If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from.

Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 film adaptation based on the children’s book of the same name. The book, widely considered one of the greatest children’s books ever made, was only nine sentences long. As such, the film had to take a lot of liberties with the story. But did it pay off?

The movie follows the basic outline of the story of the book, and follows an imaginative and adventurous young boy named Max, and his time amongst the “wild things.”

Max lives with his mother and sister (his father is never mentioned, though we can all assume the different reasons for his absence). Max spends his time daydreaming and imagining his own worlds, as all children should. He finds such pure, genuine joy out of things as simple as building an igloo and other such seemingly simple activities.  Max is a good kid, but things don’t always seem to be good to him. His mother is caring, but too often she is too busy with work or more concerned with her boyfriend, which leaves Max feeling neglected. And Max’s sister…well…she’s a teenager, more preocupied with hanging out with friends than paying much attention to her brother.

But Max can always find solitude in his room, where he lets his imagination run wild (pun only slightly intended). When something bothers him, he just goes up to his room,  puts on a “wolf” costume (I think it looks equal parts rabbit), makes up stories, and goes on adventures in his own world.

One day, Max and his mother have a fight, one that ends up with Max running away from home. Where his literal destination is is not important. The place that he really runs to is his imagination, the place we can all find peace and comfort.

After he sails away, he finds himself on an island inhabited by the Wild Things, each one of them a unique creature to themselves. Some are more approachable, others a bit more intimidating, but each one a unique personality. And each of them something different for the eyes.

At first the Wild Things see him as a strange creature and even attempt to eat him, until he tells them he was once a king in a far off land and possesses great powers. The Wild Things then declare him their king in hopes that he can make them all happy and take away their sadness and loneliness.

Of course, their wishes reflect Max’s own feelings, seeing as they are technically a part of himself (this also, of course, explains their readiness to declare him king).

At first, being king of the Wild Things is a dream come true. With such things as “dirt ball fights” and a “wild rumpus,” it seems like Max and the Wild Things are realizing their dreams of happiness.

But Max soon finds being king is harder than one might imagine. Some of the Wild Things expect too much of him, others too little. It seems like everything Max does to make everyone happy, makes someone unhappy. Unfortunately, this is a sad factor of life that Max can’t seem to escape from.

The plot itself is beautiful, to put it simply. It is never once dumbed down because Max is a child. It is never exaggerated to make Max out to be the stereotypical “kid character” of movies and (most thankfully) never resorts to juvenile antics or frantic action, which is something that so many studios might have done with this story.

Max, as a character, is a realistically realized child. A young boy with a personality as realistic as any film of recent years. And he is joined by a cast of wonderful-in-their-own-right Wild Things.

I figure I should go a little more into the visuals of the Wild Things themselves. They are a unique blend of costumes, animatronics and CGI that makes for something a bit more standout than what most movies give us these days. I still have to wonder what they may have looked like as Jim Henson style puppets, but they are great all the same.

Unfortunately, I have to admit the visuals of the environment aren’t as pleasing. In the book, the Wild Things inhabit a place resembling a colorful jungle, but in the film the “where” of Where the Wild Things Are seems a bit barren and somewhat colorless. It’s not exactly unpleasant, but it feels…dreary. Perhaps it is to reflect the more somber tone the film takes on, but I still wish it were a bit more colorful.

But on the music side of things, Where the Wild Things Are again is a standout, as the music is splendidly unique and, at times, hauntingly wonderful. Surely one of the most standout film scores of the past couple of years.

But I’m afraid there is one thing (other than the environment) about Where the Wild Things Are that I have to comment on, and that is that, despite the fact that the film revolves around childhood, I’m afraid it isn’t a movie for children. I understand that the film was made for those who loved the book as a child as well as those who read the book to their children. And again, it is a very intelligent film and almost everything it does, it does with heart. But I can’t help but feel that the film, as wonderful as it is, would be all the more wonderful if it were a little more appealing to children. The film gets heavy, maybe even a little scary, and it may feel a little long for younger viewers. But then again, recent years have proven many family films to be amongst the most sophisticated, so maybe Wild Things would just be a little bit of an acquired taste for younger audiences.

But all the same, Where the Wild Things Are is a work of art, and easily one of the best films of 2009. Its message of childhood is beautifully told (the earlier scenes, with the aforementioned igloo, are almost surprisingly poignant with how they depict Max, as is much of the film).  Where the Wild Things Are is a wonderful movie, maybe even one of the most poignant in recent years. It’s a beautiful movie that we experience along with Max, and along the way we learn to appreciate our world as well as our own worlds.

Let the wild rumpus start!

(1 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10, rated)

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