Adapting Where the Wild Things Are into a full length movie was certain to be a daunting task. Not only is it one of the most beloved children's books of the last half century, but the book is also 38 pages long with a little over 300 words. It was going to take someone with significant imagination to not only make the movie good but just to make it at all. Luckily director/co-writer Spike Jonze was completely up to the task.
For anyone that doesn't know, the basic plot it centers on a young boy named Max (Max Records) who becomes angry with his mother (Catherine Keener) and her new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) and runs away to a distant island full of "wild things." While there Max bonds with the wild things (voiced by James Gandolfini, Forrest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose, Paul Dano and Catherine O'Hara) and convinces them he is their king. The movie greatly expands on Max's back-story and fleshes out all the wild things into full characters who speak and have personalities of their own, with each one representing a different aspect of Max's personalty.
The first thing to realize is that Jonze did not make Where the Wild Things Are to be a children's movie but rather to be a "movie about children." There are some very adult themes running throughout the movie and it's possible that small children could be scared by some of the imagery. I doubt it will be too much of an issue and most children should really enjoy the film but there's more going on underneath the surface than in a standard kiddie flick.
I can't say enough good things about the technical aspects of the film, they are amazing. The world Jonze creates is simply stunning and totally engrossing. There are beautiful set pieces everywhere and the imaginary world the film takes place in is completely original and totally believable. The wild things themselves were brought to life with a mix of live action puppeteering and CGI. They are very expressive and lifelike. The entire movie is really Jonze showing off his film-making ability and showing it off in style.
Of course all the technical skill in the world doesn't mean much if the story and the cast don't hold up. The cast in particular is excellent throughout. I usually am not a fan of child actors but Max Records gives an excellent performance. He shows off a very wide range of emotion, from rage to fear and sadness. He holds the movie together very well in challenging role for an actor of any age. Gandolfini plays Carol, the most impulsive of the wild tings and the one most easily comparable to Max. While I often could only hear Tony Soprano coming out of Carol he shows a lot of depth in his voice and much like Max displays rage and sorrow in equal measure. The rest of the cast is excellent as well although most are not given as much to do.
There's not much that doesn't work for me in the film but Jonze's decision to make it a fairly deliberately paced movie is the main thing that keeps it from being great. There action is intentionally scrapped in favor of contemplative looks at childhood and anger. While these are themes are definitely a positive for the film overall it does slow the pace down significantly in more than a few spots. I suspect adults and kids alike could get bored at times. This is still a pretty minor issue as more often than not the film is brimming with excitement.
The blu-ray is technically amazing as well. While the movie focuses more on browns and grays than a lot of color it's all represented very well. The image isn't one that's really going to "pop" but it matches the tone of the movie extremely well. Detail is outstanding as you can pick out individual hairs on the wild things costumes and some of the wider shots of the wild things world are truly breathtaking. The audio track is fantastic. While Where the Wild Things Are is not a non stop action movie when the movie calls for it the sound can be overwhelming. Low end is abundant and surrounds are used very well, not only in action scenes but for ambiance throughout the film. Dialogue as well is very well represented and I didn't have any problems understanding anything being said.
Where the Wild Things Are probably isn't the easiest movie for children to digest but they should be entertained throughout almost the entire movie. Adults will find plenty to love in it as well. It's full of imagination, energy and excitement while still maintaining a deeper meaning underneath the surface. It's a visual marvel and the few reservation I have should not dissuade anyone from seeing the movie.
Ratings:
Movie 4/5
Blu-ray 5/5
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