Movie Review: Where The Wild Things Are
Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is one of the most brilliant children's books ever written. If, for some horrible reason you've never read it or somehow have forgotten it, I will summarize it (keep in mind, the book contains 9 sentences.)
Young Max is having a bad day. After telling his mother "I'll eat you up", he is sent to his room. Once there, the walls melt into a forest, he finds a boat and sails "in and out of weeks and over a year" to the land of the wild things. He tames them by staring them down and after being crowned king, declares "Let the wild rumpus begin!" and so it does, over a wordless four page spread, in which he and the monsters make merry. Max, however, misses home and sails back to his room, where "his supper is still waiting for him."
Why this book is perfect is because it is completely from young Max's perspective. Why have no idea why he's misbehaving, just that he does. And like many a child, he imagines a place where there are no rules, but in the end returns to the unconditional love of his family.
The movie, otoh, takes this slender story and expands it. I personally didn't think it was great, but was most disappointing was that the plot is now 100% from an adult's perspective. So we see the teacher at school who tells the kids that someday the sun will go out and how much this worries Max. How his sister and her friend upset Max when they knock over his snow fort. How Max can't cope with his mom having a date over. Max's acting out seems all too reasonable even if his mother doesn't understand why. Her punishment seems grossly unfair.
And Max's wild things quickly degenerate into embodiments of Max's own fears and insecurities. So one monster is full of untamed rage. One is fearful that the sun will disappear. One is gentle and full of maternal love.
My husband termed it the deconstructionist version of the book. Me? I call it kind of lame.