't look as good as Rabid Aunty Jean's worst frame (although how can they have a worst when none of them are bad?). A great (and deeply relatable) story this year. Also, who knew there were that many different ways to menacingly eat an apple?

Reset Day

Great job team! This was a really sweet story. My automatic 48 Hours mind was expecting a more sinister 'Misery' type twist but I like that you guys committed to the heartfelt ending. The performance from the neighbor was a stand out to me too. Tino pai!

Chaos Cabin

Holy heck this is impressive. This sort of thing makes me want to learn 3D animation just so I can understand what kind of insane mental fortitude you need to use it on a 48 Hour film. And what's more impressive is that it's even narratively strong and well paced. A spectacular piece of work team.

Nothing Personal

Sometimes you just gotta run real fast and full send it into a steam and that's how you make an action movie. There's some really cool camera work going on here which aptly suit the genre and keeps things engaging. Great work tīma

Unspoken

This was a really nice story and an unexpected request on a holiday movie. Such a valid and widely relatable experience bottled up in a cool way. Great work

2025 national 48 hours winner

Toot Toot does Meta comedy so well Ryan Reynolds probably has night terrors about them.

What an excellent way to end 3 nights of back to back short films. It's gotta my favourite punchline of the whole week. Thanks for the movie guys

A Silence In Sam's Town

This is why I don't like making straight up dramas during 48 Hours; because I know some other team is going to smash it out the park in a way I could never even possibly imagine. Such a beautiful movie on all fronts and possibly one of the only times I've seen a team go to the effort of doing foley in 48 Hours. Great work.

Flat Meeting

There's something extremely endearing about a film that has the goofy energy we all love in this competition and still somehow manages to have a nice character arch that makes you want to be a better friend.

Also has anyone made the joke R.I.P. Focus yet? I've been thinking about it non-stop since the Veterans Q+A.

There Came a Big Spider

What? I had to triple check this wasn't on the short list cause it's insanely good. I'm pretty sure the only reason Joel and Rachel didn't select it is because they've mental blocked from their memories on account of the trauma it induced. And y'know what, fair. But great film!

Brunch Solstice

Such a well done script on this. Incredible use of foreshadowing to set it all up at the start, then slowly pull each thread one by one. And great performances too. The lead really rode the line of being charismatic enough to keep me invested, but douchy enough to deserve the ending. Excellent job.

Turn It Off

When I saw found footage was a genre I was itching to see a bunch of films like this one. Other teams used different takes on found footage, but I don't care cause this totally scratched that itch. Great performance from our leads (and camera guy). I thought the photo + text ending was really clever too and added to the sinister nature of the conclusion. Very well done

Ghost PTSD

An interesting take on the Ghost movie. It's definitely difficult to picture what life for our loved ones would be like after we're gone and this film had me dwelling. Some great pictures in here too, and awesome work on the wardrobe. Nicely done.

LARVAE GIRL THE ROAD TO REVENGE PART 2

The heart! Holy cow these 2 films had so much heart. I genuinely cannot wait to rewatch both of them.

And as someone who genuinely had no idea there was going to be a Part 2, this sent me. Incredible mahi team.

(Also I'm sorry, when read the reviews for this I just realized Steel Potato did the same 2 part review gag and I uh, already submitted the other one so I can't edit it and I'll umm, I don't... I'll just see myself out)

Emergency Key

This is how cool people end a 48 Hour film

Singularity

There's essays above which gives much more insight and depth than I'll ever be able to muster so I'll just say this: This movie slaps. Such phenomenal visuals which amplify the story 1000%. I'm impressed more a more each year about what Christchurch offers and this is why. Great work team

Nature's Calling

Another excellent movie from the Inclusive Performance Academy. Absolutely, stellar performances all round which were expertly glued together by the editing and voiceover. Such an enjoyable watch. Ka pai to everyone

In Light of the Day

It's easy to forget that Christchurch can be this pretty. A touching film on finding yourself and reconnecting with family when the world is looking down on you and that's always something I can get behind. Great job team

Burnt

Seeing 'Man VS Machine' as a genre during the heats made me worried the heats would be packed with 'Man VS Every Day Appliance' films, but this one did it so well I don't even care. I've definitely owned that toaster and any machine that won't make you toast when you're drunk at a party deserve to be drop kicked into the ocean as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for the laughs

G.P. Taylor

This one was so fun. Great comedy from start to finish and a goofy, but charming premise. Hope to see more from this team in the future!

Studio Mask

Spectacular work team! There was a strong visual flare to this film and some really awesome practical effects that sold the deaths. Great use of location too! The interconnected yet isolating environment of a TV studio 100% lends itself to a horror so it's cool to see you guys make use of it. Well done

Stuck in Invercargill

Great entry from the meme team! A really funny script and a hilarious subversion of expectations at the end. Amazing that 2 of the team made this film and continue to live in Invercargill

Glove Box

Probably one of the all round technically strongest films of the Ōtautahi heats. Looked and sounded great from start to finish. I was anticipating a gag reveal so I'm glad they left it ambiguous. Great effort team.

MILK!

Unnecessary self review here but screw it...

I don't care, this is the best movie of the year. For the last 2 weeks I've been regularly laughing out loud, just because my mind drifts and I remember one of Liam's line deliveries or the fact that sooner or later, TV's Jason Gunn is gonna ask me to see what we used his voice for. I'm so glad it's seems some of you like it as much as us.

Special thanks to our hugely talented actresses from last year not being available leading us two non-actors to make this complete nonsense.

Stick

A very nice job on this on all fronts. Such a fun movie with great performances from the leads. The cat reveal was such a clever gag so great work on the script. Tino pai

Pop's Precious Pranks

Why did no one tell me Scott could act? It never even feels like a funny crew cameo, he just genuinely suits the role and gives some great reactions throughout. And speaking of performances; oh my, the lead actress in the is amazing! This would've totally fallen flat if she didn't have the chops for THAT scene but she totally killed it and the whole things works because of it. Love this crew and I hope to see it again at finals.

Party Disrupted

Wow, amazing work from Piece of Sign. You guys did such an excellent job of giving every story line the attention it deserves without getting too messy overall. I'd love to see another film from this team next year. Tino pai!

Walk It Off

This is probably the last film I expected from a team called 'The Hazy Pale Males' but I'm so glad this is what we got. A real touching story, which (anyone who saw this in the heats will know) felt like a breath of fresh air. Tino ātaahua team!

Hi Santa, it's Charlie

My goodness, what a film. Brilliant script and performance on this. The simple execution feels like cheating but it's also feels like the exact perfect way to tell this story so I hope the judges don't mark them down on it. Supurb mahi team.

The Loch Nest

Such a fun spin on the reality partial. These guys clearly had a lot of fun making this which is really all that matters. And the location was perfect for a Big Brother type set. R.I.P. Keith.

Come Die with Me

A solid twist on the reality TV parody. The lead actress was super convincing as a cooking show host. You guys should do a sequel so I can expand my recipe book.

The Plot Thickens

A real class job from this team. A hilarious script and performers hamming it up till it tastes like bacon. Such a good turn in the 3rd act and a funny ending. Ka pai!

The True Story of Billy the Horse

This film is so rich with comedy you can't help but love it. This is what came to mind when miniature was included as a prompt so I'm surprised less teams did it. And as simple passing gags as "Billy The Adult" had me in stitches. Great job!

Kingdom Animalia

Now this is my kinda 48 Hour film! Very fun and an action packed ride. I When's the feature?

Misplaced Death

An excellent outing from DennisTribe this year! I'd love to echo all the above praise to the technical prowess but I additionally want to shout out the attention to wardrobe here. Many school (and non-school) teams would look at death and say 'black cloak and a scythe is enough, right?' But it's not and these guys know it. A certain stand out from the heats. Great work team!