Where The Wild Things Are- A Review

Plot, Where the Wild Things Are: Not as easily pegged by its title, even if you have read the extremely short children’s novel that is its counterpart. Why? Because this film has expanded the novel’s intention to portray the wild nature of the child with character, the thing the original book never thought to do. The story is about a young child named Max (played by the merely coincidental Max Records, I think not), who chooses to run away from home after he finds his family not spending enough time on him. Yes, the film center on a selfish child, but since that was viewer at one point of their lives, we accept him as our unlikely protagonist. Anyways, he sails to the shore of an island full of wild hairy beasts, but child-like in spirit. The rest of the film is the interaction of the characters, which grows with equal parts love and tragedy. Everything is great about this film; it’s a classic in the making.

WTWTA (I guess that is what I will call it from now on because the title's length hurts my hand) is full of beautiful visuals and natural landscapes, and surprisingly good performances...although they mostly arrive from animatronic suits. Many critics will argue a well made family film is one that, well, not to sound monotonous, but one that the whole family can enjoy. Now when it comes down to it, I didn't come to argue if this is a good film. Cause it is. But like I said, how about those parents and children? I am not so certain critics understand the media that children enjoy. Films like Prince of Persia, Despicable Me, and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, are more targeted to children. Somebody need to find some true middle ground for family cause I would find children hard pressed to enjoy the dramatic sequences of a child crying and biting his mother's boyfriend. Although children can relate to Max's child-like sense of wonder, they will question and ponder whether anything substantial occurs throughout the movie (growing up metaphors always used to fly right over me). Okay, so maybe that was the point, relation for kids, nostalgia for parents. But that's not a family film. Spike Jonze, the genius he is, cheated. In this war between the right ratio of parent-child in family movies, he chose to get critical acclaim over the money of little children. And it's great to witness a director that still has that integrity. But in the end, this isn't going to be the movie your average family rents on a rainy day or weekend, unless every 6 year old child these days are hipsters looking for something in the independent film realm.


Where the Wild Things Are: More enjoyable for an adult

- Jeff Bassin