Where the Wild Things Are

October 19, 2009 11:56 PM

went to see Where the Wild Things Are tonight. I liked it sorta a lot.

I didn't read the book when I was a kid. At least, not that I can remember. I definitely remember the pictures, though. And the image of a boy in a wolf costume is in my subconscious somewhere. But, as far as plot, nothing. Something about wild things, maybe.

As it turns out, and at least according to the Wikipedia article, the text of the original book only had ten sentences to it. I couldn't tell based on the movie, though.

So, with no impossibly high expectations based on childhood memories, I was fairly excited about this movie, based solely on the trailer. I was not disappointed.

What I like most about the movie is that, while the visuals are obviously fantastical, the emotions of the thing are extremely raw and real. The conflicts we see on acted out between a boy in a costume and a bunch of huge Muppets are allegories for real conflicts.

The thing never becomes saccharine or simple. The characters are flawed--sometimes deeply so. And, while they all grow and develop, there isn't some magical moment when everything is fixed. When we last see the monsters, we get the sense that they're somehow content right that second, but also that their larger conflicts are unresolved, while their deeper issues--anger, resentment, depression, loneliness--are just under the surface. When we see the boy hero back in the real world, we know that things are ok, but only for now--the larger issues don't get washed away.

I highly recommend this movie. It's not perfect, and I was miffed by a few scenes; at times, the protagonist veers towards infuriating rather than endearing. Still, on the whole, it was a pretty good movie, and it was definitely a visual success.

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