Review of What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Shayan S — 10 Nov 2017

This vampire mockumentary by New Zealand indie director Taika Watiti was on my watch list for a long time since it's release 2015, as the film was gardening a lot of positive reviews after earning a lot of awards at Sundance and other international and local film festivals. And now about two years, with the indie director going on to handle Hunt for the Wilderpeople (which has also HEAVILY been on my watch list also) and jumping straight ahead into big budget filmmaking, handling a new entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Thor Ragnarok, I figured i'd give this film and his filmography finally a watch and see if his New Zealand comedy would be something I could get with. Now before continuing, I should preference comedy films that, for the most part, come from the National Lampoon: Animal House era (I.E people like John Hughes, Harold Ramis, John Landis, and others), Monty Python (both in the TV Show and films), Annie Hall from Woody Allen, or most of Mel Brooks filmography are the type of humour that I laugh the most to. In other words, comedies for me work when it is over the top and silly but more when the story and characters are set up well and the humour is delivered in-character and through well done performances and timing/editing. It does admittedly sound cynical, and it's fair to point out, but I've always found those comedies work for me. And in the case of 'What We Do in the Shadows', I'm happy to report Taika Watiti and 'Flight of the Conchords' creator Jemaine Clement have crafted a surprisingly fresh vampire mockumentary that while has some faults in it from making it more than just being great, is still incredibly well executed and adds a charming tone to it (and fun fact to learn that Taika Watiti is actually a pretty great actor too!).

As I mentioned before while some faults in the film such as minor budgeting and consistent prop uses, sadly somewhat thick however well executed story that I think would've benefited from developing its characters fully to keep it more engaging as the film already was, and the humour becoming repetitive in the last half, they aren't enough to hurt the film at all. Because thanks in part to a fantastic cast (with Takia Watiti just seriously stealing the show), comedy that despite its minor shortcomings near the end is incredibly funny and executed through the characters of the film, a clear love and admiration for vampire lore present through the film, a very silly but still yet engaging mockumentary tone that never feels out of place and consistent with the world being shown, surprisingly well done special effects and intricate sets, and a story that keeps you engaged the whole way through despite it's shortcomings also.

So overall, I really enjoyed Taika's sophomore indie film very much, and appreciate the comedy was all in-character and not absurd or too self-referential. I'm very curious to see how his films 'Boy' and especially 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' fair up but so far I'm glad I got around to sitting down and watching this and his films in general, as he's actually impressing me quite a lot and might even be becoming one of my new favourite comedy directors working right now next to Edgar Wright. Though I can't make that claim now, I will say i'm glad he's getting work because he definitely deserves it. And What We Do in the Shadows is a really great, though still flawed, mockumentary I can see myself re-watching again.