This film is a 12A, was released on January 1st 2020, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS
Happy New Year! A young boy named Jojo growing up in Nazi Germany begins to learn the ways of the Nazis until he meets a Jewish girl living in one of his walls which causes him to question whether their ideologies are worth standing by. Taika Waititi is one of my favourite directors working today. Of course, I think Thor Ragnarok is one of the best MCU movies, but one of the films that put him on the map, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, is also one of my favourite films of the decade. His comedy has a real charm to it and it makes his films really heartfelt and hugely entertaining. When I heard his next film would be a satirical take on Nazi Germany in which he'd play an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, I was excited on another level. He seemed like a great choice as his seamless mix of comedy and heart would be perfect for a comedic take on a serious topic. So, I couldn't wait and I was annoyed I had to wait until the new year for it.
Like his other films, this is enormously entertaining. Almost every joke lands and none feel half-hearted or perfunctory efforts at getting a laugh. What allows the film to be as funny as it is and get away with it in a somewhat serious landscape is that it is coming from the view of a naive child. They obviously won't have a detailed knowledge of the prejudice towards Jews or the status of Germany towards other countries, so the film is able to deliver loads of potentially offensive jokes without actually coming off as offensive because they're justified in the context of the film. This is the main reason why Waititi's performance as imaginary Hitler is as great as it is. He doesn't act like a cruel dictator, because Jojo wouldn't know about that given how everyone around him acts as if he's a God-like figure, so instead he's goofy and exaggerated in terms of things he says and does, which is what makes it so much fun to watch. Also, the other performances were great, Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo was the other stand out. He brings a lot of wit and sweetness to the character which makes him a likeable and funny protagonist - he's definitely a young talent to keep an eye on. Thomasin McKenzie, who played the Jewish girl, also gave a really charming performance and the bond between them felt genuine as what Jojo goes through feels natural. Scarlett Johansson also gave a sweet and endearing performance as Jojo's mother, and them bond between the two of them also came off as really genuine. Everyone else was likeable and funny too, although the German accents seemed a bit wobbly as the film progressed, especially for Waititi with his Kiwi accent beginning to become more prevalent towards the end. The story as a whole felt very well rounded and it has an important message about questioning popular beliefs instead of blindly accepting them, particularly relevant for children of Jojo's age. There was also an abundance of heart which kept the film feeling like more than just a typical comedy, which was much appreciated.
The only issue I had with this film is that the film isn't that impressive from a filmmaking perspective. Waititi's style feels very reminiscent of Wes Anderson at times however the colour palette wasn't very striking and instead felt quite dull and the cinematography wasn't as sharp and instead was slightly unremarkable. That is only a minor complaint as the film is still enormously watchable, but I wish it had a bit more flair from behind the camera.
Jojo Rabbit is another excellent entry into Taika Waititi's filmography. It has a really well executed story that allows for tons of laugh-out-loud jokes as well as an important message and plenty of heart due to some brilliant performances. Aside from a slight lack of a distinct filmmaking style this is one of the best films of 2019. It's not quite as good as Hunt for the Wilderpeople or Thor Ragnarok, but those films did take multiple viewings for me to come to love them as much as I do now so I can only see this getting better and better with time. But, as it is, it serves as more evidence as to why Waititi is one of the best directors currently in the filmmaking industry and maybe even my favourite.
I'm going to give Jojo Rabbit a 9.0/10
No comments:
Post a Comment