Where the Wild Things Are: Critics Roundup
by Mike KrumboltzOct 15, 2009
Turning a beloved children's book into a film is not a task to be taken lightly. The DVD bin is full of adaptations gone wrong (we're looking at you, "Cat in the Hat"). Fortunately, if critics are to be believed, the makers of "Where the Wild Things Are" have dodged those problems and are releasing something "profoundly beautiful and affecting."
That's how Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum sums up her thoughts on the highly anticipated Spike Jonze feature. Ms. Schwarzbaum gives the film an "A" and notes that "whatever the (well-documented) struggles it took to create this gem, the result is worth every monster growl."
EW is hardly the only outlet to shovel on the superlatives. Filmcritic.com, a part of AMC, calls the film "absolutely amazing, as scary and beautiful as being a kid all over again." Awarding the movie 5 out of 5 stars, writer Bill Gibron goes on to state that Spike Jonze's adaptation "is an achievement of true artistic wonder and epic imagination."
Famed film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was a bit more stingy with the praise, but still awarded the film three out of four stars. Quoth the Pulitizer Prize-winning columnist: "The film will play better for older audiences remembering a much-loved book from childhood, and not as well with kids who have been trained on slam-bam action animation."
Mr. Ebert raises an interesting point: Unlike other adaptations like "Curious George," the makers of "Where the Wild Things Are" didn't go the G-rated route. The film's trailer, for example, features a track from alt-rock heavyweights Arcade Fire. And the official soundtrack is handled, for the most part, by Karen O, lead singer for the equally hip Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Web searches on the film are also dominated by young adults. Less than 7% of the searches are from kids 13 and under.
Among the film's stars, child actor Max Records is getting positive reviews, as is Catherine Keener, who plays his exasperated mom. James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, and Forest Whitaker lent their vocal talents to the "Wild Things." As for how the "Things" were created -- Screen Crave explains that they're mostly suits and puppets. CGI was used sparingly.
Of course, the movie would never have existed if not were not for Maurice Sendak's book. Critics note that the book will continue to stand on its own as an absolute classic, despite the film's likely success.
For more on the creative process that went into translating the book into film, check out this Newsweek interview with Sendak, Jonze, and cowriter Dave Eggers. It wasn't always easy, but the final results look to be well worth the effort. But parents should be warned: As one critic puts it, this is a movie about a child, but it's not a children's movie.
