This is going to be a hard review to write, because there are so many things to say about the new movie Where The Wild Things Are. A book could probably be written analyzing this film and the emotions it provokes. It is based on the children's picture book written by Maurice Sendak, and for over 40 years it's been one of the most famous and popular books for children.
Technically the book itself is only ten lines long, with the pictures offering a lot more of a story, so when Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers got their hands on it they really had their work cut out for them. How do you make a ten line book into a full length movie? In their case, with exceptional style.
Max (Max Records) is a typical little boy; he has too much energy, loves playing games, has a vivid imagination, and just wants some attention. It seems that his parents went through a divorce and he's having some trouble coping with his emotions. In the beginning he tries to get his sister and her friends to have a snowball fight, but the fun goes sour when they destroy his igloo. Max cries and the audience cries for him, because it must be said that Records plays this role with perfect innocence and sincerity. He is not overly precocious or wise beyond his years; he is Max. While his tired single mother (Catherine Keener) tries her best to show her love for him, Max loses his temper when she brings home a date. He runs away and sets off on a journey like no other.
Off on a distant island, Max creeps into the home of the Wild Things. These giant monsters are having troubles of their own, as one of them has decided to leave the pack and the current leader Carol (James Gandolfini) is having trouble with it.
His feelings for the missing KW (Lauren Ambrose) are complicated, and he takes it out on the forest with violence and fury. The Wild Things plan to eat him at first, but Max stands up to them and tells wild stories about being the King of the Vikings. Carol is so delighted to have someone to fix everything for them that he promotes Max immediately to King. The other Wild Things include negative Judith (Catherine O'Hara), calm Ira (Forest Whitaker), loyal Douglas (Chris Cooper), silent Bull (Michael Berry Jr.), and attention-seeking Alexander (Paul Dano). At first everything is fun and exciting with the beasts, especially when KW comes back to meet Max, but it soon breaks apart and Max learns that his adventure may not be what he expected ... or what he wanted.
.jpg?t=20130517094513)
Article comments
1 - Tim Rainey
This was a good good movie. A really thoughtful lovely movie that I don't believe will do well.
2 - ruth ainsley
This is a very bad movie for children. A bored and lonely child uses his imagination and violence on an adventure where he becomes king because he lies.
Children are told the sun is going to die but all humanity will perish long before.
To bring happiness to the wild things Max encourages a war between the good and the bad teams. All wreak havoc on one another and some are hurt. When Carol gets truly upset he rips off his best friends second favorite arm. No one thinks this odd.
Max fails as king and leaves the wild things unhappier than they were when he met them. He decides to go home. He is asked, "If you are not a king, what are you?" He replies, "I am Max." He is told, "Well, that's not much, now is it?" WHAT?? He returns home to a good meal and no comment or consequences for leaving.
This is a very bad movie in all respects and children should not be invited to see it.
3 - Jeff Duquette
This movie was so bad I walked out. Very dark and disturbing, and a child should never see it. Makes you want to take out a knife and start cutting holes in the theater seats.
Nothing good to say about this awful film.
4 - Bob
There's two hours of my life I won't get back. 'Where the Wild Things Are' is the worst movie ever. During the movie, I contomplated my own death . . . I was looking around the theatre for a knife or a sword to end the pain of this theatrical piece of trash. No, after finding no weapons, I just got up and left about 3/4 the way through. Until now, I never imagined that a drug company would sponsor a Hollywood movie. It's obvious that the movie is written, designed and solely architected for a single purpose . . . to leave people feeling depressed and hopeless. What is the motive to make a movie like this? Expression of art? No way! The body language, physiology, voice inflection and general behavior of all the characters in Spike Jonez's defication make it evident that the movie itself is one giant 'how to' book on the art of making oneself depressed. It would not be enough to destroy every copy of this movie, no . . . better yet, Spike Jonez should be tied down to a chair and forced to eat his own dogfood for two months straight.