Where the Wild Things Are-Review Thread
 

Haven't seen it yet. Hope to on Saturday or sooner. Someone requested that a thread for reviews be started, so here it is!

Re: Where the Wild Things Are-Review Thread
 

I saw it on Monday night, I liked it, very imaginative, but I think it will be a love it or hate it kind of movie for some people. It will be interesting to see how well it does at the Box Office.

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Seeing it tonight at 12:01!
:banana:
Let the wild rumpus start.

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Any Box Office Predicitions?


i'm going to say 120 million.

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In the long run? Yes. I really would like for this thread to be about the movie and not its financial performance.

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yikes,

so sorry sir. it's your thread after all.

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Dr. DVD, for future reference, you might want to include a 0 to 5 star poll in your review threads. I'd like to see it this weekend, but I imagine the matinees will be chock full of screaming brats. I'll probably wait a couple of weeks.

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im saying >100 milllion

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Ugh, I have to wait til Monday to see it :(

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It's not a real review thread unless scott1598 starts it.

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And sets the rules!

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I know you can't HUG a movie, but if there were ever a hugable movie.
I'd say this would be it.

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Wait, there's no rules? Let the wild rumpus begin!

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Just came back from a midnight screening. I'm exhausted, but I can sum up my thoughts in the following statement:

What a boring, pointless piece of shit. It's nice to look at, I'll give it that; but I don't see this film grossing $100 million.

The theater I caught it at played it on three screens, all sold out, but I heard not one single positive comment walking out. Everyone's comments all related right back to the single point that it's boring. This film is going to have a hard time making money after it's opening weekend as children are going to downright hate this film. If I can't sit still for 100 minutes, I don't think a ten year old will.

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In what way was it boring and pointless?

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Okay, this is the first time I have done one of these review threads, so I apologize for not doing the whole star system deal. If you wish to include one in your review go right ahead. (Let's make it a five star system for control variable's sake.)

Also, if you did or didn't like the movie, it's nice to know why. I have read many reviews on these threads where people just come in and either say : "it sucks!" or "it rocks" with no real explanation. If it the movie delighted you, tell what it was that delighted you, if you thought it was a boring piece of shit, please say why you found it that way. It doesn't have to be in depth, a sentence or two will be fine. This actually comes from reading a lot of reviews from Rolling Stone's Peter Travers who either relentlessly gushes on or relentlessly bashes a movie but never gives reasons why.

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There's almost no plot is the main reason most people seem to find it boring.

The movie looks fantastic, but if it stayed true to the book, it really doesn't have enough material to fill 30 minutes, much less 3 times that.

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If any of you read the initial post of mine, I also said that I was exhausted. I was up all morning and only went to the midnight screening on a last minute whim.

Rich nailed it, the film has no plot. It's similar to the book in that Max causes temper tantrum, gets grounded, lets his imagination get the best of him, and comes back to reality in time for dinner.

When I go see a narrative feature, I like to see some sort of structure, maybe some character development, conflict, a protagonist, an antagonist; but this film has absolutely no rhyme or reason to it at all. Don't get me wrong, I get the similarities that Max and Carol are similar to how they react and take out their actions upon others; but that's not enough to fill 100 minutes. I get the book is only a few sentences long, but time the film more appropriately. If the film clocked in 70-80 minutes and had a much faster pace and maybe an actual goddamn storyline, I would've liked the film and I could've came back here and told you all how great it was. Instead, the film is just an unlikeable kid and a bunch of unlikeable monsters running around for too long.

I'm sorry to state this as a film major, but this is the second time I feel a studio should've taken all control away from the director as originally intended (the first being Across the Universe). I love Spike Jonze's last two films, but this was a mess.

EDIT: The one redeeming quality this picture has going for it, besides the cinematography, is Karen O's score. One of the rare times that a film's soundtrack is light years better than the film it came from.

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What is the book, about 10 sentences long?
This was my biggest question when I heard they were making this movie. How to fill out the rest of the film. I will end up seeing this because the girl wants to see it.

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Rotten Tomatoes has this as 67% fresh right now.

By comparison, Zombieland is 88%.

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Positive reviews or not (and it sounds a bit mixed), I can't wait to see this.

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But so what it doesn't have a plot. It seems clear there was no intention to have a plot. And there has been plenty of positive reviews too, and those almost all love the feel and emotion of the film. It seems Jonze wanted to capture the feeling of being nine (at least from his perspective). Having not seen it, I can't say whether it's a success for what it aimed for, but I don't think "no plot" is a reason to say this is a bad film. It seems to be a film that will not appeal to people who like plot, but I don't think there is anything bad about that.

It polarizing for sure, but that sounds like a positive to me. It at least has a very strong singular vision and I hope that that works for me.

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I thought the movie was amazing. From the jolting start to the tearful conclusion, it was everything I had hoped it could be. The cast (live action and voice acting) was great. Jonze packed so much in there and really expanded on the book in a great way. The parallels between Max's real life and the Wild Things was masterfully done. And I don't just mean him being so similar to Carol, but rather the aspects of his personality in all of them. At times it was obvious, but other times it was very subtle.

I don't understand how anyone could be bored during this movie with so much going on. The scenes were intense. When they were running through the woods and had the dog-pile, I was very nervous that Max was going to get hurt, but enjoying the fun of it all. The whole atmosphere of everything being good and everyone being happy to everyone getting angry and thing starting to fall apart was a great contrast. Carol obviously exemplified this best, but I think the scenes where he lost his temper were genuinely scary, but he was sympathetic because he was just scared and alone. When he ripped off Douglas' arm, I almost lost it. The final scene on the island was so sad and really broke my heart. It left me feeling optimistic that things would change around there; that KW wouldn't run away when things got tough, that Carol would learn to control his anger, that the rest of them would listen to Alexander, and the Bull wouldn't be so isolated. Speaking of which, the part where he spoke was probably one of my favourites of the entire thing.

And even when there wasn't a big emotional scene or some action, it still held my attention and I enjoyed it. The entire mood and atmosphere Jonze cultivated was top-notch. The interactions between Max and the Wild Things were cute and funny, but also sad and sometimes troubling. This kid (ironic his real name is Max) did a great job making me believe he was Max and was actually on the island with the Wild Things. The times when Max would walk just be walking with one of the Wild Things and talking or when they would all start arguing were great and very realistic. I believed the discussions, I believed the bickering and the fighting. It was smart, charming, imaginative, and adventurous. It, like the book, does a great job of showing that while sometimes children can be very immature, there are other times when they are capable of real thought and are very aware of what is going on. Again, I just loved how so much of Max and Max's life was reflected in the Wild Things and that Max himself recognized all this.

Visually, the movie was a dream. I really hope when it is released on DVD/Blu-ray that we get some extensive behind-the-scenes features. I know there were real people in the costumes and that the faces were CGI, but I would like to see how the actual filming was done. The Wild Things were wonderfully realized; the CGI was so good that at times I had to remind myself that the faces themselves weren't really moving. They blended in wonderfully with the scenery and Max; it felt very organic.

Needless to say, I loved the movie and will probably see it again in theaters. Probably Spike Jonze best movie to date and definitely in my top 5 for the year. I'm sorry to hear that people think it's boring and I can't imagine it will do great numbers after this weekend; as much as I liked it, I can't picture parents and kids sitting there watching it.

EDIT:
Seriously? That's all you think the book is? In the other Wild Things thread we were talking about this, but that isn't the only thing happening in the book. There is a lot more going on in the book and this movie did an excellent job of actually showing it. If at the end of this movie you left thinking that Max came back to reality because his imagination got the best of him, then I really don't know what to say...

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If Where The Wild Things Are is as shamelessly self-indulgent, stupid, and cloying as Across The Universe I think I may shoot myself.

Edit: As long as there isn't a sequence where Bono, singing "I Am The Walrus" drives a school bus full of stoners to a field where somebody says "Do you hear something?" only to walk over a hill to find Eddie Izzard butchering "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite," then Where The Wild Things Are automatically has to be better than Across The Universe.

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I was coming more from a structural standpoint. I know the book is about childhood and dealing with anger. The book also happened to be a lot more impacting for me rather than the movie as the movie just didn't engage me.

If Jonze was going for seeing the film out of a nine year old's eyes and how he deals with anger, that's great. Maybe he succeeded there, but as an entertaining motion picture that gets the viewer engaged, I would whole heartedly disagree with that.

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I've seen several critics give it stellar reviews.

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Still haven't seen the movie (at work), but FWIW, I loved Across the Universe.

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how can I not see the movie but maliciously vote "0 stars" anyway to blow scott1598's poll without there being a scott1598 poll? i want refund!

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:lol:



I saw the movie last night and I really liked it. It is kinda plotless and I'm sure many would find it slow but I was entertained throughout. It was a simple story that is more about the characters emotions than a linear plot. At times it does feel a little too artsy for it's own good and the score is overbearing in many scenes. The performances are great though including the voice acting. The wild things faces are very well animated to give them lots of personality. I thought the film also did a really good job relating Max's behavior in the beginning to the way the Wild Things behaved. It wasn't blatant or overdone but it's a clear parallel that I thought was very well done. Overall a very good film and one I wish to revisit soon.

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But this is about so much more than Max's anger. It's how Max deals with his whole world: divorced parents, a sister that has moved on to new friends, his own lack of friends, his wild emotions, his mom dating, etc. All of that is wonderfully portrayed in the personalities and actions of the wild things.

As a child of divorced parents, and divorced with a son myself, I was able to completely connect with this world and the emotional nature of the film. That said, while I really loved it, I can see how many people will not like it one bit. Also, I was with a group and we had kids with us and they did not enjoy many parts of it. This is far too mature and intense for younger kids and it will be lost on them.

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It's definitely in my top 5 this year. The story is more on characters than the plot (more of an escape from reality with made up friends) I felt like I knew each and every Wild Thing and that was more important rather than care whether he would eventually go home, because it was all imagined.

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How long is it ?

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Only about an hour and a half, give about ten minutes and such for credits.


Saw it. I loved this movie and thought it had a lot of heart and was quite adorable overall (I know that sounds soft, but that's how I felt). I liked this movie because it was entertaining, thought provoking, and most of all, it didn't try to appeal to the lowest common denominator by going for stuff like scatological humor and fart jokes that are (unfortunately) often found in today's children's movies. The movie required that you actually pay attention, even if there wasn't much plot (but hey, it's a kid's film) because the characters were so involving that you forgot they were muppets. Heck, I even got over the James Gandolfini aspect and never really thought of Tony Soprano like I thought I would. Spike Jonze said it best in an interview where he stated that the problem with so many kids movies nowadays is that the kids are "movie kids" with only movie problems. This one was different in that he definitely was facing adult world issues around him. Anyone who felt the book let him get away with being a brat and he never learned his lesson, the whole point of this movie is how he realizes that fact and comes to deal with it. For the record, while there were few kids in my audience (it was a 9:30 PM showing, best for those who want to avoid the antsy ones), the ones who were there were well behaved and seemed to love the movie. I give it four out of five stars.

I understand that some people might not like this movie, but I find that unfortunate. IMO the only people that wouldn't like something as innocent and escapist as this would be adults who spend the whole week working in cubicles waiting for the next weekend to arrive and are ticked when the movie fails to be a piece pacification for their hyperactive kids that they feel too tired to do anything with during the week after work.

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Well, I hated ACROSS THE UNIVERSE but I LOVED this film! It's definitely the best film I've seen all year. I rarely go see a film twice in the theater, but I'll be making a 2nd trip to see this one again within the next few days.

I'm surprised to hear people call it slow. I thought the 90 minutes flew by really quickly.

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I adored this movie. I can't believe people are calling it boring. It was so emotionally cathartic and managed to tap into the logic of an 8 or 9 year old with an active imagination without being cloying or cliche. Max's journey was really touching and evocative. Kudos to Jonze for making a movie that exceeded my expectations.

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I haven't seen it, and probably won't unless I happen to catch it on cable, but I'm sort of baffled how anyone can turn picture book that can be read in two minutes and turn it into an hour and a half feature.

Same goes for "The Box," which is based on a very short story that was made into a Twilight Zone (80s) segment.

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It's called imagination, Josh.

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Zathura, Jumanji, and Polar Express are all based on Childrens books. Blade Runner and Curious Case of Benjamin Button are based on short stories. The length of the source material doesn't always inform the length of the film.

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Actually, I think Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was a novel.

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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep would probably be best described as a novella, but it's definitely longer than a short story. Of course, the movie varies significantly from the book anyway.