The Mental Blue

WARNING SPOILERS WILL BE GIVEN IN THE LATER PORTION OF THIS POST!!

Well I just got back from the midnight showing of Where the Wild Things Are!
And this, is my review.

I found myself driving out to Oakview Mall around 8:30 or so and made it out there first stopping at the theater and grabbed my ticket for the midnight show and then headed over to Barnes and Noble for a while will it closed.  Only problem then was were to go afterwards, so I headed over the the Theater and waited there for the movie to start.  I thought there might be a line but there wasn’t.  Thankfully they let everyone in the theater a couple hours early so I found my spot and amused myself with my iphone for a while then decided to catch a quick cat nap.  I placed my scarf over my face occupied two seats only to be “woken” later to the sound of a buss load of high school girls or whatever they were and lots of camera flashes.  I think they took some pics of me while I was “asleep”  which was rather funny I thought.  After a while I finally “woke up” or sat up if you will and waited a little longer for the movie to begin.

Now for the review.

The story opens, and Max is seen causing some chaos like in the book, chasing the dog and what not.
Then it cuts to him playing in the yard making his snow igloo.  From what the story outside of the book tells, he’s a younger brother who’s been “left in the ditch” by his sister so to say and has no friends to play with.  From what it appears his family life is perhaps in shambles, the dad is no where to be seen, I suppose either he died or divorced because later on we see his mother with a male friend over for  date and enjoying some wine.  Max usually ends up getting into trouble because he wants to play and makes obvious his disapproval or after playing, something bad happens and he gets upset over it.

Unlike the book, he ends up running away instead of being sent to his room, and in running away he finds a boat and sails off into the world of Where the WIld Things Are.  I’m personally feel this could have been done a little more subtly or “realistically” I suppose say via dream sequence or something but it wasn’t bad, just a bit abrupt I suppose.  So he reaches the Island or whatever the world is, and encounters the WIld things in a bit of a mess, where Carol is smashing huts and all of them are sort of mindlessly watching him do so, but in part helping and in part wanting him to stop.  Max reveals himself and busts out of a hut and makes friends with Carol.  He declares himself King and the fun begins. They build forts, smash through forests, have a monster pile, Carol shows Max a sweet model he made, it’s quite fun.

Now here’s where the spoilers start.  So be warned if you don’t want to see them, then don’t bother reading this portion.

About half way into the story things start going down hill, relationship problems start to occur and some of the monsters don’t get along well with each other.  Max listens to the monsters talk about their problems but doesn’t really offer any help.  At this time I was routing or Max hoping that he’d help save the day and solve some of the relationship issues.  Sadly he didn’t.  He tries at one point with the suggestion of a dirt ball fight which ends up unfortunately further causing pain and hurt feelings among the group.  The character KW seems to be a bit of an outcast from the group and ends up befriending some strange Owls which the Carol shuns and dislikes.   Apparently Owls are the reason KW and Carols don’t like eachother because Carol feels KW is spending to much time with the owls.  On one sense I can completely understand this friendship conflict as I’ve been in similar myself, it’s just kind of odd it’s in this movie.  So things progress but sadly don’t get better, things start going down hill for the group and Max.
Towards the end Max reveals he’s not a king after all ends up leaving the Wild Things on a rather sad and depressing note, nothing resolved, and it’s supposedly a bitter sweet ending.
Max sails back home and comes back to the shore he found the boat from and runs back home where his mother greets him, embraces him and gives him chocolate cake and milk.

So for my own thoughts, I really, really, really wish I could have said I LOVED this movie, but I kinda liked it.  The story was lacking in there was no feeling of satisfaction.  Max’s character is weak and doesn’t change as I believe it should in classic story telling.  He never undergoes any kind of “hero’s transformation”  he doesn’t solve the problems of the monsters, he doesn’t leave them on a happy note either.  Also as say if I were a parent this kind of seems like it’s saying “your kid can be a turd and it’s not his or her fault, they’re just that way because life sucks, but in the end when he ends up crying we coddle him/her and give them cake.”  The cake is a lie! just kidding lol. or is it?  video game reference.   back to the story, I’d say it’s not that this film strayed so much from the book it’s just that it failed to feel completed even with little to go off of.
Sure Max goes home but it’s rather sad the monsters feel more disconnected and at odds with each other than say a family and missing their loved one floating off into the distance.

From a visual standpoint it’s beautiful!  The monsters look dead on and sound great and it’s really quite charming!  I think Alexander (goat), Judith (long hair and horn on nose), and KW are my favorites visually.  They’re really brilliant creatures to look at!  The world of where the wild things are is quite interesting and different too!  A stretch from the book but beautifully done!

When the credits rolled there was a sputter of applause but then it limped a bit as if trying to be full.
I noticed the guy next to me had shifted into several positions each slouchier than the next, I can only assume he wasn’t impressed.  Even walking out the doors amidst all the High school and younger college students,  I heard some rather colorful language in what I would assume was a response to the film.  I hope this movie isn’t too big of a “downer” but sadly it’s a downer nevertheless.

I really hate to say I didn’t Love this movie.  I’m still trying to love it but I think it will have to suffice for a like.  To me it really was a matter of just tying up loose ends and finishing your story or adding that bang at the end of the story.  I feel the book left so much to be open that one could insert a more fulfilling ending to top it all off with, I’m a bit disappointed it didn’t have that.

Over all I’d say this movie isn’t worth the 9 bucks to get into the show, but it’s worth the visuals.  So it’s definitely a wait for DVD movie.

In terms of the next book made movie remake, I’m hoping Alice in Wonderland will NOT disappoint in any way!

In other news,  I thought I’d push for my little Tiger Poo toy on PatchTogether!