Review - Matt Mungle

 

 
Earlier this month the new KISS music CD was released and I ran right out and bought it. Not because I expected stellar tunes but instead because of what the band means to me and my childhood memories. I grew up listening to these guys. My first birthday present I remember vividly as one of their albums. So to me they represent my adolescence and a simpler time. I feel like the new film, Where the Wild Things Are will have the same appeal to those who grew up reading the book and loving the story. It is something they will adore, not because it is a great film, but what it represents to them.
 
There has been a lot of buzz about this new fantasy-adventure from Director Spike Jonze. Based on the beloved children's book by Maurice Sendak Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of a imaginative young lad named Max who escapes the emotional struggles of home for a place called Monster Island. There he is made king of the wild things and expected to bring them joy and peace. What Max soon discovers is that there is a lot of pressure and responsibility in that task. When not running amuck and building huge cavernous fortresses with his new, large, furry friends he mainly tries not to be eaten. Other than that nothing really happens in this movie on the surface. It is in going deeper that you get anything from it.
 
Never having read the book I struggled to find a way to bond with Max and his bits of rage and wildness. My first thought was why hasn't someone busted his tail and made him act like a civilized human being. Coming from a broken home and being ignored by an older sibling is not cause for destruction. I am the first to commend the freedom of creativity and exploration in kids but I think there has to be a balance of respect and responsibility for actions there too. Max has none of that. So I didn't like this little hellion from the get go and that made it hard to find the joy in his adventures or sympathize with his situation. That said I found this to be a dark story and one that I enjoyed delving into. The monsters on monster island each obviously represent an aspect of Max's personality as well as members of his family. Maybe I put way too much thought into it but that was honestly the only way I could take anything from it. I had to make it a cerebral film or I would be left with just a shallow story and an unpleasant tyke.
 
What worked for me? The monsters are the foundation of this film regardless of the direction you go into it. Voiced by strong, recognizable names (James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, and Chris Cooper) the monsters are a mix of good and evil. Even though at times they have a Kuala bear cuddliness about them you get a sense that just below the surface is a danger that can quickly destroy you. The look too of these creatures was amazing due in part to Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Henson defined the art of large puppets and they add a dimension to this film that is at time wonderfully captivating.
 
Where the Wild Things Are is rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language. Though most will watch this with no issue I have to wonder if some of the scenes might be a bit frightening for your really young film goers. There are times when the monsters turn on Max and there is nothing cute about it. They are sinister in their intentions. Other than that and the concern that your kid might get the idea that destructiveness should be rewarded you will have no worry with content. I have a hard time ranking this film. I personally give it only 3 out of 5 dirt clods. But, I really like my KISS CD and have a feeling that those who have a pre-bond with this story will love the movie immensely. For the rest of you, good luck. So says Matt Mungle

 
Review - Kathryn Ryan

 

 
By nature I am a very sentimental person. Although I am almost 21, you can find my old stuffed animals in my closet, some random drawings I made in a box in the attic, and my favorite childhood books in the bookshelf upstairs. Out of all the books upstairs, the one I remember most clearly reading is Where the Wild Things Are. Though a very simple read (only 10 sentences total) it is a book that captured my imagination, and the imagination of many generations. One of the most memorable parts of the book wasn’t the story, but the pictures themselves. I had never seen monsters like that and drawn that way. The story was enthralling for my young mind and to this day is a book I love. When I heard that Where the Wild Things Are was becoming a movie, I knew this was one I had to see. With Spike Jonze as the director and co-writer for the screenplay, I knew this would be an experience to remember, and boy was it.

The story is about a boy named Max, Played by a boy actually named Max, who is a typical boy. He runs, he screams, he wrestles, he builds ice forts, and he has an imagination. One particular night, Max is having a fit because his mother is mother is not serving him dinner fast enough (where the real underlying problem is the fact that his mother has her potential boyfriend over for dinner). He puts on his wolf costume, jumps on the counter and yells at his mother, “Feed me, woman!” After his outburst and his mother trying in vain to calm him down, he runs out of the house, into the night. He ends up stopping by a pond, and then his imagination runs…wild. He ends up on an island inhabited by big, strong, and angry monsters. At first they want to eat him, but then he tells them that he is a king. The monsters are in awe and believe every word he says and from that point forward, the film is an adventure that only a child could dream.
First and foremost, if you need just one reason for seeing this movie and one only, I would say that the puppets used are reason enough.

All of the monsters are people in giant puppet costumes and the only thing on them that had to be digitally added was facial expressions not the face itself. Jim Henson Company did a spectacular job making them and just to see that company do what they do best is reason enough for me to go again. Along with the puppets, the voice casting was perfect. I never pictured the monsters being well spoken and powerful with their words, and I was relieved to see that the monsters fumbled for words, stuttered over thoughts, and sometimes mumbled incoherent things. Max Records, who plays Max, did a great job.

Everything about him embodied the role from simple facial expressions to the way he delivered his lines. Now to get into the touch subject of the plot… there really isn’t a cohesive plot to this movie. Before you shut it out completely now, think about this question: have you ever asked a child to tell you a story, one they have completely made up, and listened to what they say? Their story has rocket ships, ghosts, knights, giant bugs, ninjas, ponies, and princesses, everything you can imagine they will put it into their story. It will not make sense to you, but it makes sense to them. It was as though Jonze turned into a nine year-old and directed a movie from that very perspective. It isn’t a usual story, but from the eyes of a child, it is amazing.

Where the Wild Things Are is rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language. If anything, the monsters can get a little scary with all their, “let’s eat him!” talk, but aside from that, this movie is great for an elementary school child. I will say that for the parents and adults, who have never read the book, turn off your brain. In order to fully understand what is going on, you have to turn off the adult, logical, linear part of your mind that has been on for so long. This movie is an opportunity for you to bring out the child in you and see this film through those eyes. Once you let go and let your inner child take over, you will be enthralled by this movie.

I give Where the Wild Things Are four and a half out of five crowns. This film stayed true to the book, added completely believable elements, and teaches adults that every now and then you should let out your wild side.