Movie Review: Where the Wild Things Are

Carly and I have been looking forward to this movie ever since we saw the trailer before Inglorious Basterds. Carly has fond memories of the book; I don’t remember the book so well, but just wanted to see a movie with big monster puppets. I figured what better place to see big monster puppets than the fabled big screen at IMAX. I have never been to IMAX. I was impressed by the sheer scale of the screen, and the fact that it is is a silver screen.

I hear silver screens make the picture brighter, and that may be true, but it wasn’t as bright as the screen on the cell phone the lady in front of us was using throughout the movie. If you are one of these people that text messages during a movie, do know that the people behind you think you are rude. If you are the husband of a lady that’s text messaging throughout the movie, and you aren’t saying anything to her about it, we also think you are rude.

Also, if there are open seats all around and you choose to sit right next to me and eat throughout the movie, you are being rude. I expect that, but it still drives me a little crazy when at the start of a movie, and the sound is low, all you can hear is the constant crunching of food emanating ubiquitously throughout the theater. Honestly, I think they shouldn’t allow food in a theater. You can eat before a movie. It would be much cheaper too. You could buy a Royal Red Robin burger for less than the cost of a large popcorn and soda.

Now beer, on the other hand, should always be allowed. It has never been a problem, except for that time when Sam and I went to Black Hawk Down with 4 beers each, and at one point, I accidentally knocked over the stack of beer bottles. You could hear one rolling under the seats all the way to the bottom. If the theater allowed booze, we probably wouldn’t have had a stack of bottles sitting next to us. It would probably be served in those plastic keg cups, which are quiet when you knock them over.

The movie itself was brilliant. The visuals were amazing, as was the soundtrack. It’s a wonderful story as a whole. In individual parts it’s a bit uncomfortable. The dialog speaks as raw emotion. I compare it to the dialog I would expect from a group of very different people all tripping on cough medicine. It’s solemn and intense, filled with more of long-held thoughts of the characters and less linear conversation. This format is different from any other movie I’ve seen, but drew me in and made me forget about the annoyances of the people around me. Near the end, I was so attached that I just could not help but to cry, and I don’t cry easily. I didn’t even cry when my brother killed my turtles. It was just too much; too real. The movie is emotion.

There are also a lot of interesting little touches that lighten it up, like when Carol is showing his mad jumping skills, or the point where they’re in the desert and there just happens to be a gigantic dog running across the dunes that’s left pretty much unexplained. These touches of lightness in an overall dark movie really help out. Overall I have not been so moved by a movie since Deathbed: The Bed that Eats. It was a cathartic experience that is sure to stick with anyone that sees it.