By Spike Jonze brings gigantic monster with big hearts, and even bigger emotions to life in “Where The Wild Things Are.”
Conceived a decade ago after a meeting between author Maurice Sendak and the visionary director, Jonze was ready to take on the film version of the beloved children’s book.
The original 10-sentence narrative is induced with added story lines in the film to play out like a sappy and dark fairy tale that’s one part child’s intrigue, one part isolation and all magical playfulness.
Mischievous protagonist Max (Max Records) engages in typical nine-year old behavior in the film’s opening sequence: running downstairs, making snowballs, building tunnels, etc. After an argument between Max and his mother (Catherine Keener) Max bursts out the front door into a tree-filled area and down a ravine where a boat awaits. It whisks him away to his wild adventure.
Max sails to an imaginary land where he finds a landscape of beautiful forestry occupied by furry, gigantic beasts that want nothing more than to crown Max their new king. While running amok and bashing into trees, the Wild Things vocalize their inner insecurities and misunderstandings about proper and fulfilling communication.
The Wild Things were created using costumes, puppetry and CGI to make the animated and life-like faces. The results stay stunningly true to the storybook and the payoff is grand. Each monster perfectly captures a wide range of feelings, from the emotionally confused leader of the ferocious, clawed creatures Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini), to the self-deprecating and misunderstood Alexander (Paul Dano). There’s also the friendly and oftentimes mediator, KW (Lauren Ambrose) who is the ill-fated Carol’s love interest.
Hand-held cinematography pervades most of the scenes, which presents an intimate sense of location. During a vibrant sunset scene, warm tones and softly textured lighting highlight lush colors peeking through the trees.
Members of acclaimed indie rock band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, along with a host of other musicians, provide a delightfully mellow and harmonious soundtrack with gentle guitar strumming over plinking piano and pensive percussion. The music alone is enough to make you love this film.
In the end, Jonze’s adaptation of the beloved book is daring and accurate. It is captivating, moving, vivid, imaginative and above all, a painfully real portrait of adolescent angst.
