A “Wild” Movie

The classic children’s book, "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak, seems to be a visual story that lends itself well to film. A purist would want the film to be true to the book, word for word. Yes, pages of the book seemed to have jumped out on the screen, but the content was expanded in a way that was accessible to adults. In fact, it’s doubtful that kids today would understand what the movie is all about. This is not a criticism of the movie at all. Wild Things is an incredibly well made film that says much about the wild mind of a child grappling with real world issues. It dealt with so many issues in a way that is easy to identify with.

The plot is basically the same. Max gets in trouble. In the book, he gets sent to his room. In the movie, he runs away. The transition from real life to the island of the Wild Things is extremely well executed as he floats in a boat across a stormy sea. When Max finds the monsters, he walks right in the middle of a fight they are all having. It makes no sense. The creatures look great, and seem to be pulled straight from the book. However, they act like childish adults. This has been criticized by others, but it works. It's as if Max is having a fight with himself in his head, with people from his life having some kind of input, albeit filtered by Max's own imagination. Max feels abandoned, lonely, hurt, and angry. These emotions are displayed with childish abandon by the Wild Things, and it's fun to watch their interactions. Things don't make sense and are childish in nature, just as it would be if we were looking inside the thoughts of an 8 year old boy. It was brilliantly well written. The movie ends with Max going back home and eating his dinner, which is still warm. The tie-in at the end with the book was a good touch, and it seemed as if Max had grown because of the adventures he's had. What was done especially well was that the closing scene was wordless, which was fitting because this film can leave one speechless.