'Where The Wild Things Are' Movie Review

Being John Malkovich and Adaptation director Spike Jonze has said how his "main goal" on bringing Where The Wild Things Are to the screen wasn't "to make a children's movie. I wanted to make a movie about childhood." And, as strange as it may sound, the film is possibly the most accurate depiction of childhood ever made.

Admittedly, the film is a fantastical tale - obviously not many people can relate to playing with giant talking monsters as a child - but both Max's emotional journey and the relationships he has with those around him, including the child-like 'wild things', are spot-on.

For that, and for Max Records' portrayal of a confused, tumultuous child on the cusp of adulthood, the film deserves top marks. This is no Hollywoodised, one-dimensional, sickly-sweet sprog - a lot of thought has gone into the creation of warts-n-all Max. He is a caring, playful, considerate boy that also has yet to learn his boundaries, often lashing out when he doesn't get his own way. After angrily biting his mother, Max tearfully declares "it's not my fault!", as though this boy, who see-saws between playing the kid and acting grown-up, still doesn't have complete control over his feelings. He also has one heck of an active imagination, best displayed in the stories he is capable of instantly formulating.

Max, then, is every conflicted pre-pubescent boy you've ever known and although it might sound like an exhaustingly complicated role for even a veteran actor, 9 year-old Records is entirely up to the challenge, bringing effortless naturalism in spades.

The film also scores high with its voice cast and design. Choosing Australia as the setting for the wild things' island proves to be inspired, while the monster design is fantastic, each one with its own unique look and personality brought to life by the top notch voice cast (including James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker and Chris Cooper). Plus, Spike Jonze's painterly visuals, along with Karen O's gorgeous soundtrack, give the film a suitably dream-like feel.

Where the film falters, unfortunately, is in its lack of story. It doesn't take much to sum up Where The Wild Things Are other than 'frustrated boy escapes his life via his imagination into a world of monsters, plays with monsters, goes home again.'

I can't imagine children would take much enjoyment from the film either. Not because it's too dark - on the contrary, the film is nowhere near as dark as it was rumoured to be.

Still, the whole thing relies heavily on a nostalgic perspective on childhood and the dynamics of the wild things are a reflection of both Max's fears and his inability to understand his parents' broken relationship - a tad too Freudian for kids, perhaps.

If you're an adult watching the film, chances are you'll take a lot more from it - there are hints at a dysfunctional family life in the 'real world' and the representation of Max's fraught emotions through each of the wild things is heart-wrenching when interpreted by more mature viewers, but far too subtle for a younger audience to understand. It's a psycho-analyst's dream, but, whether it can be considered a problem or not, Where The Wild Things Are really is a film about childhood for adults, not a film for children.

That aside, there's still a lot to enjoy for everyone. Wild Things has a vibrant energy, with the whole "wild rumpus" shot in sunny tones, evoking rose-tinted memories of youth, while the wild things themselves are warm, humorous and downright wonderful characters.

Thematically, visually and aurally, Wild Things is unique, and an oddly personal journey for a big budget Hollywood movie. It may a little bit too convoluted for its own good - the idea to have each wild thing represent a different facet of Max's personality clashes slightly with the simplistic plot - but Where The Wild Things Are remains one of the sweetest surprises of the year.