Where the Wild Things Are Movie Review

Let me start the review off by saying that I was a huge fan of the book when I was younger. I credit it as being the book that really made me the bookworm I am today. It inspired me to read more books, and that lead to my decision to become an author. For that, Where the Wild Things Are holds a special place in my heart.

However, I will not allow myself to write a biased review based on that fact. It is my duty as a critic to give you my honest opinion on the film, whether they're good or bad.

So when I tell you what I thought of the film, I want you to believe that that is how I really felt about it. I am judging the movie on how good it was, and not whether or not it did the book justice. So you know that I'm telling you the truth when I say that I absolutely, without a doubt....loved this film; absolutely loved it.

Now, a lot of people will say that they didn't like it because it had no plot, or it had no point, or they'll say that nothing happens. They're wrong, and I'm not saying that my opinion is right, not at all. What I'm saying is that they are wrong in saying that they don't like movies with no point; what they really don't like are films that are ambiguous about their point, like this one was.

This really is one of those films that you have to see for yourself, so that you can interpret it in your own way. There is a message in this film, no doubt; but it's up to you, the audience to fully decide for yourself what that message was.

The story centers on Max, a little boy who imagines running away from his family to an island inhabited by giant animal-like creatures with childish personalities.

Max becomes the king of these creatures whom he has dubbed "Wild Things", and he promises them that he can bring harmony and joy to the island, as they tell him there once was before. But it's only a matter of time before their happy cherade comes crashing down, and Max is forced into a position where he must take care of them, and he has to understand what it truly means to be a wild thing.

I really do love this film. It's a film that certainly has flaws, but it also manages to create some of the most touching and beautiful scenes in the history of cinema. And for that, I feel that it more than makes up for it's flaws.

The voice cast in this film is amazing, especially James Galdonfini as the voice of Carol, the big wild thing with the round head and the horns on his head. At times he was gentle, and caring. Then at other times, he was emotional, and angry to the point of violence.

The actor who really blew me away though, had to be Max Records, who plays....well Max. That kid practically carries this entire film. If he wasn't in it, then this would have been a good film, but it wouldn't have been a great film. He is the picture perfect Max that we all imagined from the book, and while there were plenty of other kids who could have done a good job, only he was able to deliver the truly amazing and heartwarming performance that he did. I hope to see more of this kid in the future.

Let's talk about the Wild Things themselves for a little bit. I was skeptical at the news of a Wild Things adaptation, as I didn't think that all the CGI in the world could bring to the screen realistic looking Wild Things.

I suppose director Spike Jonze saw this too, as he really fought with Warner Brothers to make the Wild Things people in costumes, which are extremely realistic, and were obviously crafted with care by the Jim Henson company.

There is a little bit of CGI used, but only for their facial expressions, and only the necessary amount of it is used. With this perfect blend, the end result was the most convincing Wild Thing that I ever thought I'd see. They're all based on the artwork of Maurice Sendak, but it really is Spike Jonze's unique visionary style that bring them to life.

In a lot of ways, I found myself comparing this to the Wizard of Oz, because in a lot of ways, the two films are similar. Both are about kids (if you could call Dorothy a kid) leaving home to travel to a land formed by their imaginations, where all kinds of wonderful creatures live, and where unprecedented evil lies. Both include ageless make up and designs, and in both films, the hero meets creatures who are mirror images of people close to them in real life.

That's right; as you get further along in the film, you stop to realize that the Wild Things are childish versions of Max, and the people around him.

I really do love this film, and highly recommend it. However, you might want to wait a few weeks, so that there aren't so many kids in the theaters when you see it. Trust me, the kid kicking my chair periodically took me out of the film a bit. But just a bit...