Taika Waititi was the toast of Hollywood not too long ago.
Now? Not so much.
It's sad how far, and fast, a career can tumble in Tinsel Town. One reason superstars like Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington deserve praise. They've stayed in our good graces for decades, delivering superlative art along the way.
Waititi can't say the same.
The director snuck up on us with "The Hunt for the Wilderpeople" (2016) and "What We Do in the Shadows" (2014). His quirky, relatable stories caught our eye, along with the folks at Marvel. The MCU handed him the God of Thunder, and he delivered with "Thor: Ragnarok." It leaned heavily on the genre's campy potential, generating $855 million at the global box office.
He had arrived.
So when his 2019 film "Jojo Rabbit" dropped, we were ready for something special. And he didn't disappoint.
That changed when "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022) disappointed at the box office. It grew worse with 2023's "Next Goal Wins," a critical and commercial dud. His "Time Bandits" reboot flopped on Apple TV, and now his latest movie is another noisy dud.
"Klara and the Sun" earned rough reviews prior to its Oct. 23 release.
"In this context, sunshine, rainbows and lollipops are no fun" - The New York Times.
The film's studio dramatically cut back on the film's theatrical release after those early, withering reviews. The film has made a tad more than $1 million worldwide to date.
The one silver lining? "Klara" boasts a solid 74 percent "fresh" rating from general audiences. Waititi seized on that factoid in an angry rant against modern film critics.
I haven't read a review of anything aimed at me or my peers in almost 15 years. But I do listen to the people. 💥🎉🫶🏽💦 So this Halloween, let's spare a thought for those sad lost souls who couldn't achieve their dreams of becoming artists, and thus became critics. The same people who also hated Jojo Rabbit 😂🤷🏽♂️ Irrelevant. Out of touch. Obsolete. In the bin. 🗑️😢🫶🏽
He's not the first artist to say he or she ignores critics, but he's clearly aware of what they're saying about his latest misfire. And critics were very kind to him during the early days of his career, promoting projects like "Wilderpeople" as a sign of a rising star in the Hollywood ranks.
Critics also loved "Thor: Ragnarok" and raved about "Jojo Rabbit," a film that won him a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. Where was the rage against critics then?
Critics aren't perfect, of course. Too many today grade movies on a woke curve. Others smite movies that don't agree with their progressive worldview.
Still, attacking the critical community in this fashion feels desperate and sad. Waititi has talent, but even the best directors can lose their creative fastball. All indications suggest that's what happened to him.
It's not over, of course. Waititi is 51, and will get a few more chances at bat before he's officially benched. He might even read a few of his negative reviews and see if they have some constructive criticism to resurrect his career.
