Super Frat

Where the Wild Things Are has a lot to offer in terms of a movie going experience, but it doesn’t quite gel.  In Spike Jonze’s defense, it’s difficult to take one of the world’s most beloved children’s book and turn it into a full length movie.

The pros:  Jonze perfectly captures being a little kid.  The scenes with Max in his real life are spot on.  You get a real sense of a child’s problems.  There are stresses in that world, even if grownups romanticize being a little kid.  It also doesn’t get tied up in the “how”.  Max leaves his house, hops in a boat and he’s in the place where the wild things are.

The cons:  Well, James Gandolfini is a great actor, but his voice coming out of the lead monster is weird.  It felt a little like the monster Mafia.  Jonze lets you draw the lines between Max and his fears and leaves the audience to fill in some of the gaps.  It works on some levels, but not on all.

Overall, it’s not an awful movie experience.  You really want this movie to be good and I think most viewers will find themselves pulling for Max.  Unfortunately, a couple of threads don’t quite connect and the finished product feels a little more like a TV special rather than a movie.  Plus it gets a little tiresome.  It’s never quite that funny or cute or dramatic and just kind of hovers in the middle.

I think if you’re a fan of the book, you’ll find it a decent homage.  It will probably be full of all sorts of DVD goodness and even in the theater, it’s a big enough movie to enjoy on the big screen.  But I think the movie is flawed in a way that leaves you a little unsatisfied at the end.  I give Where the Wild Things Are 4 out of 10 keggers.  Wait for the DVD bros.