Where the Wild Things Are

Date Viewed: 15/12/09
Director: Spike Jonze (Male)
Cultural Perspective: American
Genre: Fantasy Drama

A movie that has just hit the big screen recently is Where the Wild Things Are. This old childhood classic picture book has been transformed into a mean, dark and scary movie. In the advertisement it showed a happy movie that looks suitable for kids. But actually throughout most of the movie it is quite angry and makes you feel almost uncomfortable. The movie may have followed the same main story line but some small important details make the movie different from the book. It’s basically just an exaggerated version of the book. The small boy in the book, Max who is the main character is an out of control small child who is a little bit messed up. His mum has started dating new people and Max isn’t happy about it.

Near the beginning of the film Max runs away after a fight with his mother. When he runs away from home he finds a small sail boat by the sea, and like any curious child he gets in the boat and sails away. Max ends up at an island and he finds the group of “Wild Things”. He spots the main “Wild Thing”, Carol reeking havoc and I think in a way it was his imagination showing a similar version of himself. Even in the first 10 minutes of the film is shows scary violence, with Max and Carol smashing up the small village that they just made. In this movie it has small parts of happiness but it never lasts and get interrupted by anger. This movie wouldn’t be suitable for a child at all. It is far too dark and scary. I wouldn’t suggest that big fans of the book go see this movie; the idea of the story is very different.

If I was the director of this movie I would have made it more like the book. If this was done it would have meant everyone would have enjoyed the film. But instead they targeted an older audience. The advertisement people didn’t do a good job in my opinion. They portrayed the movie in the advertisement differently to how the movie actually is. In the advertisement they showed all the happy parts and made it look suitable for kids and a happy movie. They didn’t show the movie how it actually is with its dark and angry scenes. I think they might of made it a bit angrier than the book just to please a wider audience, instead of just making it more of a childrens movie. In my opinion it didnt work out well.

This movie was an unusual one for me; I think you would have to have a particular taste to like this movie. So if you like dark angry movies go for this movie, but I wouldn’t recommend going to this movie with children expecting the old classic happy book.