WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

The most talked-about movie of the fall has finally arrived, and with it has come a huge wave of nostalgia.

“Where the Wild Things Are,” originally written by Maurice Sendak in 1963, has now been adapted to film by Spike Jonze.

Prior to the film’s release this weekend, over four decades’ worth of fans were both excited to see and skeptical of Jonze’s expanded version of Sendak’s masterpiece.

Jonze set out to adapt “Where the Wild Things Are” into a movie about childhood that was not targeted for a young audience.

Though the film is rated PG, children will not find much to connect with in this movie other than the so-ugly-that-they’re-cute monsters and the visual brilliance of the island setting.

The plot of this movie is instead mature as it focuses mainly on the psyche of the main character, Max Records. In fact, the majority of the movie takes place in what is presumably Max’s dream, where he visits a mystical island inhabited by the “wild things.”

Once on the island, Max becomes king of the wild things, whereupon he declares his intent to “let the wild rumpus begin.” From that moment on, the movie only details the adventures of Max and the wild things.

Though sometimes bleak and almost always random or unmotivated, this rumpus is highly enjoyable to watch – and even more fun to interpret as Max’s subconscious thoughts manifested visually in a dream world.

In coming to this movie, one should know that despite the fuzzy monsters, this is an intellectual movie that attempts to expose the thought process of children rather than just tell a story about them.

In knowing this, there is much to adore about this movie; most likely it will become a cult classic and favorite to many.

VERDICT: “Where the Wild Things Are” is much wilder than the wild things within it – and in this case, “wild” is definitely worth howling for.