WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE review
When it comes to adapting a relatively short picture book into a full-blown movie, the question is always, how will the filmmaker fill the time/pad the plot? The general assumption seems to be that the events of the book would simply be stretched out over ninety-plus minutes, with the gaps then filled in with made-up, new material. And hopefully - hopefully! - this material would do the source material justice. This train of thought is rooted in that age-old way of thinking that refuses to allow a film adaptation to stand on its own, as a wholly different work in a very different medium. (Granted, many popular literary adaptations, such as the early "Harry Potter" films invite this comparison with their nearly fetishistic devotion to the author's original vision.) Spike Jonze clearly understands that cinematic adaptations are their own entities, (Look no further than his own adaptation of "The Orchid Thief" in "Adaptation"!) and consequently, his version of "Where the Wild Things Are" not only brings plenty of new character development and story to the barebones of the source material; he also isn't afraid to appropriately deviate in tone, omitting entire portions of the book in order to allow his version to fully flourish.
The story is a simple one - a boy named Max (wonderfully played by newcomer Max Records), on the cusp of late childhood and all the loneliness and uncertainty which that brings, one night lashes out at his world (his pre-occupied but well-intentioned mom, played by Jonze veteran Catherine Keener, and his short-sighted tween-age sister), and then promptly escapes into a vivid world that lives only in his imagination. This is the land occupied by the Wild Things - a handful of large, fuzzy monster people with animal characteristics and highly expressive faces. Despite the lingering threat that the Wild Things seem to pose, with their carnivorous appetites and all, they see fit to crown Max their king. Under Max's rule, they live the ideal lives of a nine-year old boy - which includes building a fort of Death Star proportions, and engaging in the ultimate dirt-clod assault game. Yes, it all reflects the complex psychology of protagonist Max, but the film does not do so in a blatant or heavy-handed way. Jonze is much more interested in making a film about what it's like to be a nine-year-old boy.
This mission is evident from the early moments of the film, which are set in the real world. Everything is shot from the uneasy point of view of a young kid, and in just a few short minutes, the joys, euphoria, the pains and the loneliness, all come through in very authentic ways. Although Max's world is very much a handmade world, devoid of any modern-day accoutrements one would all but expect to see in an American kid's room (video games, sports paraphernalia, Batman, etc.) Jonze never lectures or panders to adult ideas of modern childhood. The film is not afraid to be a subtle experience, and more to the point, it's not afraid to wallow in pacing inspired by a child's logic and natural attention span.
Jonze, in his too-brief filmography (1999's "Being John Malkovich" and 2002's "Adaptation") has never been afraid to let his films meander, and that is certainly the case here. Adults used to tightly focused plots will no doubt grow restless with the extended, freewheeling body of the film that takes place in the world of the Wild Things. I admit that I was tempted to consider this aspect a mark in the negative column, but as Jonze's giddy camera wallowed in the mischievous joy of entire sequences of large boulders crashing down from cliffs (BOOOM!!!) and wanton destruction of tree after tree (SMASH!!!), I, in spirit, couldn't help but be taken back to Max's age. It's one thing for an adult filmmaker to communicate childhood in the clearly emotional way Jonze does it in his real-world opening sequence, but to be able to communicate the structurelessness of a young boy's world in such a fresh and wonderful way is truly noteworthy. It's the difference between recalling childhood and actual childhood.
The land of the Wild Things is a visual feast. Perpetually bathed in magic-hour light, realized as freely composed (yet controlled) shots of sparse landscapes, its like "Days of Heaven" with monsters. Jonze and his crew have clearly gone to great pains to imbue the monsters with deeply felt emotions, despite their full-bodied Muppet appearances (courtesy, no less, of Jim Henson's Creature Shop). Voiced by notables such as James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara, and Chris Cooper, the monsters occupy just the right space between sympathetically fuzzy and perpetually strange. Karen O of the rock band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, along with composer Carter Burwell, deliver one of the best and most original musical scores of the year, perfectly complimenting the lush cinematography and spot-on production design. Young Max Records is a revelation as Max, and does a seemingly effortless job of carrying this deceptively large production.
But make no mistake, the real star of this film is Spike Jonze, who's unapologetically and lovingly crafted a unique and beautiful film that completely stands on its own from the book. That is not to say that those who love the book won't also love this. They absolutely should. But they should love it in realizing that the film is a work of singular vision (a term that's been tossed around a lot lately in regard to another up and coming filmmaker from the world of rock n' roll), and it will no doubt resonate in the minds and hearts of viewers for at least as long as it took the filmmaker to forge it into a reality. "Where the Wild Things Are" is a melancholy and wondrous experience - a lot like being nine.
- Jim Tudor
