An incredibly brief review of Where the Wild Things Are

Now this was an interesting little film. As hard as I try to not compare it to its ten sentence counterpart, I feel I must do so to dissuade people who are looking for a direct adaptation. For those wondering, it is not like the book. In any way. Yes, it's main characters name is Max, and he imagines a dazzling world inhabited by beasts, but that is as far as the roots from the book run. The film takes many liberties, and offers a grittier, more angsty, and generally a more disturbing version of the story. As crazy as it may seem, Where the Wild Things Are was not intended for children.

Now that I have that out of the way, let us discuss the story, or lackthereof. The original children's book contained approximately ten sentences of story, and sadly its film doppleganger follows suit. Although the themes and metaphors run as rampant as the beasts themselves, this film lacks the storyline that could have turned it into a classic. It is a character motivated script that attempts to connect the beastly characters to Max's human life, and although this was interesting to explore, it just couldn't keep my mind on the island for more than half an hour. At an hour into the movie, I glanced at my watch and wondered when the climax would happen. It never did. That's right, we are looking at a film with no climax. Not only does it have no climax, but the gloomy and clinically depressed beasts only drag the film down further.

It wasn't all bad though. Through the suicidal beasts, the repetitive dialogue, and the long stretches where nothing happens, there were incredible moments of absolute beauty. The film is gorgeously photographed, and the location was just absolutely breathtaking. About seventy-five percent of the time, I was soley focused on the beauty of the landscape. That is not necessarily a good thing. The only other really interesting part was near the end when you realize who the different beasts represent in Max's life. This is actually truly fascinating and incredibly well done.

I have cut this particular review short because I intend to see the film again before giving it a proper grade. I think that much like The Village and Jarhead it was marketed terribly and showcased a film that nobody was expecting. I don't expect for it to get a much higher grade than it has now, but I must say that my dissapointment in the expected style and the actual style affected my view of it tremendously.

C+