Strong Bat and a Scared Rabbit

Finding a new movie or series to watch after finishing one almost seems impossible after devoting your time and emotions into a story. I most definitely felt this way after watching the newly released Zack Snyder’s Justice League. After years of anticipation, starting with just the tease of an idea and with the help of an audience, Zack Snyder was finally able to work on and release his version of the Justice League. The Snyder Cut is the perfect resurrection and restoration of the Justice League after having to endure the Joss Whedon’s 2017 Justice League, in which was full of boredom and CGI so bad that I had to cover my cat’s eyes so she didn’t have to watch the horror that was Superman’s CGI’d upper lip. I still get chills just thinking about it.

Nonetheless, we were finally able to ride this four hour emotional roller coaster, which seamlessly guided us on different story paths. Cyborg’s full story was able to come to fruition and successfully became the heart and soul of the movie. We were first introduced to Victor Stone, captain of the football team and already very smart and generous by hacking and changing his friends grades who was going through a rough time but also dealing with personal relationship issues with his father, and later dealt with a traumatic accident that led to him becoming and accepting himself as Cyborg.

So what are we to do or watch after experiencing this four hour emotional high? I would probably suggest a nap and a snack if you haven’t done so already, and then I would also like to highly recommend Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit.

I was extremely fortunate and glad that a friend had invited me out to the movies back in 2019, when going to the movies was a thing, to watch a movie that was playing in select theaters for a limited time and one that I hadn’t heard of yet, and that movie was Jojo Rabbit. While trying to understand the idea of the movie at the beginning, we came to know Jojo, a 10 year old boy growing up in a satirical Nazi Germany and sees himself as a well-rounded Nazi with his imaginary best friend… Hitler.

Young Jojo Betzler naively dreamt of becoming a Nazi soldier to then move on to Hitler’s personal guard. The movie makes fun of the Nazi Germany background and has Jojo attend a Nazi camp for children who played with knives and bombs, hung up Nazi propaganda throughout the town, and even had hate enraged conversations with imaginary Hitler on what it meant to be a young Nazi.

Jojo’s instilled hatred is then challenged when he meets Elsa, a young Jew living inside his wall. His humanism is at odds with what he was taught to think about the Jews, and this is where we find the heart of the movie. Elsa is able to prove to Jojo that not only was he only wanting to fit in, but that his belies and convictions were misguided. Taika Waititi does a tremendous job by effortlessly changing this movie from a comedy satire about a young and hopeful Nazi, to a pro-love and humanist story.

Jojo, played by Roman Griffin Davis, is also joined by Scarlett Johansson who plays his mother and also teases him about being a Nazi and we get to see how she becomes a major role by having him challenge his biases and brings in some of the most heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes.

If I were to recommend any movie for you to watch, especially after just seeing the Snyder Cut and waiting for the release of Kong vs. Godzilla and Mortal Kombat, HBO Max is currently streaming Jojo Rabbit as well, so be ready to laugh and for a bright emotional chord to be played on your heart strings.