Spike Jonze makes quirky movies, and his new picture, Where The Wild Things Are, is no exception. Surprised? I wasn’t. And it just so happens that I like quirky.
But, be warned: this is not a typical children’s film. No fart jokes, slapstick, or hokeyness to be found. Not to say that it’s entirely unformulaic. It has a lot of your standard plot devices, but, dammit, they work. And they’re totally appropriate.
It’s a film that, I think, will be more appreciated by older audiences because of the movie’s overall somber tone and the themes it touches on. Themes like loneliness, sadness, despair, death, love, and the delicacy of a family. It’s pretty deep. Possibly too much for little children to take in now, but they can always watch the DVD when they get older. But, if you haven’t seen it, don’t worry. It is also very whimsical and funny in parts as well.
The “wild things” themselves look hilarious with there CG faces and big hairy muppet costumes.
My personal favorite is Alexander, the goat.
The voice actors are pretty fantastic as well, you got James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Catherine O’Hara (funny as always), and Lauren Ambrose.
Max Records, who plays the main character, “Max”, had the arduous task of carrying the entire movie, and he pulled it off. He was/is great. It’ll be interesting to see what movies he chooses to be apart of, if any, in the future. Hopefully nothing too crummy. I’m looking in your direction, DISNEY!
Aesthetically, the film is gorgeous. Every shot, every composition is a work of art. It’s worth the price of admission on the visuals alone.
The film was shot in Australia, not just on sound stages, and it makes me very jealous that I don’t live there now. There are a plethora of locations: suburbs, the ocean, mountains, forests, and deserts.
The music also does a good job of encompassing and reflecting all the different emotions we have being felt in the story by all the characters. You got your happy, “All is love”, and your sad, “Hideaway”.
It’s very seldom that we get something atypical to come out of Hollywood, which is why it’s always a delight when surreal movies like this one come along. And with such a wide release! Do yourself a favor and experience this film if you haven’t yet. I’ve seen it twice, and I enjoyed even more on the second viewing.
Give it a chance. Don’t you deserve to not settle for mediocrity at the movies sometimes?
You know, I've been thinking about this movie a lot recently and I've come to the conclusion that this movie is for adult men. The reason I specify that it's for men is because it's narration on what it's like to be a boy. Angry, uncomfortable, insecure, etc. I realize of course that these feelings may be applicable to anyone's growing pains and not just boys. But Max is the typified adolescent "troubled" boy. He has to learn to keep his "boyness" or his "wildness" under wraps. The movie offers the opportunity for reflection to adults and possibly a lesson in growing to children, should they make it through the entirety of the film. I'm guessing they tire out pretty quickly after the first act about the time Max disappears to the island and the film loses it's energy. The films biggest flaw was its marketing. It's not really for kids though it captures their essence so perfectly.