It’s easy to hate on Taika Waititi these days – especially if you’re a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan left burned by Thor: Love and Thunder failing to live up to expectations – but one misfiring comic book adaptation shouldn’t overlook the fact he’s one of the most consistently acclaimed filmmakers the industry has had to offer over the last decade and a half.
What We Do in the Shadows is easily one of the best horror comedies that’s ever been made, while Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a fantastic coming-of-age adventure that deserves to be discovered by each and every generation to come. Thor: Ragnarok is still held up as one of the MCU’s finest, he won an Academy Award for Jojo Rabbit in amongst six nominations including Best Picture, while we haven’t even mentioned that he directed the acclaimed season 1 finale of The Mandalorian, co-created Reservation Dogs, and has pulled double duty on the beloved Our Flag Means Death, on which he’s also an executive producer.
That’s quite the track record, and you don’t get that far in the business without some serious levels of self-belief. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Waititi outlined his approach to filmmaking, and it explains an awful lot.
“I’m like, ‘I’m surrounded by morons. And eventually, they’ll see I’m right.’ It’s a pretty assholey thing to say, but it has helped me stick to my guns. With filmmaking, there’s no real trick other than making decisions fast and with confidence. If you asked any director, 85 percent of the time, you have no idea what you’re doing, and you’re just hoping that they don’t find out.”
While he could do with having his impulses reigned in on occasion, it’s worked out pretty well for him so far, although Star Wars supporters remain less than enthusiastic about his impending trip to a galaxy far, far away.