What We Do in the Shadows

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2016)

What is missing from a lot of comedies these days is visual comedy. The YouTube channel "Every Frame A Painting" did a video on Edgar Wright perfectly explaining this, and using this as a reason why Edgar Wright is the smartest comedy director currently out there. Basically, thanks in no small part to Judd Apatow, most of the comedies of the past 10 years have basically been mostly comedic improv on screen, and even if it is scripted that is an accurate description of what it feels like. And even when they do improv the actors aren't skilled enough to portray the unique, hilarious characters in films such as "Best in Show" and "This is Spinal Tap". This is where "What We Do in the Shadows" comes in.
This film combines some hilarious visual comedy elements similar to Edgar Wright, while also including the mockumentary improv style of Christopher Guest, and while filmmakers Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clements don't quite reach the heights of those two directors, they craft an original, very funny comedy.
The film gets right into it. For the first 6 minutes basically everything is a joke, and it's pretty hilarious, but I was immediately skeptical about how long they could go with this premise while still being funny. The answer is: surprisingly long, even if it begins to feel one note towards the end of the film.
For those unfamiliar with the premise, there is a group of vampires that meet in a flat in New Zealand, hang out, go to clubs, and casually live their lives as vampires.
The film is basically filled with clever moments playing into vampire lore, and hilarious lines (that I will not spoil). The film is It's also surprisingly heartfelt. It's actually about the value of friendship, and finding people who accept who you are.
There isn't really much more to say. It's funny and clever and by the end of the film they've pretty much milked all that they could out of the premise and then some. It's definitely one of the better comedies I've seen recently. Hilarious cast of characters, great performances, and surprisingly great visual effects, mostly done practically.