AMB Reviews

Where The Wild Things Are: 9/10 Stars

Release Date: October 16, 2009

Content Advisory: Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action, and brief language. Mature thematic material includes family dysfunction, coping with pain, and dealing with anger. The Wild Things get in several fights throughout, several being comical, while others can be quite violent and scary (no blood). A family screams at each other, and a son bites his mom.

Review:

"Where The Wild Things Are" is a very short book. That being said, the movie sure did capture the wonder of it...

In Short:

"Where The Wild Things Are" is based on the classic book by Maurice Sendak. It's a children's book, that many families enjoy worldwide. Now, we get a little twist, as the book is made into a full-length movie that, in my opinion, surpasses the book. But you should know beforehand, this is not a children's movie. Though you may have no problem reading the book to your 4-year-old... be cautious of the film. This deals with dark and mature material here, mainly revolving around a boy named Max's figurative trip into a world where beasts called "The Wild Things" lurk. There, he becomes their king and helps them through thick and thin. The acting was great, the visuals were even better, and the movie had a certain fluency that was poignant and breathtaking.

In Full:

"Where the Wild Things Are" is based off of a classic children's book that clocks in at 10 sentences. You may be wondering how they would pull that off, but take in mind... they did it with "The Cat In The Hat." And however unfortunate of a film (if you can even call it that) it was, "Where The Wild Things Are" takes a bit differerent approach and makes a movie about childhood... for young adults and older. This movie follows the main story's plot: after getting in trouble, a young boy named Max finds himself in a magical world where he becomes the king of crazy and very big creatures called "The Wild Things." However, this dives into deep material dealing with family dysfunction, coping with pain, and dealing with anger. It's not for the little kids, as ironic as that may be. For them, there'll always be the book. For the older ones, however, this is a truly beautiful film with good pacing, a great story, and wonderful messages.

The acting/voicing was near perfect. Max Records plays the character of Max, and though I've never seen or heard of him before, he was absolutely great for his age, and gave the perfect emotion and character to Max. Throughout the film, I was in awe of how well he portrayed his character. Lauren Ambrose, James Gandolfini, and Catherine O'Hara voice several of the Wild Things, and all of them did a fine job. Overall, the actors all added to the film, and were part of the reason this ended up with 9 stars. Without good acting or voicing, you don't have much of anything. Bad acting distracts you from the plot, visuals, and every other good thing films have to offer. Luckily, I can't say that about this film.

The visuals is where everything really comes together. Mainly the reason for the 9 stars, the acting was great, the story was nice, but the visuals were fantastic. From the grandeur of the Wild Things, to the absolute wonderful backdrop of the film, there isn't one negative thing I can comment on, visual-wise. So many camera shots had me simply staring in awe at how beautiful it all was. I wanted so much to lie down with the Wild Things as they peacefully slept. I wanted to jump into the spectacular ocean that lay before me. What I'm trying to say is, even if you weren't a fan of the book... go to this movie and be simply amazed at the gorgeous, life-like, and jaw-dropping visuals.

If I had to try and find something negative to comment on, I would have to dig deep. And after getting my shovel, digging a deep hole, and stopping only when the pile of dirt was taller than me, maybe then I would find the small flaw in this film: its length. Yes, it's only about an hour and a half, but it felt somewhat longer to me. I don't know why, as I was never bored at any point, but it just felt like I had been sitting for much longer than 90 minutes when the end credits began to play. Of course, that being such a minor con, it's buried far beneath all of the pros found here.

In the end, I have to say that I don't recommend this film for anyone under the age of 10. Drop your mouths, say what you like, but that is my simple and humbled opinion, as I believe that this is mainly more for teenagers and adults. The content dealt here isn't the frothy, light, playful sentences found in the book about dancing and having a good time. Max's stay on the island is often painful and not all relationships are neatly tied up. My 10 year old sister tagged along, believing it to be a kids movie and came out saying it was "boring and just okay." Many parents have already fallen for the trap, taking their 2 and 3 year olds to the film. If you're reading this review and have anyone falling into that age group: take caution. Everyone else... have fun and enjoy the breathtaking splendor of "Where the Wild Things Are."