Having been a fan of this book since I was child, I was thrilled and terrified that they were turning it into a full length movie. It was a scary book to open for the first time since there were "wild things" and there was a distance from home that had been breached with, perhaps, no return. A nail biting thought as a single digit old boy. However, there was adventure, there was independance, and there was the pursuit of something that "I" liked - exploration. Maurice Sendak's book was and may still be on the frequently banned books list along with his In The Night Kitchen. I understand the uproar from parents as we see Max exhibiting an emotion we generally tie to bad behavior (anger) and willing himself to disappear from the situation. There is a brief resolution at the end as we see his meal on a table when he returns unharmed and exhausted and in need of his family. Whether you loved it or hated it for reasons stated above or because of others - it's scary, the monsters are weird, you don't like Sendak's art - in my book, it's a children's classic. Now to the movie.
Click on poster for preview website I had heard rumors that there was going to be a movie and I groaned. I thought it might be the sort of digitally enhanced attempt like last year's Horton Hears a Who, which did well, I think. I also thought it might be just a short film to introduce another box office smash attempt like the latest Disney offering or something from Nickelodeon Studios or something. However, I stumbled across the full length movie preview on Apple's website and was blown away. Absolutely blown away. It's in real life and everything looks like it did in the book except with real people and brilliantly made up monsters (Jim Henson?). They're going to have to make up some lengthier plot lines and that worries me, but those at the writing helm are Spike Jonze (music video extraordinaire) and Dave Eggers (hipster, writer - What is the What, and creator of McSweeney's and all of the 826 writing clubs). I'm not terribly worried that they'll write in a lot of sap or silliness. The film itself looks gorgeous. Huge panoramas, that almost grainy, sun-dried camera lens. And the music on the preview... I couldn't help but think I knew it as soon as it came on. Arcade Fire's "Wake Up." If that didn't make me excited, nothing would.
In the end, who knows. It may be my new favorite movie. I love movies in general that deal with internal struggle and end with redemption and resolution. Maybe this isn't one of those and I'll hate it. Either way, I'm stoked.
wonderful review!
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