For all the kids out there who might worry that Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" will ruin their favorite children's book, be not afraid. The hugely anticipated adaptation, which converts Maurice Sendak's 10-sentence picture book into an hour and 40-minute adventure film, expands the book but does not do any heavy reinterpretation, creating a movie that adds to but does not change the original.
Keeping his interpretive instincts in check must have been a challenge for Mr. Jonze, considering that the original book version of "Where the Wild Things Are" has been subject to countless different analyses over the years, many of which, however viable, can pervert the story from an innocent tale of a young boy's imagination into an apparent manifestation of Freudian and Colonialist principles.
The short length of the original book means that a large amount of original material had to be created before the book could be converted to film. For viewers, this means that nothing from the book is left out, and a side-plot that eventually becomes the central plot is added as well.
The added plot is not obtrusive—it simply adds meat onto the bones of the children's book. Max's family problems are magnified and complicated, and a parallel plot is created among the group of Wild Things once Max gets there, which allows our young protagonist to gain perspective on his real-life issues as he, king of the Wild Things, tries to help them sort out theirs.
However, Jonze does more than simply expand a children's book into a feature film (which is an amazing feat in itself). To begin with, the cinematography in this film is incredible; if nothing else, "Where the Wild Things Are" is beautifully shot.
The filming locations for the land of the Wild Things are all in Australia, and the Australian countryside plays a large role in the film. The vast majority of the film takes place in the forest of the Wild Things, while only a small portion takes place back in the real world of Max's suburban home (shot in L.A.).
The character of Max, like everything else in the film, is slightly modified from the book, despite retaining his vital unruliness. While Sendak's Max appears to be about six years old, Jonze's Max is probably a few years older. Accordingly, this film is meant to appeal to an older audience than the book; however, like Max, the film makes sure to retain the essential message and spirit of Sendak's book.
Max Records, the new actor who plays Max, does a commendable job in a role that has a lot of difficult moments and takes up most of the screen time. Other noteworthy appearances include Catherine Keener (of "40-Year Old Virgin" fame) as Max's mother, and James Gandolfini and Forest Whitaker as the voices of two of the Wild Things. Mark Ruffalo even makes an awkward appearance as the love interest of Max's mom.
Although the film's calm and quiet moments are usually its strength, it does tend to drag from time to time, especially when Jonze spends a bit too much time on his lovely scenery. The audience gets the idea of Max's relationship to the Wild Things fairly quickly, so, in my opinion, there is no real reason to dwell on the island as long as we do.
This is only one small complaint about a film that is largely a great success. In one sense, Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" is a surprisingly advanced and poignant commentary on the human condition, and Jonze's direction of the film conveys this commentary in a way that is accessible to both children and adults.