My Movie Review: Where the Wild Things Are.

Where the Wild Things Are: Movie Review.
By Wade Durham

The Gist: Based on Maurice Sendaks ever so fantastic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are lives up to its expectations. Starring Max Records as Max, who as an actor is definately someone to watch, an explorer the kid that represents the kid in all of us, but before you think Where the Wild Things Are is another goody lame kids film, it doesn't just represent the happiness in us, but the terror. However the portrayl of these emotions in the film are captured in the upmost artistic way. What Jonze has done here is found a way to capture the art of being a kid, never have I had such a near-exact flashback of my childhood. All the imagination, all the adventure. But Max alone doesn't just represnt the film we also are introduced to very unique monsters with very unique personalities. It seems the monsters had something to learn from Max as he had something to learn from them. Also its not just the story that prevails in the film, but the ever so excellent cinematography, which makes nearly ever frame a piece of beauty. No wonder this film is 5 years in the work, they didn't want anything short of excellence, and it delivers nothing short of such. Also note the classic use of puppets in the film, what Jonze has done here is used costumed puppets for the Wild Things and used CGI to function there faces and emotions, which get pretty deep. Someone who might not like this film may simply not get it, I think it primarily appears to people my age, teens and young adults who have their childhood right behind in the shadow, this film also us to remenist on the shadow that is our childhood. A very epic, dramatic and dark family film for the ages.

***** PERFECT SCORE!



ACTING: Max Records who is playing Max of the same name, doesn't have much experience behind him, but after this film I can safely say that we will be seeing him in more things, his performance was excellent and entirely believable not to mention the excellent voice acting from Dano, Gandolfini, Whitaker, Ambrose, and O'Hara.

EFFECTS: As I stated in my primary review, Jonze made the right choice going with puppet costumes, the CGI faces were a bonus, nothing is unrealistic. Also the feel of the movie is ultimately reflected on the beauty of the scenary.

MUSIC/SOUND: It is most certainly different, some scenes have a subtle quietness to them, others have a gentle, very impressive score. Then there is Karen O and the kids performing there occasional songs. Song to look for: Worried Shoes.

STORYLINE:I think when this was first announced book fans could only think "How the hell are they going to make a movie out of this?" Well of course Jonze had to reach out for a more explanatory storyline with an excellent script that takes what Sendak wrote and all the emotion of the book and enhances it into a beuatiful art of a film.

Movie Info

Genre(s): Adventure | Drama | Family/Kids | Fantasy

Written by: Spike Jonze
Dave Eggers

Directed by: Spike Jonze

Release Date:
Theatrical: October 16, 2009

Running Time: 101 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

RATING: PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language

Starring Catherine Keener, Max Records, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, and Forest Whitaker