Although Maurice Sendak's cult children's fable could be read from start to finish within minutes, its dark undertones, vivid illustrations and wildly imaginative plot made it ideal for a cinematic adaptation. However, the means of actually achieving a film that combined the story's strengths as well as remaining loyal to its general warmth and simplicity has proved problematic. Over the years, many directors have expressed an interest in making a film version but all have eventually abandoned the mission, leading to the accepted opinion that Sendak's masterpiece was, after all, unfilmable. That is, until the master of the unfilmable, Spike Jonze, made the decision to tackle this leviathon, this 'Wild Thing'.
Jonze, renowned in his field for producing the seemingly absurd Being John Malkovich with outstanding aplomb, as well as delivering the critically lauded Adaptation and those two great Fatboy Slim videos, Praise You and Weapon Of Choice, was inarguably the right man for the job. If anyone could bring the Wild Things to life, it would be him. That's not to say Jonze escaped the enormous responsibility the project entailed. To turn a twenty-odd page book into a feature length film inevitably demanded some major tweaking and excessive filler material. So to create an acceptable adaptation for the book's cult followers seemed improbable, even by Jonze'a standards.
Fortunately, the fans needn't have worried. After working closely with Sendak, and utilising his unique but ever-likable auteur's touch, Jonze has crafted one of the greatest fantasy features to ever grace the big screen. Visually stunning, with a rich colour pallet and landscapes ranging from golden deserts to lush forests to wind-swept cliff faces, Jonze adequately reflects the fine detail of Sendak's original illustrations. Furthermore, the Wild Things themselves look, quite simply, perfect. Ferocious and teddy-like in equal measure, they exude emotion and charm, due also to the appropriately selected voice-cast that includes James Gandolfini and Forest Whittaker, as well as Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose and Little Miss Sunshine's Paul Dano. Sensibly, Jonze opted to use elaborate costumes courtesy of the Jim Henson Creature Workshop, giving the film a warm sense of realism that is lacking in the likes of James Cameron's CGI exrtravaganza, Avatar, the release of which closely follows Wild Things.
However, impressive as Sendak's living monsters are, the true standout star of Where The Wild Things Are has to be the young Max Records. Easily the most convincing child actor ever to feature in a lead role, Records surpasses even the likes of Hayley Joel Osmont. This was another possible problem for Jonze, the story is so heavily focussed on the character of Max that an unconvincing performer would taint the entire film. But Records delivers the perfect performance, wonderfully natural, overflowing with both wide-eyed innocence and wild rebellion, and most importantly, totally believable and utterly engaging.
In terms of narrative, Jonze has got it spot-on. The early scenes, which show Max's difficult relationships with his older sister and stressed-out mum (Katherine Keener), are executed with enough depth and attention to detail to fully establish the charcter's background and state-of-mind, yet remain relatively brief, allowing Jonze to swiftly present us with the spectacular Wild Thing's Island. Although we don't see the jungle sprouting within Max's bedroom (which would have been great to see), Jonze's substitution of a discovery of a rowing boat that transports Max to his dream world is equally suitable and adequately reflects the transition of reality to imagination. Similarly, the fleshing-out of the narrative is sensibly developed and extends the 'wild rumpus' of the original story to incorporate issues of broken families, difficult relationships, adolescence, violence, ambition and pretty much anything else you care to interpret.
Perhaps the only criticism to be made of Where The Wild Things Are is the fact that, although based on a children's story, it is not strictly a children's film. Indeed, while many youngsters would enjoy the sight of the fuzzy wild things hurling each other around and roaring themselves hoarse, it is unlikely that they would appreciate the slow, indie-style pace of the narrative, nor the subtle humour of the dialogue or the many darker elements of the film (the scene in which the Wild Things surround Max and threaten to eat him alive could easily drive a sensitive child to tears and nightmares). However, to cater to a younger audience would be to make the film overly syruppy which would hamper the loyalty to Sendak's original, dark work that Jonze so avidly adheres to. Wild Things, then, may be seen as a welcome reward for the book's original fans who will be nearing middle-age by this time, and who will doubtlessly appreciate Jonze'a stunningly faithful yet utterly original adaptation of what is clearly a timeless classic. 9.5/10
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