12/16/2009
Written By: Kate Foley
Category: Entertainment  
School(s):

I’ll eat you up!” Max yells, shortly before running away form home to find Where the Wild Things Are in this winter’s blockbuster family movie. Though based on a picture book with only about 12 pages, this film uses art direction that is very mature, captivating adults and children alike.

Director Spike Jonze created this movie around the 1963 book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Because the book has such a simple story, Jonze was free to elaborate on the plotline for the book.

In the movie, 9-year-old Max is a rambunctious kid who ferociously chases the dog, harasses his older sister and rebels against his mom and her new boyfriend. In an attempt to punish his mom for her divorce, her boyfriend and for not spending enough time with him, Max runs away one night in his favorite wolf costume, made from furry onesie pajamas and sticks. He climbs in a boat in a nearby stream, and is transported to a faraway island where he comes across the Wild Things. After some fierce talk and boasting, Max convinces him that he is their king and they look to him for guidance and resolution to all their personal problems.

The movie elaborates on the plot of the book, portraying Max’s adventures and struggles with the Wild Things and how their relationships and problems are similar to his own. Though the movie lasts almost two hours, the problem of the Wild Things fighting against each other is never resolved.

Max never fixes their problems and, as their king, they become angry with him. He eventually leaves for home, and as the book ends, he comes home to his mother and a hot dinner.

Though the artistic direction in this movie is fascinating, the plot of this movie has much more potential than what was delivered on screen. It was interesting, and a clever way to revive a classic kid’s story, but Jonze’s direction for the actors and plot lacks the punch necessary to make this movie a film favorite in years to come.