Where The Wild Things Are
Spike Jonze has made the first emo children’s movie.
If I had limited time to give you a summary review of this movie, that would be it. Whenever a movie is made out of a source that doesn’t seem to have enough material to qualify for a half-hour TV special (do they even make those anymore?) let alone a full movie, there is the risk ruining the movie version by adding to the original. It is to Jonze’s credit that the choices he and co-writer Dave Eggers made are not effects-laden filler, but real strides to flesh out the story.
However, this doesn’t add up to a typical ‘kid’ movie. It’s very obvious that Jonze sees this story as a sad one. His Max is lonely, misunderstood and trying to find a place where he can be accepted. Something that a lot of kids and adults can relate to. It goes a long way in creating sympathy for the character by not just being a brat who got sent to his room for bad behavior. The creatures that he comes across when he runs away are just as sad and lonely as he is, and on the verge of dissolving as a family until Max talks his way into making him their king.
The look of this movie is quite different from any recent kid’s movie by a long shot. The natural color palatte of the wild things’ world are a welcome break from the fully saturated rainbow colors of most kid’s films, but it doesn’t make the landscapes any less awe-inspiring. The dark forests and windy deserts manage to have a very otherwordly feel to them, perfectly matching the creatures. I have to admit a bias here, being a long-time fan of anything involving Jim Henson. His Creature Shop created the full-body puppets that stay very true to Sendak’s original illustrations yet fit into the natural landscapes quite well. These are enhanced by using CG to make the monster’s faces talk and emote. The computer work is subtle and seamless and gives these creatures an added believability.
As imaginative as their outward appearance is, their names and voices are very ordinary. Carol? Alexander? Ira? For me, the names weren’t an issue. These are obviously monsters and giving them names like Treepuncher or King Furball would have been too distracting. The voices follow the same logic, as no one is trying to voice a ‘monster character’ as they are just acting out a character, and this works except for James Gandolfini. I couldn’t help being reminded of Tony Soprano whenever he spoke. Gandolfini is a good actor and does Carol justice in this movie, but it might have been better served to have a less distinctive voice fill this role.
In all, I’m glad I saw this movie in the theater. Don’t know if I’d buy it though. Like the movie, it was a very enjoyable ride, but sooner or later you get over being sad and then you need to get back on the boat and go home.
