“Farrrr” was what slipped out of my mouth just as the credits of Thor: Ragnarok rolled out. A very Pasifika expression in Australia and New Zealand, a word that fit my experience without the connotations of a swear word; “Farrrr” was all I could say surrounded by my siblings.
Going in, I was really excited. Like, just as excited when the family has a Hāngi and you can’t wait to eat what’s underground, cooking, waiting for you to consume. The same excitement I associate with getting oiled up just before you perform a Tau’olunga, having money thrown at you as a sign of a appreciation. Or just as excited when you’re waiting for your boys, your brothers, the skuxx guys, to perform the haka or a corroboree and you feel that rush of Mana and pride in your people. That’s how excited I was.
From the very beginning, Taika Waititi’s legendary trademark humour just radiates from the opening scene, never wavering throughout the film. Nothing is never not funny or trying too hard at making the audience laugh. It’s all just pure comedy, one unique and well known to Australia and New Zealand (Aotearoa). I grew up immersed in this type of comedy and humour. Comedy is an outlet for a lot of Indigenous folks suffering from colonisation. You will not meet one Māori or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander who isn’t funny. I swear we were all born masters of comedic timing.
