Summary

• Taika Waititi's critical decline is evident in his latest film's low Rotten Tomatoes score, signaling a shift in his fortunes as a filmmaker.
• Waititi's films like Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Love and Thunder have contributed to his critical decline.
• Taika Waititi's next film, an adaptation of Klara and the Sun, offers an opportunity for him to break his slump by showcasing his ability to create a sincere drama rather than relying heavily on comedy.

Taiki Waititi’s latest failure underlines how dramatically things have gone wrong for a Hollywood figure who was critically adored not so long ago. The actor-writer-director’s early output speaks of a filmmaker with a distinct vision and a remarkably developed voice. While Waititi’s first film, Eagle vs. Shark, saw mixed reviews, 2010-2016 saw the director deliver an impressive run of acclaimed New Zealand indie comedies, consisting of Boy, What We Do in the Shadows, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The massive critical and commercial success of Thor: Ragnarok subsequently secured Waititi’s reputation as one of cinema’s most exciting new directors.

However, things have soured for Waititi since the highs of Thor: Ragnarok. While the director is still mostly dependable at the box office, critical reception of mocking of Thor: Love and Thunder’s VFX work. The filmmaker has quickly become the subject of hot debate. As such, it is worth examining the state of his career, exactly where things changed, and where they might be going.

Taika Waititi's New Movie Has His Lowest Rotten Tomatoes Score (But Continues A Downward Trend)

Next Goal Wins Failed To Resonate With Critics And Audiences

The surest evidence yet of Taika Waititi’s waning fortunes comes with the release of his latest film, Next Goal Wins. The movie, a scrappy underdog comedy about a soccer coach forced to take a job coaching the failing international team of American Samoa, should be a slam-dunk for Waititi, who made his name crafting similar low-stakes, offbeat comedies.

However, Next Goal Wins debuted with Taika Waititi’s worst Rotten Tomatoes score ever. While the director has shown himself more than capable of delivering heartwarming stories on a small budget, Next Goal Wins’ critical failure seems to signal that something fundamental has shifted for the filmmaker.

Taika Waititi has been on a downward critical trajectory since 2016’s Thor: Ragnarok. While that film’s 93% Rotten Tomatoes score makes it one of the highest-rated Marvel films ever, Waititi’s follow-up, Jojo Rabbit, scored a slightly less impressive 80%. His subsequent outing, Thor: Love and Thunder, scored only 63%, making it one of the lowest-rated Marvel movies ever. While the latter two films’ critical failure could be explained as the consequence of a filmmaker deviating from his wheelhouse, Next Goal Wins scoring the worst figure yet with only 42% cements the narrative of Waititi’s critical decline.

Next Goal Wins is based on a 2014 documentary of a real-life story.

Why & When Critical Opinion Of Taika Waititi's New Movies Has Changed So Much

Audiences May Have Been Too Exposed To The Director's Unique Style

The worsening critical trend for Waititi films is made all the more remarkable by the filmmaker’s swift meteoric rise. Only a few years ago, it seemed that Taika Waititi could do no wrong. However, the extremely idiosyncratic style of Waititi’s comedy acts as both a great strength and a great risk. When it works, as it does in Thor: Ragnarok and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, it’s charming and refreshing.

When it doesn’t, as in Thor: Love and Thunder, the quirky gags can quickly begin to feel irritating and overindulgent. It is hardly surprising that Waititi's fall seems to have started with 2016’s controversial Jojo Rabbit, in which he portrayed an imaginary Hitler.

The change in response may be a simple case of overexposure. When Waititi’s work first gained mainstream attention, many people had never seen anything like it before. Now, the director’s style is familiar to many and fails to excite in the same way. Increased mainstream exposure would certainly explain why the filmmaker’s Rotten Tomatoes scores have worsened over time.

Another explanation is that the director has lost sight of the delicate genre balance that defined his earlier outings. By focusing too much on comedy, Waititi's stories become tonally mixed, and lose the grounding sincerity that once gave them substance.

What's Taika Waititi's Next Movie (& Can It Win Back Critics)?

Klara And The Sun Could Be A Chance For Waititi To Win Back Critical And Audience Approval

Taika Waititi’s Star Wars movie has already generated controversy, but the director’s next film is likely to be a film adaptation of the Kazuo Ishiguro novel Klara and the Sun (via Collider). The book, which follows a robot girl designed to help a family of heartbroken humans, boasts one feature which could help break Waititi’s slump: Klara and the Sun is not a comedy.

If Taika Waititi can resist the impulse to overindulge his comedic voice, and instead allow the film to play out as a sincere drama, he may give audiences and critics a chance to rediscover their fondness for his work.

Taika Waititi Still Had Success On TV During This Time

Waiti's Career On The Small Screen Continues To Be Solid

While Taika Waititi's career and reputation as a director of blockbuster movies may not be as solid as it once was, he's been far from unsuccessful. On the contrary, the New Zealand filmmaker has had several hits under his belt, though not on the big screen. Taika Waititi has been involved in several TV shows over the last five years, all of which have been success stories in their own right — especially when it comes to having dedicated fanbases.

For example, Waititi has been a vital creative presence when it comes to the hit FX vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows. The series, which debuted in 2019 and is still ongoing, is based on the 2014 comedy of the same name which Waititi directed, wrote, and produced. The TV show version of What We Do In The Shadows isn't connected to Waititi's movie in of the narrative, though he directed three episodes and served as a central writer.

The show has been a phenomenal success for FX, and has been critically acclaimed both for the performances of the cast and its writing. What We Do In The Shadows been nominated for 21 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and like many of Waititi's other projects, maintains an incredibly dedicated fanbase.

In addition to What We Do In The Shadows, Taika Waititi's inclusive pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death also has a strong following (and one that was incredibly disheartened to see it canceled after the second season). Waititi stars in Our Flag Means Death too, and his portrayal of the fearsome Blackbeard has been widely praised, especially since he manages to turn the bloodthirsty pirate of legend into a sensitive and relatable character in an LGBTQ+ romance.

In addition to his own shows, Waititi also directed an episode of the hit Star Wars Disney+ show The Mandalorian, helming the final episode of the critically acclaimed first season. All in all, the assumption that Taika Waititi's career has taken a slump is a wild misconception, as the reality is that he's simply moved into different projects that hit a much narrower audience than the blockbuster-targeted Thor movies.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Collider