Visionary filmmaker Taika Waititi has become a household name in the entertainment industry with Thor: Ragnarok, Free Guy, and the Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit. Recently following his starring role as Edward Teach/Blackbeard in HBOMax’s Our Flag Means Death, Waititi has found his way onto the trending page across social media sites as audiences enjoy his emotional performance as Blackbeard and eagerly await the release of Thor: Love & Thunder. If you, like many others, find yourself wanting to watch more series or films that Waititi has had a hand in, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorites that you can find across various streaming services right now with a subscription.
Our Flag Means Death – HBOMax
Our Flag Means Death debuted on HBOMax March 4, and in the following weeks grew to be so loved by audiences that the series trended on Twitter everyday for two weeks and spawned an incredible amount of fan art. Fans of Waititi’s humor will enjoy many laughs provided by this 10-episode series, and if you’re queer you will rejoice in the representation that flows freely throughout the series. Waititi also provides what I consider to be the most emotionally compelling performance of his career thus far, so fans of his certainly won’t want to miss this series on HBOMax. Additional coverage for Our Flag Means Death — including reasons why the series should be renewed for additional seasons — can be found here.
Reservation Dogs – Hulu
Reservation Dogs follows four indigenous teenagers living in Oklahoma who spend their days committing and fighting crime in order to make their way to California. Waititi co-created the series alongside Sterlin Harjo, and is most notable in that it features all indigenous writers and directors, along with an almost entirely indigenous North American cast and production crew. The dark comedy following the rebellious quartet is yet another triumph in representation that Waititi has been involved in, as the series carefully and masterfully tells indigenous stories. Reservation Dogs is a witty, charming, and heartwarming teenage series that will have you fully committed to finishing the season before you’re ready to.
What We Do in the Shadows Series – FX on Hulu
Another example of at-times dark comedy, What We Do in the Shadows is a currently three season series that was spawned by the 2014 mockumentary of the same name created by Waititi and Jemaine Clement. While the 2014 film isn’t available to stream with a subscription anywhere (it is available to rent/purchase on all of the usual platforms), Waititi does executive produce the series as well as making multiple small appearances as his own vampire character — Viago. What We Do in the Shadows is the perfect series to turn on for an evening where you just need to laugh, though you will undoubtedly end up falling for the ensemble of charming vampires that reside on Staten Island. Consider giving seasons 1-3 a watch on Hulu before season 4 makes its way to screens at an unknown release date.
Free Guy – Disney+
Free Guy follows video game NPC bank teller, Guy, who develops free will due to his artificial intelligence programming after meeting the love of his life, Molotov Girl — who is actually a real-life person playing the game. Guy and Millie have to go against the clock as they are hunted by Antwan, who is attempting to destroy the city Guy and many other characters call home. If you’ve ever longed to see Waititi in a role you love to hate, Free Guy is absolutely the movie for you — Waititi masterfully brings his character Antwan to the screen in a way that will make you laugh incredibly hard, and also hate such a reprehensible man. With Shawn Levy directing, the movie will of course leave you with a nice heartwarming feeling and positive outlook at the close, which makes the movie absolutely worth a watch in a world that is so hard to exist in currently.
Thor: Ragnarok – Disney+
The Thor movies were certainly considered some of the weakest entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe until Waititi came along to direct the third installment — Thor: Ragnarok. Waititi instantly took the franchise that was weighed down by an overly dark and serious tone and elevated it to be full of comedy and fun, while still maintaining the emotional deep-dives and serious themes that are ever-present in the franchise. Waititi has a clear understanding of the characters which shines through every moment on-screen, which is a huge contributing factor in why so many MCU fans rank Thor: Ragnarok so high on their list of favorite movies from Marvel Studios. In addition to directing a visually stunning installment to one of the largest movie franchises to date, Waititi also takes on an on-screen role in this movie as Korg.
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Hunt for the Wilderpeople – Netflix
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a 2016 adventure dramedy that was written and directed by Waititi based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump. This incredibly fun and emotional movie tells the story of a father figure and foster son — “Uncle” Hector and Ricky Baker — who become the targets of a manhunt after disappearing into the New Zealand bush. This would-be standard adoption tale turned fantastic adventure is purely good-natured at its core and despite several moments of tragedy (or near tragedy) will leave you ultimately delighted and moved.
