Lots of viewers will be disappointed by Where the Wild Things Are - not because it is a poorly-made film, but because it is simply not what they’re looking for walking in.  The concept takes significant liberties with this story which really work as a liberal adaptation, but childhood memories that have had twenty years to solidify and romanticize are not easily rearranged...

Spike Jonze, who directed and had his hand in the authoring of the screenplay, had a brilliant and specific concept.  It takes a rare courage to take on a project as ambitious as Where the Wild Things Are, and even rarer courage to modify its framing.  Jonze, known for his off-kilter, unconventional stories (most notably his collaborations with equally-eccentric screenwriter Charlie Kaufman: Being John Malkovich and Adaptation), had a clear image as he fought his way across the finish line on the film.

Those I know who loved the book and dislike the movie complained about the film’s overall mood.  Where the book was a joyous romp through a colorful land of make-believe, the film is a dense psychological allegory set in a fantasy a little too real, and a little more dysfunctional that viewers wanted.  In the book, Max goes to his room and opens a portal into his imagination.  In the film, the portal is opened via a psychological breach of sorts, and Max has serious and deep-seated issues that rear their head in the imaginary world he journeys through.

Jonze managed an incredible cast to bring the voices of the wild things to life, and all nail their parts.  James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Chris Cooper all bring a unique sensitivity to their respective roles.  But the true star of the film is the effects team.  The wild things, played sometimes by puppets, sometimes by men in suits, and sometimes with computer-generated characters, seamlessly cooperate to create real living things that are seemingly always present in the space.  K.K. Barrett’s gorgeously muted production design and Jeffrey Thorp’s tight art direction blend into the story with presence and unobtrusiveness.

While this is not the childhood story audiences may remember or expect, Where the Wild Things Are is an accomplishment of technical filmmaking not to be ignored.