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By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Thursday, Oct 15, 2009
I went into Where the Wild Things Are with more than a little skepticism. The beloved, acclaimed children's book by Maurice Sendak is both a briefly told tale and a spellbinding set of rich, dark illustrations. Just the act of expanding the story to about 90 minutes seemed to work against the production, let alone the idea of transferring those images from page to screen.
But director Spike Jonze, who also co-wrote the script with Dave Eggers, has taken odd material before and made movie magic in Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. Jonze and Eggers expand and modify Sendak's story in ways that not only fill the time but elaborate on the book's ideas about the ''wild thing'' inside a child — and how one comes to understand both what is right and wrong in his wildness.
The expansion starts very quickly, with us seeing more details of the life of Max (Max Records), a life that is full of loneliness and longing, in a neighborhood of rusting cars and aged houses. Max has a rich fantasy life but not much of a real one; it appears that the only time attention is paid is when he acts up — like a ''wild thing.''
After an altercation with his mother, Max runs from home and takes off across the sea, coming at last to the land where the Wild Things are. At first, it appears he has found a perfect place, one where his impulses run free. But the landscape is as bleak as the one he has left, and the Wild Things have their own emotions and complications.
Carol, voiced by James Gandolfini, becomes Max's friend, but their friendship is based in part on their being so much alike under the surface. Just as anger and emotional need have sent Max on this journey, Carol is tangled up in his own desire — and fighting to contain his sorrow and his rage.
The creatures, costumed performers with computer-animated faces, are marvels, and there are times when it was enough just to watch them move about and very effectively emote. On the other hand, actually hearing the Wild Things — besides Gandolfini, voice actors include Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker and Lauren Ambrose — was an adjustment. More than with fiction, it felt as if I had voices in my head for these creatures, and the real voices did not match.
But you get used to the voices. And the interplay among the Wild Things, and between Max and them, is very well done. Nor does the movie run away from the elements of fear in Sendak's book; the Wild Things have their frightening side.
Still, this felt more like a movie about childhood that is made for adults than for children, at least little ones. You cannot linger over the pages here (until, of course, the movie is on DVD). Instead of imagining the lives of the creatures in the book, that life is made more detailed and obvious.
But I can see where children who feel as lonely as Max will come away from this with the realization that the filmmakers, like Sendak, understand their feelings. And that even the big, powerful, seemingly splendid Wild Things understand them, too.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com, on Facebook and on Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
I went into Where the Wild Things Are with more than a little skepticism. The beloved, acclaimed children's book by Maurice Sendak is both a briefly told tale and a spellbinding set of rich, dark illustrations. Just the act of expanding the story to about 90 minutes seemed to work against the production, let alone the idea of transferring those images from page to screen.
But director Spike Jonze, who also co-wrote the script with Dave Eggers, has taken odd material before and made movie magic in Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. Jonze and Eggers expand and modify Sendak's story in ways that not only fill the time but elaborate on the book's ideas about the ''wild thing'' inside a child — and how one comes to understand both what is right and wrong in his wildness.
The expansion starts very quickly, with us seeing more details of the life of Max (Max Records), a life that is full of loneliness and longing, in a neighborhood of rusting cars and aged houses. Max has a rich fantasy life but not much of a real one; it appears that the only time attention is paid is when he acts up — like a ''wild thing.''
After an altercation with his mother, Max runs from home and takes off across the sea, coming at last to the land where the Wild Things are. At first, it appears he has found a perfect place, one where his impulses run free. But the landscape is as bleak as the one he has left, and the Wild Things have their own emotions and complications.
Carol, voiced by James Gandolfini, becomes Max's friend, but their friendship is based in part on their being so much alike under the surface. Just as anger and emotional need have sent Max on this journey, Carol is tangled up in his own desire — and fighting to contain his sorrow and his rage.
The creatures, costumed performers with computer-animated faces, are marvels, and there are times when it was enough just to watch them move about and very effectively emote. On the other hand, actually hearing the Wild Things — besides Gandolfini, voice actors include Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker and Lauren Ambrose — was an adjustment. More than with fiction, it felt as if I had voices in my head for these creatures, and the real voices did not match.
But you get used to the voices. And the interplay among the Wild Things, and between Max and them, is very well done. Nor does the movie run away from the elements of fear in Sendak's book; the Wild Things have their frightening side.
Still, this felt more like a movie about childhood that is made for adults than for children, at least little ones. You cannot linger over the pages here (until, of course, the movie is on DVD). Instead of imagining the lives of the creatures in the book, that life is made more detailed and obvious.
But I can see where children who feel as lonely as Max will come away from this with the realization that the filmmakers, like Sendak, understand their feelings. And that even the big, powerful, seemingly splendid Wild Things understand them, too.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com, on Facebook and on Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Akron, Oh
Posted 01:53 PM, 10/15/2009
I am soooooo excited . I will be like a kid in a candy store first in line I think.
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 03:45 PM, 10/15/2009
Looks good!
Are there any Zombies in it though? I mean, it is Halloween!!!
akron, oh
Posted 09:58 AM, 10/18/2009
There are monsters in it, kids with imagination CAN be scary...
