The Screen Addict | Eagle vs Shark

Yesterday I made another dent in my ever-growing stack of still-to-watch Blu-rays. This time I chose a film I had been eager to watch for a long while – Taika Waititi’s Eagle vs Shark (2007).

I first discovered the idiosyncratic Kiwi Waititi as an actor in the feature-film version of What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and I found out later he co-directed this hilarious Mockumentary as well. Since then, the multi-hyphenate’s career has exploded all over the film and television business, to say the least.

In addition to multiple utterly unique directing efforts such as Boy (2010), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) and Jojo Rabbit (2019), Waititi is giving Andy Serkis a run for his money with several memorable CGI-based characters in the Marvel, DC and Star Wars Universes – not to mention “normal” performances in films like Free Guy (2021).

Like Hitchcock and Shyamalan, Waititi makes it a point to always act in his own films – as is the case with EvS, albeit in a typically quirky way.

To say EvS is a film in the vein of Napoleon Dynamite (2004) would be shortchanging both works because each of them is so unique in its own sense, but there are certainly similarities in tone, sense of humor and style. It has elements of Wes Anderson and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) as well, yet EvS most definitely walks to the beat of its own, eccentric drum.

To describe the plot would be rather pointless, because it wouldn’t make much sense. This is a film that has to be seen to be understood. Let’s just say it’s a Romantic Comedy unlike any you’ve ever seen before.

Waititi’s Flight of the Conchords and WWDitS partner-in-Comedy Jermaine Clement plays one of the leads – “Eagle”, to be exact – and it is undoubtedly one of the funniest performances I’ve seen in a long while. The rest of the cast is a New-Zealand delight as well, it is refreshing to see so many non-Hollywood faces in a film.

Special recognition to Loren Taylor, a producer-writer-actress I had before not been familiar with, and who is just bloody perfect as “Shark”.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with EvS. It is just such a lovely, eccentric film with kooky, but very carefully developed characters who do unusual things – and somehow still make perfect sense.

The scenes are wonderfully balanced, interwoven with several beautiful stop-motion sequences that serve as thoughtful intermezzos.

It is a delicate, at times heartbreakingly funny, but always sincere and warmhearted film.

To my great delight, I saw in the credits that Waititi could count on the help of another famous Kiwi to bring EvS to life – none other than Cliff Curtis is a producer on the film.

Seek this gem out, solid recommend.

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Twitter (X): Robin Logjes | The Screen Addict