Movie Review – Where the Wild Things Are

By Mariam El Hasan
October 12, 2009

Has there ever been a time when you felt that nobody understood how you felt? Then perhaps you can relate to Max, from the upcoming movie Where the Wild Things Are.

Kids might wonder how a picture book of only about 300 words could be stretched into a feature-length film. Director Spike Jonze took on the challenge, which took him three years to complete. The book’s author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, was there to help.

In the book, the reader knows that the main character, Max, is a wild, rambunctious boy. In the movie, you soon see that Max is also an angry boy. His parents are divorced, his sister no longer pays any attention to him, and he becomes very uncomfortable and unhappy when his mother begins dating.

In the beginning of the movie, Max gets into an argument with his mother and bites her! As a 9-year-old boy, he certainly ought to know better. He is sent to his room where he decides to run away from his problems.

With the help of an active imagination, Max sets sail for an island where he becomes king of the wild things. You see the movie through Max’s eyes, and feel with him all of the turmoil of reality and the release of escapism just as he experiences it. When Max meets the wild things, we discover with him that they are not simply wild beasts. They have complicated feelings and different personalities.

Overall, Where the Wild Things Are is a terrific movie. Watching it was a unique experience. Like looking through a kaleidoscope, it can be described, but you really have to see it yourself to experience the true beauty.

 

Source: Scholastic News Online