I don't want to give this 4 stars, I think it deserves closer to 4.5, but I can't rate it 4.2 on here so I'll round up and go with 4.5. Fine with me. Finally saw it and I'm so glad I had a chance to catch this. I think it's ahead of its time, because yes I think the satire makes people too uncomfortable nowadays. I also think it's an incredibly brave, bold film that tries to mock Nazis (and by extension fascism and nationalists) in a clever way.

I enjoyed the film quite a bit, laughing out loud numerous times. However, the story and structure is a bit basic - not much out of the ordinary happens (in terms of classic storytelling), it's incredibly obvious and never swerves out of its lane in any way. However, it is genius in the way it uses satire to break down fascism and racism and hate by portraying Nazis, literally, as children (because they are!). And telling us a simple story about how we can learn to grow up and grow beyond that hate.

I think Taika spent more time developing the concept and the jokes than the story, and it shows. He's also a bit out of his wheelhouse, not entirely, but it doesn't feel like he's as comfortable making this as his previous New Zealand (or Australia)-based films. That said, I still think this deserves acclaim and admiration. I don't get the negativity. Maybe they just don't understand it? Yeah it's simple and not as deep as it could/should be, but it's still an amusing and clever film.