Judging by its promotional materials, Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok's Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Korg (Waititi).
But Love and Thunder isn't Waititi's only film of Summer 2022, as he also contributed a major vocal performance to Pixar's Toy Story reboot, Lightyear. The multi-talented performer has starred in some great films over the years, and Metacritic has them rated.
Eagle Vs. Shark (2007) — 55
Waititi directed longtime creative partner Jemaine Clement in Eagle vs. Shark, the auteur's lowest-rated directorial work, but a pleasant film nonetheless.
Waititi's directorial debut, the film follows Lily (Loren Horsley), a shy woman with a major talent for songwriting, yet she's too afraid to let anyone listen to her sing. She also has a crush on Jarrod (Clement), a video game store employee with a bit of an attitude problem. Waititi stars as Gordon, Jarrod's brother, and the favored son of their father.
Jojo Rabbit (2019) — 58
Waititi directed one of Jojo Rabbit.
The film offers a look at one boy in Nazi with a particularly effusive love for Adolf Hitler, but unlike many others, his love would wane and die out entirely. Waititi portrays Hitler as a goofy but sinister type, an obvious alteration of the despicable real-life figure that ultimately still shows the man's true, hideous nature (including a scene that shows Waititi's ability to be truly scary if the script calls for it).
Lightyear (2022) — 60
While Lightyear may not be setting the box office on fire, it's still an Toy Story franchise to take.
The film follows the Toy Story world's Buzz Lightyear, who teams up with Izzy Hawthorne (Keke Palmer), Darby Steel (Dale Soules), Mo Morrison (Waititi), and the robotic feline, Sox (Peter Sohn), as they attempt to take on the villainous Zurg (James Brolin).
Free Guy (2021) — 62
As responsible for some of Free Guy is one of the most compulsively entertaining blockbusters of the past decade.
Waititi plays Free Guy's villain, the deceitful and thieving Antwan, a video game designer who can't even design video games. However, while Waititi's Antwan may be the antagonist, there's still plenty of the actor's charm laced into the performance.
The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain (2021) — 63
An original from Amazon, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain doesn't feature much of Waititi as newspaper editor and writer, Max Kase, but his performance style is perfectly in line with the film's tone.
The film follows the life of Louis Wain, an artist specializing in drawings of excessively-large-eyed cats. Wain's life would end up troubled, but along the way, he finds the love of Claire Foy's Emily Richardson-Wain, and fans such as H.G. Wells, author of The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, and The Island of Doctor Moreau.
Boy (2012) — 70
Waititi's sophomore feature after Eagle vs. Shark, Boy showed considerable growth in his strength as a filmmaker, even if his debut was in and of itself nothing to scoff at. It also showed his considerable talent for performing in layered roles, which he would later explore to great effect as Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death.
The plot follows a New-Zealand based (the location for much of Waititi's early work) little boy who discovers his formerly-incarcerated father (Waititi) has re-entered his life not to reconnect, but to get a sack of money.
The Suicide Squad (2021) — 72
After a brief forced departure from Disney and Marvel, James Gunn was swiftly picked up by DC to reboot their stable of antihero characters in The Suicide Squad.
Gunn's film is one of the DCEU's biggest successes, even if its financial success didn't come close to matching David Ayer's original. However, Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy director even managed to bring on fellow MCU helmer Waititi for a cameo role as the father of Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior, in a star-making performance).
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) — 74
After Kenneth Branagh's Thor: The Dark World made it seem as if the franchise was better as a one-off.
Bring in Waititi's individualistic auteur sensibilities, and the wildly entertaining and hilarious Thor: Ragnarok was born, giving some energy not just to the God of Thunder, but to the MCU as a whole. Furthermore, while the film embraces humor more than arguably any other MCU installment, it also shows that Waititi has a knack for action, as Ragnarok features some of the most inventive set-pieces of a Marvel film to date.
What We Do In The Shadows (2015) — 76
As one of the What We Do in the Shadows is an excellent choice for viewers looking for a laugh, but without much time to spare.
The film is remarkably consistent, its fast pace allowing it to show just about every corner of the followed vampires' lives. However, some neighboring vampires would get even more screentime down the line, as Waititi's film inspired a phenomenal spin-off on FX that's arguably better than the film that brought it into existence.
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016) — 81
If any of Waititi's films have been direct links to his style and sense of humor, it's his Hunt for the Wilderpeople. A charming indie with a great role for Sam Neill and a star-making performance from Julian Dennison (Deadpool 2), Waititi's movie is the type that makes the viewer's day feel brighter once the credits roll.
Not only did Waititi write and direct Hunt for the Wilderpeople, but he also has a cameo role as a minister as well.
