Spike Jonze has almost seamlessly translated Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak’s original 1963 book of only ten sentences, into an amazing feature length film released this month by Warner Bros. Pictures.
The result captures the feeling and the mood of the original book, and it does so stunningly. Jonze has always skillfully employed a matter-of-fact surrealism into his movies, as in his music videos, and he incorporates the same sort into this movie artfully.
So, the movie begins, and we are introduced to Max (Max Records). His parents are divorced and his sister ignores him. He’s quick to anger. He has few friends, it seems, when he talks to fences, telling one, “You’re just a fence. You can go play with your own fence friends.” We are shown through the wonderful acting of Records, that childhood can be tough.
After a throwing a tantrum and biting his mother (Catherine Keener), he runs out of the house and down the street. So begins his surreal journey. He comes across a small sailboat and sails out to sea, to nowhere in particular. Just away.
He comes across an island. Here live the Wild Things, each seemingly representing facets of Max’s personality and life. When Max meets them, there is a preexisting tension, an established dynamic between the monsters. Max appoints himself king, and brings the quarrelsome monsters together again.
Max develops friendships with the monsters. In particular, Max bonds with Carol (James Gandolfini), and KW (Lauren Ambrose). Carol, like Max, is prone to tantrums. He is perhaps the wildest of the Wild things. KW is a loner, much like Max is portrayed as in the beginning, who, when Max meets her, seems to have been avoiding the group. Max brings her back to them.
The cast members lend their voices masterfully to the production, particularly James Gandolfini, who seems to hit every note of emotion, and his outbursts feel genuine.
A pallet of grays and browns adds to wonderful cinematography and expansive set pieces to give the film a beautiful look. The Wild Things are a combination of puppetry, suits and computer-generated imagery for the faces. The settings, in forest and desert, are picturesque.
The movie has little narrative, but this is understandable, as adding too much would alter the original aim of Sendak’s story. The lack of narrative actually adds to the feel of the movie; like dreams and child’s play, there’s never a defined plot.
The plot is not the key point in the movie, however. It is meant to be watched for its emotions and themes. It touches upon loneliness, neglect and aging. As result, the film becomes mildly depressing and dark. There are no compromises in the portrayal of these emotions. They are not played down to a younger audience, nor made universal to include adults. The movie is about childhood.
Where the Wild Things Are is a beautiful rendering of a children’s book and an excellent film.