If I was to describe this film in a word, I would have to say its "childhood." The film is Spike Jonze's way of telling kids that childhood is a great time, but sooner or later; we all have to grow up. The main point of this film is set behind the idea of what it means to grow up and what it means to take your own temperature as a child. Spike Jonze nails so many sentimental and emotional beats that it just becomes such an inspiring a great ride into the imagination of this little boy.
The story line was told well. I think Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers did a fantastic job adapting the very short book into a feature length kid's story. While there are some flaws, the positives of the screenplay supersede any of the inherent flaws the film has overall. The storyline is about childhood and the pain that comes with growing up and just realizing that it's time to move on and face yourself. It's a kid's movie, but it's a kid's movie of a different sort. This is the type of kid's movie that parents take their kids to if they want to find out the harsh realities in life and how we all have to grow up sooner or later. The great part about the film is how they channel Max's childhood feelings and thoughts into the creatures. You feel that these creatures are strong and dangerous, but gullible, naive, and with the thought process of a child. You know what, that's exactly what they are! Why would they believe that Max is a king? Because it is his imagination. These creatures want that person to look up to take care of them and nurture them...just like Max. The film delivers some of it's mature thematics in an eloquent and beautiful way that you feel this film is transcendent of the genre.
The acting of the film is quite strong. While in the opening act of the film you see exactly how out of control Max is and why he is feeling as he is, but you don't really fall entirely in love with him at the start. You're not supposed to. He is a normal kid that is not trying to impress anybody and he is doing his own thing, while others have moved on and grown up or just need to better their own lives. That comes in direct conflict with Max as he is comfortable being a young kid, not growing up, and causing trouble. This is directly communicated fantastically by newcomer Max Records. He delivers such a great performance as this out of control kid that you sense there is a change in him by the film's end. You start off not liking his character, but his character really does grow on you and you feel a connection to his character in this magical world. All of the other voice actors all do a great job with their roles. The casting of James Gandolfini as Carol is a brillant move on Spike Jonze's part. His voice puts you on an uneasy path because James' voice is menacing and it is everything it needs to be to convey the feeling that these creatures are fun, but he is unpredictable and dangerous. The parrallels between Max and Carol are just so brillantly told that you sense that Max is needing to change his own ways or else he'll stay being that wild and unpredictable in his home life. It's only until he gets a taste of what it feels like to deal with him that it starts to make Max do something he'd thought he'd do: Grow up. The acting was just great. Catherine Keener was great in this film in the small part she plays, but Mark Ruafflo is a bit wasted in this film. Overall, great acting in the film by both the humans and the creatures.
You can't talk about this film without mentioning the spectacular work of the creature effects. The creature facial work is done so well that the blend of CGI and practical effects become seamless. It works as a storytelling device and you don't feel these creatures are being held back by any means. These creatures look fantastic! The cinematography of the film also is amazing as well. The movie is so well composed that you sense that magic that is evident in each frame. It's just a stunning visual treat!
While I did like the film a lot, there are some flaws. The film tried a bit to hard to not talk down to kids to the point of it having a real crisis of identity. It doesn't want hold back mature themes, but the film carries a feeling of melancholy that you don't know what to make of it when the film's magical moments are over. The material covered seemed a bit too depressing and shoe horned in. Another flaw I found was that the middle of the film dragged for a bit too long and seemed as if it had nothing to do for a while. They are building this city...for what really? it seemed a bit like they ran out of ideas for Max and the wild things to do that the middle section of the film didn't live up to what the film had to offer with the first couple of acts, thankfully the last acts of the film pick it up. The film just seemed to be a bit hallow despite of what it tried to convey to the audience. It also seemed to be a children's movie, aimed at adults. It has a high nostalgic factor for adults that most don't know what to make of it. It's just a bit all over the map, but it didn't detract the film for myself.
Spike Jonze has captured what it means to have to come to that age where you know you are getting older and need to mature. He captures the spirit of the book effectively. His film is a beautifully told sentiment about growing up in a rough time. Most important of all, it's about how when we are in our most vulnerable, we turn to our own imagination to find solace. Overall, While not the movie we expected, it's still very enjoyable. it wasn't trying to conform to the formula of it being a kid's film, but it's transcendent of it's own genre. This is a dark and deeply emotional, but a bit hallow at the same time. This is a FULL-PRICE movie to me. This is a special film and I enjoyed it quite a bit!
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