Where the Wild Things Are

Directed by the wonderfully inventive Spike Jonze, WTWTA follows young Max as he runs away from home following an argument with his mother and finds solace in a world of his own. He sets sail and washes up on an island inhabited by furry beings who take him in and crown him as their new king- unfortunately they have eaten every other king they have ever had. The boys relationship with the wild things is loving but often strained at times. He finds in them what he found back at home- love, jealousy, rivalry, acceptance...
Let me say that this film looks stunning. The voice acting is brilliant, the writing and directing are sublime and the pace of the movie is measured, but perfectly so. I think the reason that people are slamming this movie is because they are approaching it a kids film, which it isn't. It is an adult film about being a kid, and how hard it could be and how we would often find comfort in make-believe.
In my opinion, this is one of the most affecting films I have seen in years. Complex in so many ways- I am sure that this movie will reveal itself more as you revisit it. Don't go in expecting a fast-paced kiddies adventure movie, but instead look at the previous work of the brilliant Spike Jonze to see how he has grown as a film-maker and yet lost nothing of what made him so great in the firt place. This is a grown-up, sad, sometimes unsettling look at childhood and imagination, and I for one absolutely loved it.
The blu-ray transfer is terrific also. The short film Higgedy Piggedy Pop which is included in the extras is wonderful, and I am looking forward to delving into some of the other extras included on this disc.

I guess that the filmmakers want us to think that this is a deep exploration of a young kid who's misunderstood and dealing with some sort of emotional issues, but the reality is that it's a story of a spoiled kid who dreams about some of the most boring creatures imaginable. There's nothing to latch onto here--no sympathy for any of the characters (except the poor mom, but we don't see enough of her), no plot that we can watch develop, no character development that we can relate to. And how could they possibly think that an ending with no words between the kid and his mom is going to be effective? This kid hasn't learned a thing. It's simply a boring, plotless two hours of drivel--easily one of the worst films that I've ever seen. Save yourself the time and energy, and read the book--it'll take five minutes and will be much more satisfying.

This is a wonderful adaptation of the Maurice Sendak book, which won the Caldecott medal in 1964. Spike Jonze and his team have worked extraordinary magic in bringing Sendak's very spare story to the screen as a film running 104 minutes. The conceit is that of Alice in Wonderland and the trick is of course, that Max runs away from home and has all manner of adventures in the land of the Wild Things then sails back (for nearly a year and many weeks besides and a day too,) right back to his bedroom where his meal is waiting for him (and it's still warm!) So Spike Jonze and his cohorts had a huge job to create a full length film from a skeletal story book, but it's all good - the casting of Max Records, who was 11, I think, when the film was made, in the lead role, the creation of the monsters - and their voices, and the introduction of many underlying philosophical leitmotifs.
Of course it's a movie for adults, and a movie for young children to watch with their parents. And having watched the movie, adults might like to learn something more of Maurice Sendak the man.

It is plain horrible. No plot, bad casting, spoiled brat as main character. I felt like watching a bunch of depressed drug adgicts fooling around in monster costums.

I love Where the Wild Things Are (the book I mean). It was one of my favorite books as a young boy, ranking right up there with Dr. Seuss. It's difficult to articulate what it was about that book that was so appealing, but I read it over and over again. I perused the wonderful illustrations and was enchanted by the creative (and a little scary) monsters that somehow came to life on the pages. When I learned that this book was to be adapted as a motion picture I squealed with delight (ok maybe I didn't squeal out loud), but then I regained my composure and started to think. This book is not very long. It's short on dialogue. There really isn't much of a story. How in the world could someone make a movie out of this? After watching the blu-ray version, all of my fears came true.

This movie is s...l...o...w. It's boring. I found myself wishing it would just end. I did not care about Max. I did not care about the monsters (voiced by James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara, and others). I actually cared more for Max's poor mother (the always great Catherine Keener) who had to withstand his ridiculous tantrums, aggression, and attention getting behaviors. This movie should have been titled Where the Depressed Things Are. There was very little in the way of wildness (the "rumpus" was boring). The monsters were all so pathetic and down trodden that you just wanted them to go away. Actually, it seemed that the monsters themselves just wanted to go away. They all seemed to have a connection with each other, but that connection was filled with dysfunction and resentment. It was not fun to watch.

I started to wonder if this movie is some kind of allegory about unresolved anger. I honestly cannot find the meaning because it feels so empty. Perhaps that was the point, but it's hard to justify an hour and a half of emptiness to an adult, much less a child watching this. As expected, the blu-ray version of the film looks and sounds great. Do I care? Not really. It's just window dressing surrounded by emptiness.