Where the Wild Things Are
Spike Jonze
Warner Bros. Pictures
4/5
As far as film adaptations of beloved children’s books go, Where the Wild Things Are may be the most raw, most daring and most unusual of the bunch.
It is also one of the finest.
Brought to the big screen by two of this decade’s hippest Zeitgeist-defining creative forces, director Spike Jonze and novelist Dave Eggers, Maurice Sendak’s rousing 338-word classic is infused with heaps of imagination and a powerful emotional texturing.
For those who weren’t tucked into bed with this on their nightside table, Wild Things tells the story of a rambunctious nine-year-old named Max (portrayed by Max Records).
He is manic but misunderstood by his family. His sister (Pepita Emmerichs) pretends that he doesn’t exist. His mother (Catherine Keener) has work and a new boyfriend, both of which eat up her time.
This family tension peaks one night when Max yells at his mother and runs away from home. Clothed in a cozy, white wolf costume, Max takes a sailboat to the island where the wild things are.
These tall beasts warm up to Max and crown him as their king. Among these wild things who Max befriends are the stubborn Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini) and the kind, independent KW (Lauren Ambrose provides the voice), among others.
Where the Wild Things Are has buoyant moments of triumph and adventure. But the film is not only a “wild rumpus.” At parts, it is gloomy and bittersweet.
Max’s home life is excruciatingly real. These emotional tensions carry over to the island of the wild things. These furry creations, while brash and excitable, are complicated beasts.
The monster costumes were intricately designed by the Jim Henson Company, and hold true to Sendak’s illustrations.
As well, a separate camera picked up the performances of the voice actors.
Their facial expressions were later fused onto these creatures using computer-generated technique and animatronics. As a result, we can feel their loneliness and see their pain.
But if there is any reason to see Wild Things, it is Max Records. Only 11 when the film was shot, he gives a layered, endearing and passionate performance, and one of the finest ever given by a young actor, as Max.
All the creatures have been infused with so much warmth and complexity, you can’t help but adore these misunderstood wild things.
This is a film so remarkably whimsical and poignantly tender, you’ll want it to tuck you in beneath your covers.