Movie Review:
Where The
Wild Things
Are
Rating (out of 100):
Released: October 16th via Legendary/ Village Roadshow Pictures/ Playtone
The anticipation for “Where the Wild Things Are” reached a monstrous level of hype. Director Spike Jonze embraced a difficult challenge taking the beloved children’s book by Maurice Sendak that consists of ten sentences into a 90-minute film? Well, after you it, you will have your answer. Jonze’s film is a wild beast that is flooded with a roller coaster ride of emotions. He captures the essence of being a nine-year old all over again in an honest, authentic piece of art.
Coincidentally Max Records plays Max, a true child at heart, who has an untamed imagination. Early on, we see Max wrestling his dog in his wolf suit, armed with a fork, building an igloo, and chucking snowballs at his sister and her friends. Not only do you see a wild child with youthful energy, but you also get a glimpse of Max’s world. The majority of the shots are done with shaky handheld cameras, giving the feel of a child with borderline A.D.D.
After Max becomes upset that his divorced mother (Catherine Keener) is getting close to another man (Mark Ruffalo), he throws a temper tantrum by standing on the kitchen counter, yelling at the top of his lungs, “Woman, feed me” followed by “I hate you, I’ll eat you up!” Max bites his mother’s shoulder, runs out of the house and slowly wanders into the land of the wild things.
This is where Jonze elevates this film into a realistic fantasy world. The clichéd “Disney-like” approach would have been to create the wild things with CGI animation. Instead, each wild thing comes to life as a nine-foot puppet costume. The film would simply not be as genuine if it had been done any other way. While you are in the land of the wild things, everything is still seen through Max’s perspective. There are numerous low-angle shots looking up at these beautiful creatures; examining their movements, and studying them without ever blinking.
Each wild thing reflects different emotions that not only a child goes through, but an adult as well. Which I really think makes this a movie for every age. Max sees a little bit of himself in each wild thing. Loneliness, jealously, rage – all these emotions are thrown at you.
Some scenes are just flat out intense. Carol, the leader of the wild things, asks Max if he will take the sadness away? Do not fret, Max has a sadness shield, and apparently a true gift for acting in is arguably one of the best performances by a child Hollywood has seen in awhile. Twelve-year-old Mr. Records has a bright future ahead of him.
There simply is no other film out there that captures the raw emotional ups and downs of being nine-years old. Jonze’s tells an authentic tale that feels real. You can feel each breath of every wild thing. You feel their sadness. You feel their joy and happiness. You want to howl with Max and all of them. You become enraptured in this world for an hour and a half, and you do not want leave.
