RECOMMENDED

In a word:  WILD!

Plot:  Max is a hellion who likes to romp, play and terrorize his dog.  When his mother refuses to pay attention to him, she's kind of on a date, he throws a tantrum and runs away.  He finds a boat that takes him the the land of the Wild Things, monsterous creatures who seem to be having some family issues of their own. The wild things are:  Carol (the angry one), K.W. (the motherly one), Ira (the creative one), Alexander (the quiet one), Judith (the naggy one), Douglas (the helpful one) and The Bull (the strong one).   Max is quickly proclamed their king.  Max and the Wild Things have a wild rumpus, build an awesome fort and bond.  But even the rule of Max can't keep things from falling apart as the problems that plagued the Wild Things return and tear friendships apart.  When Max is found not to have the special powers he claimed he had, Carol throws a tantrum (sound familiar).  Max's Wild Things mother, K.W., saves him and sends him home to his actual Mom.

Thoughts:  I really, really wanted to love this picture - but I don't.  I like it, but I don't love it.  I get that the Wild Things, with the exception of K.W., are all aspects of Max's personality.  K.W., who represents Max's mom, is shown as the odd-thing out, which is how Max tends to view his mother in the beginning.   Max, of course, bonds the most with Carol, who represents Max's surly, angry side.  There just seemed to be something missing from this movie.  Some spark just wasn't there.  Maybe because the source material is so slight and they had to stretch it so far.  The whole movie just seems a bit "off".

Still, I recommend it for the Wild Things alone.  They are an incredible blend of puppetry and CGI - almost seemless.  Each Thing is fantasically realized, and I loved them.  The truly bring to life Maurice Sendek's original illustrations.  The land of the Wild Things beautifully done.  The cinematography is excellent.  Max Records, who plays Max, is also really good.  Max is still a brat, but Records brings a vulnerabiilty to him that's nice to see.  There's just something missing.  I keep thinking that if there had been made a 30-45 minute short, it would have been spectacular.  As a full-length movie, it just misses the mark.

I want a fort like that in my back yard.....where are MY Wild Things?

Spoilers:  I know, I spoiled the movie in the plot description.  So what?  It's based on a 12-page book!   If you don't know that Max makes it home for dinner - you were never a child, you're some pod person hatched as an adult.

If you liked this try: Nightmare Before Christmas; Dark Crystal; Labyrinth