adrian’s review published on Letterboxd:
Taika picks at the lower hanging fruits of dark humour with Jojo Rabbit — the jokes feel too cookie-cutter, too easy, given the subject matter and his colourful track record.
It almost feels he went for more accessible jabs tied to shock factor, over his unconventional and creative brand of humour. That’s not to say there aren’t flashes of his hallmark Kiwi brilliance; they’re there and they’re memorable, but feel too few and far between.
While I feel Jojo falls short comedically (compared to Waititi’s previous efforts) it reaches new heights in other ways: the wonderful, complex personas; the dynamic and ever-changing relationships among the characters; the morally challenging themes, the tricky balance between warmth and melancholy.
It’s a surprisingly thought-provoking film; Waititi’s work has had glimmers of the same but never like Jojo, and it sticks the landing with one of my favourite endings of the year.
