The critics (professional ones and bloggers) seem to be very torn when it comes to Spike Jonze’s new film. Some say it is not suitable for children, others say its simply long and boring, yet others say it is absolutely brilliant. I have to agree with all of them to a certain level.

Where The Wild Things Are is based on a children’s book but I wouldn’t recommend the film to children. Not necessarily because it would scare them, I would be more afraid that it would bore them. The movie is very slow paced which makes it beautiful but not very interesting. It reminded me a bit of a landscape painting. A lot of them are beautiful and perfectly painted but I wouldn’t hang one on my wall cause they are mostly kind of boring (of course this is a generalization and there are exceptions to this rule but I hope you get my point).

The young actor Max Records has done a terrific job playing Max. He really portrays the quiet loneliness the boy is experiencing and can at the same time go absolutely wild when he feels like it. It seemed like the actor had a lot of fun playing this role.

The creatures “The Wild Things” were created by the Jim Henson Creature Shop which makes their look very special and interesting. I wonder what made Spike Jonze decide to use people in giant costumes rather then to do a 3D animation of the Wild Things. It makes the look of the film seem behind its time. Like it was made in the 80s or 90s (it reminds me of The Neverending Story) but I actually think that it was a good decision. It probably makes the Wild Things look more realistic.

To make a long story short: I enjoyed watching Where The Wild Things Are but don’t think I will ever see it again. Max is cute, the Wild Things are scary and well made, the scenery and way of filming is beautiful and everything is just great but it really drags on and I think watching it a second time, I would fall asleep. I can understand and won’t judge you whether you really loved it or really hated it but I would recommend waiting to see it until its out on DVD if you haven’t seen it yet.