Where the Wild Things Are

**** Stars

Where the Wild Things Are is extraordinary. Coming dangerously close to perfection, writer and director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) has created a masterful adaptation of Marice Sendak's classic tale about a kid leaving home to let out his wild side. This weekend marks a profound victory for the moviegoers of America. They have chosen Where the Wild Things Are as their #1 movie. After pulling in $11.9 million on Friday, expectations for the film's weekend total is now pushing $40 million. Perhaps now is the time for people to stop making remarks that Jonze's new film is "too dark" for children.

First off, what does that even mean? There is no foul language, no realistic violence, and not a single moment where a parent has to shield their child's eyes. Actually, I'd find it more appropriate if it was the other way around. For nearly a half a decade, Jonze set out to make a film made for the nine-year old in everyone, not strictly just for nine-year olds. There is a big difference. Most "children movies" are dumbed-down to the point of insulting. This time, we have received a gift from on high. I can't recall the last time a movie literally had me in tears long after it was over. It may be sad, but it’s also uplifting. Movies like this are the reason why I still write reviews. That's how much this film has affected me.

The story is all adventure. It follows a young boy named Max (Max Records) and his journey to a magical world. After a snowball fight gone bad with his sister's friends (one of them steps on his fort, hurting Max in the process), Max runs up to her room and trashes it. That night, his mother Connie (Catherine Keener) has her boyfriend over (played by Mark Ruffalo) and Max gets upset because she won't play with him. He disobeys his mother's wishes for him to quiet down, bites her, and storms out of the house running faster than he ever has in his entire life.

He heads to the sea and stumbles upon an abandoned sail boat. He hits the open water and sails to an island inhabited by seven monsters called the Wild Things, who instantly crown Max the king after he tells them stories about his adventures and magical powers. The creatures, poetically played by is actors (most notably James Gandolfini in one of his best film roles ever), are also phenomenal technological achievements. Jonze had his actors wear costumes that would eventually be completed with CGI faces. The effects are so amazing that you can't tell what's real and what's not. That means CGI has done its job. And because this island is in Max's imagination, these creatures aren't necessarily supposed to feel welcoming. Surrounded by mostly creatures for the entire film, Max Records (The Brothers Bloom) does a wonderful job here portraying one of the most popular child characters in children's literature.

Where the Wild Things Are is something I've never seen before. Here is one of America's most innovative auteurs crafting a children's book that only has ten sentences and a handful of pictures, yet somehow a film emerges that expresses more honesty and perception about being a child than any other sugarcoated tale ever made. Finally, there is a film out there that treats children like people, and not the other way around. For any parent out there who believes Where the Wild Things Are is too dark for their child, you are wrong. We were all children once, and after viewing this masterpiece, not only will you remember what it was like, but you will truly feel it. There is a nine-year old inside of all us, and I hope that will never change.