Where the Wild Things Are – A kids story for grown ups

With a history of making music videos featuring crazy dancing and filming crazy stunts with the cast of Jackass, it is quite possible that director Spike Jonze is a 12 year old at heart. In adapting Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, the real surprise is that it would appeal more to adults than children. The ambition on show is admirable and the results are often spectacular.

Max (an astonishing debut performance by Max Powers) lives with his single mother who has begun to date new men and an older sister who is more interested in her new set of friends.  After an argument with his mother, Max runs away and finds himself sailing to an island with a host of wild creatures who he convinces to make him their king.

Each character is a representation of Max’s personality from the wild Carol (James Gandolfini) to the ignored Alexander (Paul Dano) and his love for his mum and sister KW (Lauren Ambrose)  This may be too hard for younger children to understand but there is still much for them enjoy.  The creatures look cuddlier than Sully in Monsters Inc.

The effects are awe inspiring. The CGI quotient is kept to a minimum while the puppetry work makes the characters feel real. The physicality of each of them perfectly complements their characters and the attention to details is spot on, right down to the little bit of snot that constantly sits on the end of Carol’s nose.

There is a dark undercurrent running through the film with Carol always on the verge of destroying something if he doesn’t get his way. Yet it is also great fun as Max leads the creatures on a wild rumpus through the forest. It takes you back to those innocent days where playing was fun and there were no cares in the world. On the cusp of adulthood, Max knows he can’t stay in this world.
We wish we could stay a little longer too.

A wonderful soundtrack by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs gives the films a dark but mysterious fairy tale feel and only adds to the feel that this may be too cool for kids. They may like it; you will appreciate it and hopefully love it a little. If all movies were made with this much heart, even Transformers 2 could have been an acceptable viewing experience.

Oh and that was grit in my eye at the end!