Where the Wild Things Are (a review)

I just sat through a matinee of Spike Jonze's newest film, Where the Wild Things Are. The film debuted last Friday at select theatres around North America. That date - the 16th of October - should be remembered and set in some sort of celluloid memory. This is simply one of the best films about the growth of a child into maturity and empathy that I have ever seen.

Now, there are already complaints about the film that seem fair...on first viewing. Yes, the second half is slow. But I would ask people to remember that this is in the imaginative mind of a boy, a rather hyperactive and outgoing boy. And personally, I did not find this part slow. Compared to other films, with their quick editing and punchline-like scripting, Jonze shot this film like one of the great European masters. If Pasolini or Bergman had ever shot a film with computer-manipulated muppets, it would resemble the second half of the film. Maybe we all need to reconnect with what films were instead of what they have become: video games with larger budgets.

It does not stick with its source. Are you kidding? The book has less than 500 words and there is not much in the way of character development. The film corrects this with some subtlety and genius. Simple scenes with Max (Max Records) and his mother (Catherine Keener); the igloo and the snowball fight; an overheard conversation on the phone and a glimpse of a room are perfectly balanced and pitched. These scenes are cut with the right amount of economy. When Max makes it to the island, he runs to a forest to find the boat. There is no metamorphosis in his room - bed and walls do not become trees - and he is allowed to spend more than one day with his friends. There are relationships between the monsters that are deeper than anything Maurice Sendak included in the book (this is not to critique the source; the story had to get going).

And there is this: It will frighten children. Nonsense. I know that it depends on the child, but I serious doubt that any child exposed to Saturday morning cartoons or comic books will be terrified by Max, Judith, KW, Carol and the other monsters.

So, check it out. Twice. It deserves a special place in film history.