"Where The Wild Things Are"

I'm sad to report, but I wasn't a fan of Spike Jonze's "Where The Wild Things Are". The book was coincidentally the first book I ever read, rented it from the Gardner Public Library when I was 5. I couldn't put it down, I ate every word like it was candy. The book was a creative awakening for me..



The film just didn't live up. My biggest beef with it was Carol and the crew's voices. They sounded more like the cast of a multicam sitcom than a fantasy film. The nasally voices never lent a single element of danger, which always kept me in a safe place I felt bored to be in. I would've loved to have heard deep, dark, ominous voices (similar to the Ents in "Lord of the Rings") where they were good guys, but you still had a degree of unease and felt harm was never out of arm's reach..



I was a kid at one point and the argument that it might've scared an 8 year old doesn't sit with me. Turn on the TV at any moment and it's all right there. Check out my recent Aug. 3rd blog on "Return to Oz", now that was a scary kid's film! Secondly, there was simply not enough narrative, just a bunch of frolicking. Although visually an accomplishment, the film's script just wasn't right. The dialogue distinctly felt like adults trying to write as kids, and in my book it failed miserably, every line feeling monotonous and lackluster. "Where The Wild Things Are" felt like a classic case of too much carte blanche provided to a director, who whilst undoubtedly talented, might have not been the right guy for the job. Tim Burton or Michel Gondry might've done better, maybe even Joon-ho Bong. Sorry Spike, I can't go with you on this. Nor the Kanye short film you did. Back to the drawing board please. By the way, I was Max for Halloween..



Good times on Saturday. Follow me on twitter why don't you? @dannylee78