Jojo Rabbit Review

Director Taika Waititi returns with his latest film JoJo Rabbit which is set in the late stages of World War II in Nazi Germany and is about an over-indoctrinated ten-year-old member of the Hitler Youth (Roman Griffin Davis). He finds his ideals challenged when he discovers that his single mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin Mackenzie) in their house. And JoJo has an imaginary friend, a comedic version of Adolf Hitler (played by Waititi himself)…

In supporting roles we have Sam Rockwell, Stephen Merchant, Rebel Wilson and Alfie Allen and others, some of whom give very promising performances. Griffin Davis especially feels credible in how much he undoubtedly believes and doesn't question the Nazi ideology; Merchant comes across as the most serious Nazi in the film, but still manages to be funny; Wilson has moments where she shows promise; Allen is overshadowed by the other actors; and Rockwell shows some comedic ability as a very out-there soldier.

In the end it does all come down to Waititi as Hitler, and he immerses himself completely in his role. He does go over the top, and it would very hard not to laugh, but here I think that might just be acceptable. You could call it egotistical of a director to cast himself in such an important role, but he does such a good job with it, it's hard to complain. Johannsson didn't really leave me with a lasting impression, and Mackenzie while good, just seemed to be there to throw out the occasional insult.

The script (by Waititi, and adapted from a novel called Caging Skies) seems to get through the essentials fairly well. The world is set up for the core events of the story and the main characters all feel distinctive. Where it truly stands out, though, is how well it balances absurd, fantasy humour, with a period in history that isn't something to laugh about. It manages to make its serious points without dragging down the generally light-hearted tone.

The cinematography, by Mihai Mălaimare Jr, is rather mixed for me; there are some shots in the film that give you a good long look at just how bizarre this film is. It's mostly done through the use of slow motion - I can think of one notable shot early on, and another that tries to combines the brutal nature of war with the film's style of comedy. It also has quite a striking colour palette, going from very bright at the start, gradually turning to grey as it reflects the changed viewpoint of the main character.

The score was composed by Michael Giacchino, and while I have nothing to say about that, I do have to mention the film's use of very familiar songs, but in their much-less familiar German language versions. The songs in question are the Beatles' I Want To Hold Your Hand and David Bowie's Heroes.You can hear them throughout the film, but the two occasions I can think of that stand out are at the beginning and end. These songs are well known all around the world, as are the artists, so I feel it is a good way to bookend the film, especially at the start as it helps to give a feel of what the next hour and forty eight minutes are going to be like.

The main flaw I found with the film was that it dragged a bit, especially in the first and second acts. There are scenes that seem to go for far too long and could do with being trimmed down, and while I could mostly deal with the film's style of comedy, one joke came out of nowhere and left me wondering what was supposed to be happening.

The conclusions I draw from this are that: JoJo Rabbit has good performances; a script that balances its unique humour while not forgetting what's happening in the background; some very notable shots in the cinematography that show an understanding of the film's tone; a use of colour I could an actually notice and admire; and intelligent use of popular songs translated into German. But it's flawed in moving along too slowly in places and one joke involving JoJo's absent father that I found mystifying.
For a film out in January, this is a promising start to the new year and new decade, and judging by what I have seen and read about future releases there is much more in the way of promising material to come.

B-

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