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Tonight I saw Where the Wild Things Are
This is based on one of my favourite kids' books, wherein a young boy who's being punished for having a wild day imagines a trip to a faraway land where he can be as angry and wild as he wants, and I think it perfectly captured the very short book. Sometimes I could almost hear the words of the book in my head. As an externalisation and visualisation of a child's inner world, I thought this movie was absolutely superb. It's visually stunning, particularly the fort that Max builds with the Wild Things, and the mood that the film creates is pitch-perfect for the emotional turmoil Max is going through. I've never seen a film that quite so perfectly captures a child's temper tantrum. Max Records is a revelation in the lead role, going from cherubic innocence to whirling dervish in moments. The best thing about it, though, is how well it portrays a child's world. I guess it's because I've spent so many years of my life working with children that I found this movie so involving and accurate; his feelings, his reactions, were spot-on, and he built a world that taught him how to deal with those feelings. He kind of role-plays out his reactions, and discovers how others must feel around him when faced with a character he comes to love who then behaves as appallingly as Max did earlier in the film. His problems aren't really resolved, but for me, the message I got was that Max learns that his consequences have actions, that he isn't the centre of the universe - there's a strange by-line about how the world will eventually die, and it seems to be a hint to Max that maybe it's not all there just for him. All of the Wild Things are projections of things and ideas that are warring inside Max, and by externalising them he starts to deal with them. It's just brilliant on that level. The adults and teenagers are accurately portrayed, too, although I would've liked to see a bit more of Catherine Keener, who was excellent as Max's mother. I also thought that the interactions between the child-like, lost and ancient family of Wild Things were impeccable: the goat-like Alexander, who is desperate for attention, is particularly well done. The dirt clod fight is so much like a million playground games I've seen that have ended badly.
I didn't ever feel bored, personally, and I didn't feel as though it ran too long, but I've heard a lot of complaints that it did. I think it may have stayed dark a bit too long, and a couple of sections could have run more smoothly, been less disjointed. Still, I thought the film was really good.
4 out of 5
Green Queen
This is based on one of my favourite kids' books, wherein a young boy who's being punished for having a wild day imagines a trip to a faraway land where he can be as angry and wild as he wants, and I think it perfectly captured the very short book. Sometimes I could almost hear the words of the book in my head. As an externalisation and visualisation of a child's inner world, I thought this movie was absolutely superb. It's visually stunning, particularly the fort that Max builds with the Wild Things, and the mood that the film creates is pitch-perfect for the emotional turmoil Max is going through. I've never seen a film that quite so perfectly captures a child's temper tantrum. Max Records is a revelation in the lead role, going from cherubic innocence to whirling dervish in moments. The best thing about it, though, is how well it portrays a child's world. I guess it's because I've spent so many years of my life working with children that I found this movie so involving and accurate; his feelings, his reactions, were spot-on, and he built a world that taught him how to deal with those feelings. He kind of role-plays out his reactions, and discovers how others must feel around him when faced with a character he comes to love who then behaves as appallingly as Max did earlier in the film. His problems aren't really resolved, but for me, the message I got was that Max learns that his consequences have actions, that he isn't the centre of the universe - there's a strange by-line about how the world will eventually die, and it seems to be a hint to Max that maybe it's not all there just for him. All of the Wild Things are projections of things and ideas that are warring inside Max, and by externalising them he starts to deal with them. It's just brilliant on that level. The adults and teenagers are accurately portrayed, too, although I would've liked to see a bit more of Catherine Keener, who was excellent as Max's mother. I also thought that the interactions between the child-like, lost and ancient family of Wild Things were impeccable: the goat-like Alexander, who is desperate for attention, is particularly well done. The dirt clod fight is so much like a million playground games I've seen that have ended badly.
I didn't ever feel bored, personally, and I didn't feel as though it ran too long, but I've heard a lot of complaints that it did. I think it may have stayed dark a bit too long, and a couple of sections could have run more smoothly, been less disjointed. Still, I thought the film was really good.
4 out of 5
Green Queen
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