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Since author and illustrator Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are was published, nearly half a century ago, generations of young readers have fallen in love with King Max and his wild rumpus-ing creatures. Of course, it was just a matter of time before such a beloved children’s book (even one that’s just nine sentences long) would be adapted for the screen. In my wildest dreams, though, I can’t say that I ever expected it to be directed by the guy who’s known for making quirky indie films like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. And, well…it certainly shows.
Where the Wild Things Are stars Max Records as Max, a lonely young boy who often feels angry and neglected—and even a little bit hopeless. His parents are divorced, his older sister and her friends pick on him, and his hard-working single mom (Catherine Keener) is trying to juggle her family, her job, and her new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo)—and there’s not a lot of time left for Max. One night, he lashes out. He screams and yells, and he bites his mother before running out the door.
Max runs and runs until he finds a boat, which he sails to a faraway land. There, he meets a group of gigantic creatures—who, after some deliberating, decide to make him their king. Max promises to fight their loneliness and make them happy, but he soon discovers that that’s easier said than done.
Artistically (and atmospherically), director Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are stays true to Sendak’s book. It’s imaginative and dark and a little bit hazy, filmed in Sendak’s murky color palette of browns and grays. It has an undeniably indie (and sometimes even homemade) feel to it, too, with its scribbled titles and its opening scenes, which have a low-budget, almost home movie quality. Throw in some retro-styled wardrobes, some prominently atmospheric music by Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and a bunch of actors in Jim Henson Company monster costumes (instead of all CGI), and you’ve got a movie that often feels like it could have been made 20 years ago. At the same time, though, it also feels like it could have come straight from a child’s imagination.
In theory, staying true to the Sendak’s beloved children’s book sounds like a good thing. Kids loved the book, so they’ll love a movie that looks just like it, right? Well…not necessarily. Unfortunately, Jonze’s carefully planned artistic touches don’t really translate well into a kids’ movie. In fact, it seems as though Jonze almost completely disregarded his young audience. The muddy color palette gives the film a dream-like quality, but it also makes it feel dull and sleepy. The pacing, too, is relaxed—and, really, not a whole lot happens. Mostly, it’s just a bunch of moping and bickering, with the creatures spending an awful lot of time nagging poor little Max for failing to make their lives perfect. They grumble and complain. And, as a result, the whole movie, like Catherine O’Hara’s character, Judith, is, admittedly, “kind of a downer.”
Like Jonze’s earlier films, Wild Things is often beautiful, but it’s also moody and rather dismal. And while that’s fine for the art house crowd, it makes a perplexing (and rather dull) movie for kids (and even most mainstream audiences). Older fans of Sendak’s book may appreciate Jonze’s artistic vision, but kids will lose interest after about 30 minutes (and they’ll spend the rest of the movie talking and fidgeting and kicking the seat in front of them). So it’s probably best for younger viewers to wait for the DVD.
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