Where The Wild Things Are

After dwelling a bit on Spike Jonze's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, I can safely say not only is it a fantastic children's movie, frankly, it's simply a fantastic film period. Jonze, set with a wide array of talent collaborating together, including the original book's author himself, Maurice Sendak, crafts a film that deals with the pains of growing up as a child and the difficulty in adapting to changes to the world around you, as well as with the relationships one has with family and friends.

This stems from the first minutes of the film when we see Max (Max Records) and his real life family. His father is notably absent with no reason ever stated, his sister drifting away from him as she gets older and his mother (Catherine Keener), as she is seen dating a new man. After a series of events, Max is led to wander off and sail to a new land, inhabited by the Wild Things. Led by the temperamental Carol (James Gandolfini), The Wild Things begin to form new bonds with Max, crowning him King. It's after this crowning that the Wild Things must do some adjustments for themselves. It's from here that we see all the struggles of adapting, seen in essence, a mirror image of what Max struggled through with his real life family. There is next to no plot here, and it's not really about that either. It's about going through these experiences, journeying through this world, and reflecting back in the end.The film takes some darker turns, but it's that difficulty in adjusting that brings about the dark turns. It felt very real in what was presented and it's this challenge that is one of my favorite aspects about this film.

The films works fantastically on a number of levels. The Wild Things themselves, are very believable not only in the sense that they look real and not a figment of CGI (which works seamlessly in this film) but in that they have real, human personalities to them. Carol, Ira (Forest Whitaker), Douglas (Chris Cooper), Alexander (Paul Dano), KW (Lauren Ambrose), Judith (Catharine O' Hara) and The Bull (Michael Berry, Jr.) are all solid in their voice acting and all sound absolutely fitting to their characters on screen, in their interactions with each other and with Max. Each wild thing has their little nuances and quirks that help them stand out, such as Alexander's constant drifting to the background or Ira's need to put hole in trees and deem them his property. They don't feel like giant but friendly man eating monsters. They feel like giant kids. Max, who has one of the most memorable child roles in some time, goes through a number of emotions with both his Family and the Wild Things and seemingly makes it look like a cakewalk. There is one scene very early involving an igloo, where at the scene's end, one can just feel his sadness and rage all at once.

Credit must also be given to Cinematographer Lance Accord, who is able to capture some beautiful and poignant shots throughout the film, capturing the scenery around Max's Kingdom. There are some diverse and beautiful settings in this film, which was shot in Australia, whether it be the seaside, forest or the desert. Some of it is already apparent in the teaser spots but it is still something to behold in the context of the film, on the big screen. (Something I hope to see again in IMAX) The camerawork, pace and editing of some scenes such as the wild rumpus, are reminiscent of MTV's Jackass, which Spike Jonze himself co-created, produced and participated in. It's got that similar, free wheeling and wild energy from the TV show. Karen O and Carter Burwell worked together to create a score with similar energy. While jarring in the opening scenes, it settles down to craft many different moods and senses hat perfectly complement what's on screen.

I discussed with someone the next day in that, I envy young kids now after this film. I envy them because of the opportunity to experience this film at such a young age, a film the will excite and challenge at the same time, with fresh, childhood eyes. But with that said, you don't need to be a young person to love the film. Wether you're 7 or 70 years old, which is about the age range of the audience at my screening, you can't help but be amazed and look with a sense of amazement and wonder, what Jonze, Sendak and company have brought to the big screen. What Sendak's book did for one generation of youth, Jonze's adaptation has the power to do the very same for a whole new generation in this technological age.