Review: Where the Wilds Things Are (2009)
This movie is a rare bird. It would be exceedingly easy (as the trailers before the feature attest) to take this classic children's books and make it into a condescending cgi film for kids. Thrown in some semi well-known celebrities, some some sing alongs (possibly top 40), a dash of topical jokes for the adults, way too many primary colors, a disctint lack of vision, and; viola- a modern American kids film! No, there is a clear aim behind this film, it it just happens to be an exceedingly dreary and gray one.
It starts off so well. We see the main character Max rambunctiously run thought the house, being a feral being. Scratchy chalk like titles comes up. Ah yes, this is all intriguing. The long camera shot of Max hiding in a made up snow fort only to be crushed by his friend jumping n on it with him inside. The spot with the teacher noting the eventual collapse of the sun is just the right amount of dark tone. This is all showing this won't be a warm and happy film, but a more of nature's cruel order and embrace. The problem is, once Max runs away in a boat and sails away to the island, it all goes to crap.
Let's get one thing out of the way, the costumes are fucking incredible. The attention to detail, the textures of the costumes, and the physical actors are all excellent. It's great to see actual fur as opposed to that glossy cgi fur we see all too often in American films. When Max runs with them, throws dirt balls, and stands next to them watching a setting sun, it's all very beautiful. Spike Jonze and Lance Accord do well with the corridors or light.
Certain artistic designs are less inviting however. Once on the island, aside from Max's white costume, everything is dark brown, grey, and other none too pleasant colors. Like I said, it's great not to have basic green, or purple or pink (as is often the case) but they went too far in the other direction. Everything kinda meshes together. The backgrounds are similarly bleh; deserts, grey rocks, solid brown. What happen to carefully nurtured colors of Maurice Sendak's drawings? I understand Jonze didn't want to dumb it down, but.. he kinda did, but this time with sights rather then context. The brain still needs some visual stimulation. I love stark or minimal design, but this is just dull, nothing to catch the eye.
Karen O's audio contribution's suck. Fine, it's not a symphonic score, that's alright, but almost nothing is memorable. I can't simply recall any two moments of the music that plays, it's enigmatic of the boring indie music largely available. This is one scene where it does work, and it's the best scene is the movie. Carol takes Max to his secret design room, with a model labyrinth. Max climbs down, pokes his head in the center, and Carol pours water in the model, making this wooden figure float through the maze. The music here is perfect, it's where everything comes together; the astonishment, the (for once) beautiful designs, the genera feeling of wonderment. It'd here where you realize how totally forgettable everything else is by her, and most of the film.
I wonder how it film would play with no voices as well as muic. James Gandolfini plays Carol, Lauren Ambrose as KW, Forest Whitaker.. who cares? Everyone in this film is a good overall actor, but their voices isolated leave no impact. The direction is pretty mumbling, like a ensemble film. I think that's actually a brilliant idea, but the beauty of those films is how free flowing it is, and how they contrast with the faces. The costumes head (which I think are cgi enhanced) are perpetually glum and show no really vast range, unlike the actual human face of Max. Are these creatures ever exited? They only seem to navel gaze, but over little problems, a uninspiring defeated head rest. Well, there is a time where Carol rips off another thing's arm, but I would hardly call that fun. It's actually a little sad. So from unflinchingly bored to unthinking asshole. Great contrast.
I like a good bit of inspiring melancholy, a chance to see things just be destructive, a good brood (oh, and owls. Those owls were excellent, if too little used). But, what's the interest in just having these things if it's largely a pain to look at, carries a hollow tune, and does nothing in a bad way? I loved how it strayed to the right of rules for these films, had characters be different, but it seems content to think of that, and never have any actual fun with it. Fun is a short thing in this movie. I don't mean in exuberant way, but as anything interesting. I won't want meaning, I don't want a forced smile, I don't want a happy ending, or lecture, I just want to see things go wild. But they never do. These character aren't playing with boredom, they are boredom.There are interesting designs with nowhere to go. Is this a comment of ritlaned kids? Is this max's life? I don't know, and this movie doesn't make me care.
When that rip armed creatures waves with it's wooden replacement limb at Max as he's going back home, you can see why he wants to, unlike other tales of vacations from Kansas. Because these fantasy creatures are depressingly dull as shit. Who want to stay here? Forget this world.
