Review of Where the Wild Things Are (2009) by Scottr. — 15 Oct 2009
This film is like an $80 million lament on the childhood of someone who didn't really enjoy that period of his or her life. I didn't connect with the film on any emotional level, and there's only so far that a cerebral experience can carry me in terms of liking something.
Do I appreciate this film? Sure. Do I like it? Not really. Would I take my kids to see it if they were younger than 12? Absolutely not. This film tries to dissect how a child sees and interprets the world, but it does so from a very adult perspective.
It takes almost all the fun and magic out of being a kid and replaces those fundamentals of childhood with imaginary realism. Is childhood discovery of right and wrong really such a dramatic event? No.
I find this film to be much more of an examination of Spike Jonze's views on how mis-parented youths look back on their childhood than anything else. Basically, it was the polar opposite of "Up", which I consider to be the best film of the year thus far.
Does that make it an awful film? Of course not. But it's like Spike Jonze wants us all to live in the melancholy of his childhood, and that bored me to tears.
This review of Where the Wild Things Are (2009) was written by Scottr. on 15 Oct 2009.
Where the Wild Things Are has generally received positive reviews.
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