2 years, 1 month ago
via movie-questions.com
DISCUSSION: Seen "Where the Wild Things Are"? Give us your review.
I just watched it on Blu-Ray for the first time last night. And I have to admit, though the creatures looked great and Spike Jonze gets points for making the movie strange and idiosyncratic, it kind of bored me.
I feel like I get where he was going with it - the "wild things" are the manifestation of all the emotions young Max is feeling that he doesn't know how to deal with. He's ANGRY with his sister for abandoning him when he was in trouble, he's AFRAID of the consequences of hurting his mother, he's LONELY when he's playing in his room and no one will join him...but he has no way, as a kid, to process and work through these emotions. They just are.
Meeting the Wild Things, who are themselves angry and lonely and afraid, and becoming their king, thus allows him to "master" his own emotions. So the whole movie is really just a visual metaphor for the process we all undergo in childhood and adolescence. Finding out who we are and how we really feel, and then learning to control our darker or stranger or sudden urges long enough to piece a real life together.
So on that level it works. And it looks great. So why did I find myself drifting off every 10-15 minutes or so? I think the movie just plain isn't compelling enough. There's not enough of a story and very little conflict, and so even though this is well-intentioned and there's lots of gorgeous nature photography and special effects to keep us distracted, at heart it's impossible to really WATCH "Where the Wild Things Are" intently as you would, say, Jonze's ''Being John Malkovich'', with its brilliant and ceaselessly compelling Charlie Kaufman script.
Your thoughts?
I feel like I get where he was going with it - the "wild things" are the manifestation of all the emotions young Max is feeling that he doesn't know how to deal with. He's ANGRY with his sister for abandoning him when he was in trouble, he's AFRAID of the consequences of hurting his mother, he's LONELY when he's playing in his room and no one will join him...but he has no way, as a kid, to process and work through these emotions. They just are.
Meeting the Wild Things, who are themselves angry and lonely and afraid, and becoming their king, thus allows him to "master" his own emotions. So the whole movie is really just a visual metaphor for the process we all undergo in childhood and adolescence. Finding out who we are and how we really feel, and then learning to control our darker or stranger or sudden urges long enough to piece a real life together.
So on that level it works. And it looks great. So why did I find myself drifting off every 10-15 minutes or so? I think the movie just plain isn't compelling enough. There's not enough of a story and very little conflict, and so even though this is well-intentioned and there's lots of gorgeous nature photography and special effects to keep us distracted, at heart it's impossible to really WATCH "Where the Wild Things Are" intently as you would, say, Jonze's ''Being John Malkovich'', with its brilliant and ceaselessly compelling Charlie Kaufman script.
Your thoughts?
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M$3 Answers
Many of my students study this movie for English under the concept of "belonging".
Where the Wild Things Are is based on the short children's story book by Maurice Sendak written in 1963. It is a children's story about dealing with emotions like anger and resentment. It is not an adult film as such.
The characters are larger than life ( in reality and concept ) and can be overpowering in the film - they seem to behave in a way that isn't 'real'. That is part of why children love the movie but adults might find it boring. Children love to imagine themselves within the world with Max or being Max and having permission to misbehave.
The action is based within the actions of the characters and their emotions, we are shown versions of anger and jealousy and lies by characters rather than by the story itself. Close up shots of Max's expressions and the facial expressions of his friends outline the story without dialogue in many places, leaving the audience to anticipate how the characters will react. For children this is an exciting way of filming, they can appreciate how the character feels without words. For adults, it might seem slow and obvious when this happens.
I did enjoy the movie, and I love the picture book its based on but I would not recommend it for adult viewers unless they had children or went to see the movie with children. As a teaching guide for children its wonderful but as a story it lacks depth and detail to keep an adult completely entertained.
Where the Wild Things Are is based on the short children's story book by Maurice Sendak written in 1963. It is a children's story about dealing with emotions like anger and resentment. It is not an adult film as such.
The characters are larger than life ( in reality and concept ) and can be overpowering in the film - they seem to behave in a way that isn't 'real'. That is part of why children love the movie but adults might find it boring. Children love to imagine themselves within the world with Max or being Max and having permission to misbehave.
The action is based within the actions of the characters and their emotions, we are shown versions of anger and jealousy and lies by characters rather than by the story itself. Close up shots of Max's expressions and the facial expressions of his friends outline the story without dialogue in many places, leaving the audience to anticipate how the characters will react. For children this is an exciting way of filming, they can appreciate how the character feels without words. For adults, it might seem slow and obvious when this happens.
I did enjoy the movie, and I love the picture book its based on but I would not recommend it for adult viewers unless they had children or went to see the movie with children. As a teaching guide for children its wonderful but as a story it lacks depth and detail to keep an adult completely entertained.
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M$
I agree with the initial review as well. The movie bored me to tears. I did not find it compelling at all. I really wanted to enjoy the visuals, but the characters (and their incessant whining) really prevented any enjoyment of this film for me. Granted maybe I'm not the target audience, but really the things weren't so wild as depressing and in need of a xanax.
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M$
I was super excited about this movie. This was a childhood favorite of mine. Though I realize the book didn't offer that much to work with as far as a full length movie.. I thought they tried so hard to pound that unspoken emotional meaning the book had into the movie so it was impossible to miss the metaphor.. they ruined the whole story.
It was left slow, boring and anti-climatic. Wonderful animation and effects..acting.. everything was good.. they just made the story boring somehow. I was really disappointed.
It was left slow, boring and anti-climatic. Wonderful animation and effects..acting.. everything was good.. they just made the story boring somehow. I was really disappointed.
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M$
I completely agree with the initial review- it was so slow and really very boring. There was really nothing gripping about it... and I don't think it would even be very good for children, unless you're hoping to put them to sleep...
I do know children who love the movie, but I think that's because they relate very closely to Max - he is a badly behaved boy and I guess they see their behavior mirrored by him.
For me there were a few moments that I laughed out loud for real, some funny bits to keep me entertained, and some of the set design was pretty inspiring. But generally yeah, it has a pensive quality to it....
I think it depends @shewolfsilver. If he gets into trouble for being too active or likes to smash things up and again, gets into trouble for it, he might like it because he can relate to Max. And if he likes to tell fibs or exaggerate about life he also might enjoy it. The world Max travels to is amazing but totally unreal, so we feel its completely fake but kids seem to relate to it.....
So then it wouldn't be a good movie to take my very active nine year old boy to?
It's actually kind of encouraging to hear that there are kids capable of sitting still and watching ANYTHING with a deliberate pace rather than the kind of frenzied, non-stop, hyper-edited cinematic sugar rush they're usually treated to by mainstream films. "Where the Wild Things Are" is the anti-"Speed Racer."