Even in spite of my attempts to not let the hype machine
sway me when it comes to certain releases, there are still times when things
get so intense that I stand back and say “Holy hell, just how good is this
thing?!” As I write this, this film is standing at almost 100% on Rotten
Tomatoes, with all of one bad review
that, when you actually read the thing in all its Geocities-esque glory, still
gave it a slightly-above-average rating. The film’s writer-director, Taika
Waititi, is not only slated to help co-write the next Disney princess flick
with Moana but also directing the next Thor movie with Ragnarok. Even ignoring
my somewhat lukewarm reaction to his previous film What We Do In The Shadows (I
liked it, but not nearly as much as the rest of the world seems to), this is
raring up to be the prologue to a rather explosive break in the mainstream.
Now, given how happy I still am that other Oceanic directors like James Wan
have managed to get their much-deserved chance to shine, I’m seriously hoping
that this will pan out well. But quite frankly, this has a very ‘Boyhood’ feel
to it before I even set foot in the cinema; you know, it’s still good but cut
down incredibly small thanks to the hype behind it. I’ve said before and I’ll
say it again: I welcome the chance to be proven wrong on my scepticism.
