SPOTLIGHTS
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| Where The Wild Things Are Review |
| Posted by Erik Luers on 11.16.2009 |
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Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are is a sprawling and encompassing pre-teen melodrama that happens to take itself very seriously. Some will go for this, some will not. It has a rough feel to it, and it may be the first kids' film to be thrown into the genre of indie grunge; at times it feels like a student film on a bare bones, community theater, shoestring budget.
The first fifteen minutes of the film, shot mostly with shaky handheld cameras, work perfectly. As we see young Max (played by an excellent, understated Max Records) go wild attacking his dog, getting into snowball fights, wrecking his sister's room, harassing his mother, and more, each frantic camera movement compliments the boy's hectic lifestyle on screen. Max's behavior dictates the early pacing of the movie (as opposed to when the film settles down into a more formal approach once we hit the island). Even the title card for the film looks as if it were written by Max with a piece of old chalk. Welcome to the avant garde world of child hostility.
Designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the wild things themselves are giant puppets (with actors inside them, I assume) with CGI facial expressions. The effect works. Since the physical aspect of the wild things are present on set, it gives Max (the actor) something to play off of for Max (the character). They are big and bulky, and their weight helps make the wild things seem "real". In terms of body type and design, think Ludo from Jim Henson's Labyrinth (unsurprising considering the inclusion of Maurice Sendak's Wild Things book on a character's dresser in the opening moments of that 1986 film). Oh, and wait until you see the two bird characters. Hand puppetry at its finest.
Are the wild things too scary for younger children? Some are confrontational and upfront about their anger (Judith especially), but they are merely replicating Max's behavior. Each of the creatures are angry, depressed, jealous,annoyed, suspicious, confused, and whatever else you can think of. They're going through a constant crisis of youth heartache. Just like Max. For the first time in his life, the young boy finds himself in the role of parent, and he doesn't much care for it.
The film drags a little bit, and there may be one wild rumpus/wrestling match too many, but the film hits more often that it misses. Some have accused the film of being too "emo". Of course it is. All stories about childhood are. The characters are so honest that they at first appear weak, and then by the end you realize how strong they were for being so.
Where the Wild Things Are is not a masterwork, but it tries hard to be taken seriously, and it succeeds most of the way through. I would call it a coming of age tale, but by now you've already figured that out. By the end of the film, Max learns not only to love his mother (although his love may never have been in doubt), but to appreciate and respect her. The film ends at the kitchen table on a peaceful, quiet note. The wild things have rested.
Final Rating: 8/10 |
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