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All of Taika Waititi's Movies, Ranked
New Zealand's greatest writer-director-actor has some big new projects coming up, but it's worth looking back at his previous work
05.05.2020
A lot of filmmakers keep themselves apart from their work.
You can watch all of their films, learn to recognize their style and vision, and still be left with the mystery of who their creator is. That's not the case with New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi.
<p>Waititi is a true auteur. As a writer and director, each of his movies fits into a broader framework of his vision—searching for a healthier, more sensitive concept of masculinity, especially through the lens of father-son relationships. And far from keeping himself remote from his stories, he plays a crucial role as an actor in each one. With six films under his belt, and four more coming down the pipeline—including <a href="https://www.popdust.com/taika-waititi-star-wars-2645925490.html" target="_blank">an unnamed <em>Star Wars</em> movie</a>, <a href="https://screenrant.com/thor-ragnarok-original-movie-plan-before-waititi/" target="_blank"><em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em>, and a live-action version of the anime classic <em>Akira</em> (1988)</a><a href="https://screenrant.com/thor-ragnarok-original-movie-plan-before-waititi/"> (1988)</a>—it's time to look back at the best (and worst) of his work so far. Why is it time? Because I said so. Who's asking? Stop interrupting. Shh! The list is about to start...</p>
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1. Eagle Vs. Shark (2007)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="865a56bb1507d40fc5d6598b6865e141"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-dqW6ZAxbp0?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>Waititi's first feature-length film was 2007's <em>Eagle Vs. Shark</em>, a charming low-budget look at socially-awkward romance, starring Waititi's friends Jemaine Clement (<em>Flight of the Conchords</em>) as Jarrod and Loren Horsley as Lily. Aptly compared to 2004's <em>Napoeleon Dynamite</em>, <em>Eagle Vs. Shark</em>'s comedy leaned heavily on Jarrod's cringeworthy attempts to be tough and to live up to his dead brother Gordon (played by Waititi), who was a star athlete.</p><p>While the film offers a lot of sweet and funny moments, and the use of charming stop-motion sequences add to its appeal, it's clear that Waititi was still finding his voice, and the final result lacks the strength of vision and emotional depth of his later work.<i></i></p>2. Boy (2010)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3480389206571831f0aceb58c5f6ffc5"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ESD3mlgpSwM?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>The fact that 2010's <em>Boy</em> is number five on this list is a testament to Waititi's talent, because <em>Boy</em> is a sweet, disarming, and silly look at childhood for a young Māori boy in 1980s New Zealand. Boy, AKA Alamein, lives with his little brother Rocky and a large extended family. Their mother died in childbirth, and Alamein paints their father (for whom he's named) as a mythic hero who is off saving the world somewhere. In reality their father (played by Waititi) is in prison, but when he gets out, he comes home with his lackeys to bond with his sons, commit petty crimes, and search for the money he buried years ago.</p><p>At first Boy is ecstatic to have his father back and is wholly impressed by all his apparent toughness. But eventually it becomes clear that the elder Alamein is as much a child as his sons and that beneath his posturing he's a sad, pathetic man. Ultimately Boy learns from him who he doesn't want to be.</p><p>The film's blend of sincerity and silliness is endearing, and its meandering story delivers a compelling emotional arc. It's not quite as polished as most of Waititi's later work, but everything that makes him a great director is there in <em>Boy</em>.</p>3. Thor Ragnarok (2017)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e5b5ec8473729ff2d1b53c8f496babae"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ue80QwXMRHg?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>2017's <em>Thor: Ragnarok</em> is by far Taika Waititi's most successful film, with box office sales just over $850 million. It's also a legitimately great movie and possibly the only Marvel movie to be genuinely funny throughout. While Waititi brings his sense of humor and his keen directorial eye to this story of super-powered gladiators and intergalactic apocalypse (as well as his voice in the figure of Korg, the would-be revolutionary made of stone), this is the only film on the list that wasn't also written by Waititi.</p><p>So while Waititi definitely <a href="https://screenrant.com/thor-ragnarok-original-movie-plan-before-waititi/" target="_blank">had a significant influence on the film's story</a>—which may explain the emphasis on Thor's relationship with his father, as well as his struggle to define himself without his hammer—the restrictions of working in an existing franchise mean that it doesn't quite fit into the mold of his other works, which are purely his vision.<br></p>4. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8777a725839ef20896e892912d887aa0"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tL4McUzXfFI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p><em>Jojo Rabbit</em> is Waititi's 2019 film telling of the story of Jojo, a young Austrian boy whose imaginary friend and father-figure is his hero...Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi). Ostensibly adapted from Christine Leunen's dark novel <em>Caging Skies</em>, <em>Jojo Rabbit</em> explores concepts of war, nationalism, and xenophobia through a child's perspective, and won Waititi the academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay.<br></p><p>While there's something deeply unsettling about <em>Jojo Rabbit's</em> madcap humor being set in Nazi Germany near its collapse, the movie succeeds in portraying the universal challenges of childhood and the struggle to understand a world that is full of deception and hate. Waititi—whose Grandfather was a Russian Jew—humanizes some of the film's Nazis, not to diminish their crimes, but to show how even decent people can end up participating in terrible evil if they don't actively resist. While Jojo initially demonizes the Jewish girl he finds hidden behind his mother's bedroom wall, in the end she's the only one he has left.</p><p>Some will no doubt find that Waititi's humor undercuts the poignancy of the film's message, but the film's outstanding cast holds it together, and the thrilling moment when Jojo finally rejects Nazi ideology (by telling Hitler to f*** off, and kicking him out a window) is irresistibly cathartic.</p>5. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="88c70af30da13e42b21e31f5971309a9"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wxt2DSWS_eI?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>2014's <em>What We Do in the Shadows</em> is an absurdist mockumentary that tells the story of a group of vampires from different eras, living together in modern-day New Zealand. While it doesn't attempt to touch the sort of serious drama that some of Waititi's other work touches on, it doesn't have to, because it's his funniest movie. From confrontations with a gang of polite werewolves to the fruitless hunt for virgins, <em>What We Do in the Shadows</em>' semi-improvisational style delivers frequent laughs as the vampires struggle to navigate the modern world.</p><p>Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi wrote the movie together, as well as portraying two of the main vampires. As silly as the movie is, it still has an emotional core, provided mainly by Waititi's character, Viago—a lovelorn 18th century dandy. While it's since been adapted into a TV series for FX, Waititi's original remain's untouchable for silly vampiric humor.<span></span></p>6. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7d2b72c873a19446680735f7e749f702"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dPaU4Gymt3E?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span><p>According to Waititi, 2016's <em>Hunt for the Wilderpeople</em> was the first film in which he really found his directorial voice, and it shows. Following young delinquent Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) and his cantankerous foster uncle Hec (Sam Neill), who go on the run together in the untamed wilderness of New Zealand. It's a touching exploration of boyhood and manhood and the dynamic relationship between the two. It also features what might be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32QcvEuJYFA" target="_blank">the greatest funerary sermon</a> in cinematic history, delivered by Waititi's minister character. While all of Waititi's movies are worth watching, <em>Hunt for the Wilderpeople</em>—which he spent more than a decade adapting from the stories of acclaimed New Zealand writer Barry Crump—delivers more of the heartfelt and joyful strangeness that makes his movies so satisfying.</p>From Your Site Articles
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TV Features
How TV's "Good Cops" Promote Dangerous Narratives About Real-Life Police
Shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine make cops seem harmless, an illusion tainted with centuries of racism.
06.03.2020
Two summers ago, during one of the darkest periods in my personal life, I found solace in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a sitcom that stars Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta, an NYPD detective with an impressive track record of solved cases despite his goofy, unsophisticated demeanor. Since its premiere in 2013, the show has been commended for its representation of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people; the recurring cast includes two very smart (and never overtly sexualized) Latina women, as well as two Black men in the precinct's top roles. In 2018, the show received a GLAAD Media Award for its depiction of queer characters. Throughout its seven seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has addressed serious issues like workplace sexual harassment, reconciling with an absent parent, and coming out to disapproving family members, all while retaining a sharp, tasteful sense of silly humor. Rotten Tomatoes has given multiple seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine a perfect 100% rating, likening it to "comfort food."
<p>But as progressive, smart, and thoughtful as <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>might be, there's one glaring issue that the show has repeatedly overlooked: police brutality against Black people. I began watching <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>around the time of the murder of Botham Jean, a Black man in Dallas who was fatally shot in his apartment by off-duty officer Amber Guyner, who claimed she mistook Jean's apartment for her own and thought he was a burglar. I was plenty aware of how police officers were <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2020/05/mapping-police-killings-black-americans-200531105741757.html" target="_blank">disproportionately killing Black people</a>. <strong>But I had never critically examined how shows like <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</em>, as well as other police shows like <em>Law & Order </em>and<em> NCIS</em>, subliminally fed me a "good cop" narrative that can have harmful repercussions.</strong> These fictional cops might mean well—as do many real-life officers—but on-screen and off, each of them works for an institution that's both <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank">rooted in racism</a><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank"></a> and continues to uphold racist tactics. In portraying this crop of officers as harmless, <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>encourages empathy for an entire profession that many <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/06/03/457251670/how-much-do-we-need-the-police" target="_blank">have argued</a> is one of America's biggest threats to its own people.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>American police as we know it today <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank">began</a> in southern states as slave patrol. They were almost entirely white and male, and they responded more to "disorderly" behavior from slaves than crime from other civilians. But even after the Civil War, with the implementation of Jim Crow laws police officers were still focused on keeping the "disorderly underclass" under control; in their minds, Black people comprised most of this category. For decades and decades, police have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-racist-roots-of-american-policing-from-slave-patrols-to-traffic-stops-112816" target="_blank">encouraged</a> to be racist and rarely held accountable. With the recent murder of George Floyd and the protests that have followed, it's glaringly evident that police in general are still undertrained, biased, and lack adequate accountability for their brute violence. <strong>Yes, some cops are good people, but it's virtually impossible to be a "good cop" in a system so historically flawed.</strong></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p><em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>is especially guilty of exemplifying an unrealistic expectation for "good cops." Each character in the main cast is, overall, lovable. Nearly every episode shows some sort of office shenanigans; Jake often wrangles his colleagues into playing games while on the job, and he helms an annual scavenger hunt called the Halloween Heist. Throughout the series, Jake develops an unlikely friendship with a serial car thief nicknamed the Pontiac Bandit, played by Black comedian Craig Robinson; if police kill Black people for something as innocuous as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-louisiana-police/white-baton-rouge-policeman-fired-over-shooting-of-black-man-idUSKBN1H61RZ" target="_blank">selling CDs</a>, this camaraderie between Jake and the Bandit almost comes off as mockery. </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>Whenever Jake mentions the "bad cops," he's always referring to officers from competing precincts. <em>This </em>group of cops is the exception, <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>seems to say, an argument that draws comparisons to the "<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=not%20all%20cops&src=typed_query" target="_blank">not all cops are bad</a>" crowd. Even when the show dedicated an <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/susancheng/brooklyn-nine-nine-police-brutality-episode" target="_blank">episode</a> to the racial profiling of a Black officer off-duty, it failed to acknowledge the lengthy history of police brutality against unarmed Black citizens. The episode was well-intended, as all episodes of <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>are, but it ultimately missed the mark.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p><em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine </em>co-creator Dan Goor announced this week that he and the cast would be making a collective $100,000 donation to the National Bail Fund Network, which goes towards releasing protestors from jail (Stephanie Beatriz, who plays Rosa Diaz on the show, also made a personal donation). This is noble and admirable and every actor who has played a cop in a series should do the same. But, at this point in history, it's no longer OK to just be "not racist"—we all have to actively be antiracist. In order to effectively do this, we must be hypercritical of the entertainment that we consume, even passively. <strong>How are the shows and movies you watch, the books you read, and the music you listen to upholding racist institutions?</strong> </p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>This essay isn't a call to boycott police shows, but it is a request to take a deeper look at the pop culture we surround ourselves with. It's true that we are what we eat. If the ever-growing list of innocent Black people murdered by police angers you, then it's best to reevaluate what your favorite TV shows are subtly telling you about our country's often unethical criminal justice system. Sure, it's comforting to think that cops are lighthearted and always do the right thing, but societal progress has never been made within our comfort zone.</p>
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In February New Zealand writer-director-actor Taika Waititi was awarded an Oscar for the screenplay of his film Jojo Rabbit.
On May the 4th—the holiest of Star Wars holidays (Revenge of the 5th is sacrilege)—it was announced that he'd received what might be an even bigger honor: He's going to co-write and direct a new Star Wars movie.
<p>For disaffected fans of the series, this is great news. While recent <em>Star Wars</em> movies have featured plenty of stunning visuals, dramatic battles, and vague spiritual musing (as they should), the one department where they've been a bit lacking is fun...and competent storytelling. Okay, two departments. Fortunately, Taika Waititi is a master of both.</p><p>All the self-serious brooding in the world can't replace Yoda messing with Luke in the swamps of Dagobah, or the novelty of all those weirdos in the Mos Eisley cantina. Babu Frik can only get us so far. We need a filmmaker with a proven ability to bring an absurd sense of fun to an existing mega-franchise. Someone who can jump off a drab, brooding mess like <em>The Rise of Skywalker</em>—or, say, <em>Thor: The Dark World</em>—and deliver some silly good vibes... Boom. Taika Waititi.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzIxOTI1Mi9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzOTA3MzI4MH0.8ocoi5yfCHplEO1PX5RiE3xvS4XJx7vj67Ab8OFlXTw/img.gif?width=980" id="86ac1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="818bf95bb3684dd4d019ad227f149e2e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Jojo Rabbit, f*** off, Hitler">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Like this, but in reverse</small></p><p>Just look at the evidence. Have you seen <em>Thor: Ragnarok</em>? It's definitely one of the best Marvel movies—with lots of fun, over-the-top action—and it might be the only one that's truly funny. From Hulk and Thor bickering, to <a href="https://www.popdust.com/marvel-no-nut-november-2641216043.html" target="_self">Jeff Goldblum achieving peak Goldblum</a>, and Waititi himself voicing Korg—the goofy rock-man/would-be revolutionary—<em>Ragnarok</em> delivers genuine laughs. Or how about <em>Jojo Rabbit</em>, which managed to make Nazi Germany fun somehow, and featured Waititi as Jojo's imaginary friend Hitler, getting punted out a window—"F*** off, Hitler" indeed.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p>On top of all that, Waititi has already done some of the work of making <em>Star Wars</em> fun again, directing the season finale of <em>The Mandalorian</em> and voicing reformed murder-droid IG-11. Now that he's proven himself, he's the perfect choice to take on a feature-length <em>Star Wars</em> story that can follow up the disappointment of <em>Episode IX</em>. If we're really lucky, maybe we'll even get a cameo from Waititi's frequent collaborator, Jemaine Clement, as some kind of freaky space man.</p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzIxOTI2NS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNjY4NjI3M30.gRfM48d8mRwoSaflAVwdUQ4x69bE1FoXIrQVbBlN1Bg/img.gif?width=980" id="a58fc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="61ee2837df498f81f89f4b585f367c0d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="Jemaine Clement as freaky Bowie">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">It's the part he was born for</small></p><p>Whatever he makes of this opportunity, we can count on Taika Waititi to bring the weird fun of a space adventure back to the fore in <em>Star Wars</em>. The fact that he'll be working with screenwriter Krysty Wilson-Cairns—who was nominated for an Oscar for her work on <em>1917</em> and most recently collaborated with <a href="https://www.popdust.com/edgar-wrights-movies-ranked-2641357003.html" target="_self">writer-director Edgar Wright</a> on the upcoming horror film <em>Last Night in Soho</em>—only serves to make the whole prospect that much more exciting.<br></p><p><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-632"></div>
<!-- End Ezoic - undersecond12 - under_second_paragraph --></p><h2></h2><p>Now we just need to get Bong Joon-Ho to make a class-conscious <em>Harry Potter</em> movie.</p>
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