*** Official WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

"Where the Wild Things Are" is a fairy tale with such joys, dangers, and fears. Serious from the beginning, this is a mature interpretation of Sendak's book. It is fantastical, childlike, but not necessarily for children (perhaps 8 yrs... and up). A bit overlong, a bit over-odd in one place. But mostly marvelous.

 

[Luis Esp]

I saw this film in preview last Saturday, and I have to admit that I found it really boring. From the audience's reaction, their sentiments were the same. I didn't find any of the characters to be endearing, and kept thinking that Max should have been some kind of meds.

 

[TravisR]

I thought Where The Wild Things Are was OK. It's hardly a bad movie but maybe I expected more given some of the reviews that it's been getting. I do want to see it a second time to see if it grows on me. Max Records was excellent in the Max role and was really natural (unlike so many other child actors out there). Obviously, the movie would have been nearly unwatchable with the wrong actor playing Max but they definitely got the right actor for the part. The voice actors were also very good. It was neat seeing Spike Jonze do a "kid's" movie but this one just didn't connect with me.

 

[Elizabeth S]

Did not connect with me either -- I didn't feel engaged with it emotionally except for the very end. The best part was James Gandolfini's voice work.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The nicest thing I can say is that the creature effects were very good, but the film had this weird way of making me very sleepy.

 

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now the Official Review Thread for "Where the Wild Things Are". Please post all HTF member reviews in this thread.

Any other comments, links to other reviews, or discussion items will be deleted from this thread without warning!

If you need to discuss those type of issues then I have designated an [COLOR= #44708c]Official Discussion Thread[/COLOR].




Crawdaddy

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Going to resurrect this thread.

Recently watched this movie.

I loved the book as a kid and was really looking forward
to seeing how well it was translated on screen -- especially
since the reviews were favorable.

However, like many of you, I was bored.

Very weird movie. Definitely looked like one of those
films that could have been shot within a week's time in
a park nearby.

I realize the filmmakers took a short story and tried
to expand it to 90 minutes or more. Perhaps that is
the overall problem here. To me, it just seemed like
a kid and a lot of costumed characters (who I will
admit showed great emotion) doing whacky, but
uninteresting things to each other in group.

The film definitely captured the flavor of the book
but would have tasted much better if it wasn't
expanded into a feature-length film.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun


The nicest thing I can say is that the creature effects were very good, but the film had this weird way of making me very sleepy.

Actually, I saw it again since my first screening was interrupted when the film burned up in front of our eyes.

Max, a child with some anger management issues who copes by going back into his own make-believe world where he is king of a group of large stuffed animals who have come alive with their own distinctive personalities and interpersonal histories amongst these wild things.

There is a naturalness to Max's performance, seemingly unforced, and on the button. The bringing to life the wild things is a joy to watch, it's subtle because on first pass, it's a little odd, but on subsequent viewings, the performances of the wild things is an amazing feat. Director Spike Jonze does an interesting job with this material, and he is able to pull off the highs and lows of the emotional journey of a 9-year old in a cinematic manner which keeps the viewer invested in these characters.

I give it 3 stars or a grade of B.