Where the Wild Things Are (Jonze, 2009)

[ak]

Looks quite brilliant from the trailer. Loved the Arcade Fire song and Lance Acord's subtly impressive photography. Such films are not my usual cup of tea, but Jonze is a true visionary, so I give in.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/--N9klJXbjQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/--N9klJXbjQ&rel=1</a>

[animatedude]

if we are talking family entertainment,this coming fall will be really special.of the top off my head:

-Where the Wild Things Are
-The Princess & The Frog
-A Christmas Carol

btw,Spike Jonze needs to explain the 7 years gap between Adaptation and this...

[kaytee]

Poster.

[fizz]

"Character" posters...sweet!

[theoddball]

Awesome.

[ak]

Pretty bland. Spike Jonze overreaches for an unconventional narrative (no conflict; events are metaphorically related via standard kitchen sink drama: lonely kid, broken family, whatever) and he fails to hold your interest past the 30-minute mark. Where the Wild Things Are is visually striking, but you will check your watch often.

[ozzylogic]

Another one for the .kff

[fizz]

Where The Wild Things Are is a disappointment. This let down does not come from the fact that it’s based on a beloved children’s book that I’ve never read, but because it’s from the visionary director of quirky indie classics such as Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, two wonderful films filled with wit, energy and a distinguished zaniness.

The setup here is fairly simplistic, almost pedantic. Lonely Max is upset when his sister’s friends destroy his igloo. He reacts by trashing his sister’s room and much later, when his stressed out mother is spending some time with her boyfriend much to Max’s dismay, has an argument with her and runs away. His escapade takes him to a faraway, remote land, across sprawling seas, inhabited by giant, furry, teddy bear like creatures (the Wild Things of the title) that he befriends and eventually rules over as their king.

The movie is too complex for children – each of the Wild things are either meant to be representative of Max’s diverse personality and psyche, from the always playful, temperamental Carol to the attention seeking, lonely Alexander, or members of his family. This fact will certainly be lost on the children in attendance making them scratch their heads, and in all likelihood, quickly lose interest. For adults, other than those who have possibly read the book, I can’t seem to find any compelling reason to actually sit through the film. There is very little drama that unfolds. The entire film essentially presents the tired adage of ‘boys will be boys’ in filmic form but with very little to hang on to. The bipolar script oscillates between moody sadness or, at times, viscerally fearful (a frantic forest chase might be too frightening for the little ones), but it’s all very little to really hold your attention onto for too long. This is a neurotic fairy tale for the modern, post angst, dysfunctional family and it made me crave for the more simplistic innocence of films such as Coraline.

To give credit where credit is due, the creature effects, marvellously rendered on screen using a mix of CGI and the unmistakable puppetry of Jim Henson’s creature shop are top notch. Every Wild Thing has a uniquely identifiable personality, from their gait to the fabulous voice work by the actors under costume (James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper and Forest Whitaker being the most instantly recognizable). The pensive, dreamy aura throughout the film also owes a lot to the folksy, mystical musical sound of Karen O (of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs) and together this gives the film a unique atmosphere. Still, at the end, you are left asking if not only was the film worth watching, but whether it deserved to be made in the first place, considering the source material was essentially a picture book with very little in the way of actual dialogues. By that measure the adaptation is also more visual, but perhaps too stretched out to justify its own existence.

Rating: 2.5/5

[ayaa1977]

Although I think I might be more forgiving when I see it, but you make an excellent argument Fizz. I think the problem is more with the high expectations.

on a different topic, what business do you have now watching and revenge films?! Should not you be relaxing and getting yourself all pretty and stuff

[shariqq]

The pensive, dreamy aura throughout the film also owes a lot to the folksy, mystical musical sound of Karen O (of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs) and together this gives the film a unique atmosphere.

I agree. It's the music that I admired the most in this movie, it made this otherwise boring movie into a relaxed piece. The failure of the movie turns to resignation rather than frustration because of the wonderful sounds.

Btw, the kid, Max, reminded me of Ellen Page through out the movie. And sure enough, it was easy to google and find many people had already made the connection.

[animatedude]

Where The Wild Things Are is a big failure no doubt about that but there's lots to be admired about this movie...first, the soundtrack. second,the whole production looks like they put a lot of effort in it.

if i was to make this movie myself i would do the following:

1-turn this into an animated movie,i think it would've worked as an animated movie.
2-get a new kid,Warner Bros. actually didn't like the kid either...i don't know why Spike Jonze insisted on this kid...
3-the script is unbelievably corny..get a new script.
4-leave the soundtrack as it's.

[animatedude]

heads up heads up heads up you hold me up you hold me down and up and down and up and up and down