Where the Wild Things Are

Seen Where The Wild Things are! :) Just as awesome as I was hoping for :)

Turning a beloved children's book into a film is not a task to be taken lightly. The discount DVD bin is full of adaptations gone wrong (we're looking at you, "The 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 Pulitzer 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.

While the film is garnering mostly positive reviews, not everyone is buying into Spike Jonze's vision. The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt calls the film "uninvolving" and notes that "adults are likely to grow weary of the repetitiveness." Another rough notice came from David Denby of The New Yorker, who complains that the monsters are anything but wild. On the contrary, Denby feels they bicker and seem "defeated."
Where the Wild Things Are

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." For the creatures, Jonze originally intended for them to be created using only performers in suits. But the mechanics for moving their facial features were too heavy to support, so they were removed and the Wild Things' expressions were enhanced later by digital effects.

Of course, the movie wouldn't exist 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 take note: As one critic puts it, this is a movie about a child, but it's not a children's movie.