Word: bookings
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...film begins with the same mischief that introduces the protagonist, Max, in the book. After a heated argument with his mother (Catherine Keener)—who goes unseen in the book—Max dons a tattered wolf costume, runs to the woods behind his house, and escapes by sea to an imaginary island. Residing there are nine enormous monsters known as the Wild Things. Though seemingly barbaric at first—upon Max’s arrival, they are destroying their homes by bonfire—these Wild Things are charmingly naïve and quickly proclaim...
Jonze, together with Dave Eggers—who dipped into screenwriting earlier this year with Sam Mendes’ “Away We Go”—crafted nine compassionate, insecure, and endearingly humorous beasts from the mute monsters of Sendak’s book. A compelling combination of animatronics and CGI, these gargantuan monsters come to life with the exceptional voice work of Oscar-winning greats like Forest Whitaker and Chris Cooper...
Jonze imitates Sendak’s cramped illustrations of Max’s life at home with up-close, claustrophobic frames in the first part of the film. As the book continues, Sendak’s illustrations grow larger, eventually encompassing two pages; in the film, these expansive depictions of Max’s imagined realm become vast frames of striking deserts and forests that swallow viewers whole...
There are a few overlong scenes of island chaos, which don’t advance the plot, but these only add to the sense of harmless anarchy that Sendak evokes, and thus remain true to the book. These more trivial scenes are ultimately eclipsed by exceptionally poignant exchanges, in particular Max’s one-on-one conversations with Carol and KW. The audience realizes through these more personal scenes that very little separates these giant monsters from their young ruler...
...Where the Wild Things Are” is the first in a series of prominent children’s book adaptations that will hit theatres in the coming months, including Wes Anderson’s take on Roald Dahl’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and Tim Burton’s live-action remake of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Thankfully, Jonze steers clear of the common, sanitized book-to-film route that so many directors have followed in the past...