Wednesday night, I went out with a friend to the IMAX at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. There on the huge screen, in front of about a hundred (on a Wednesday!) popcorn-eating, chair-reclining, innovation-craving Seattleites, the wild rumpus started. To say that Spike Jonze's interpretation of "Where the Wild Things Are" is unique, clever and envelope-pushing would be a massive understatement.
Now, I'm no movie critic - I don't claim to be, nor do I want to be - but I bet there are probably a lot of people out there who have a problem with this movie because it's so sad and doesn't really have the happiest of endings. This is a feel-good movie though. It's feel-good in the sense that throughout the movie, I laughed out loud, gave in to the characters emotions and really let go of reality. It felt good to feel like my money was well spent.
The voicing of the characters was incredible in my opinion. The characters talked over each other, genuinely thought out loud and reacted realistically as any human would to physical and emotional punches. I've never seen anything like it. The simplicity too - Max says, "What's that?" to which Carol, a wild thing responds, "Oh, it's that dog. Don't feed it. He'll follow you around." It's totally random, but it's life.
It all seemed so ... real. I know, I know, I must sound like an idiot when I say watching a bunch of fictional, wild beasts making a scene seemed real, but honestly I felt a connection and I think a lot is owed to the acting ensemble who voiced these characters, but also to Spike Jonze for directing them so casually in a way that really allowed for a ton of creative freedom. I give an A+ stand out to Lauren Ambrose who casually voices the seemingly indifferent "KW" - I was drawn in with every word. Catherine O'Hara gets an A for being amazing as well, as usual.
The movie has "big people" themes that are tackled through the eyes of a pre-teen already rife with anguish and despair given his home situation. They're issues that we all went through as children and they're things we all deal with in life still - depression, feelings of unworthiness, handling hyperactive energy and general feelings of inferiority/superiority.
I really do recommend this movie. I don't want to sit here and try to convince you with my words - this isn't a movie that can be written about in words. It's too difficult to describe. Just enter the theater with an open mind and a child's sense of wonder. Don't listen to people saying it's not for kids, either - they're just typical, overprotective American mothers who think when their child gets genuinely scared, it's going to scar them for life. Everybody relax. I think the best thing to do for children is to expose them to their own feelings through a venue such as this. Why hide it - bring it all out on the table. Validate those feelings. Adults don't give children enough credit for what they feel. This movie reminded me how heartfelt the emotions of a child can be and how important and relevant they are to life and the world.
Go.
Oh, and I almost forgot - the soundtrack is incredible. Karen O of the "Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs" must live in the head of a 10 year old. Genius.
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