Having opened in cinemas nearly two months ago in the USA, Spike Jonze’s adaption of Where The Wild Things Are has finally made it to Australian shores. In the world of global community, and high speed internet, where piracy is a big issue for the producers and distributors of movies you really have to wonder why there is still a delay in getting some movies to the Australian market. Is it that hard to have a worldwide release date? Or even something small like a few weeks difference? But whole months? No, it’s just not right. By the time the movie has made it ’down under’ it is likely that many who really wanted to see it would have illegally downloaded it already, killing some of the possible revenue of the movie, which is a shame, because this is a movie that it is worth giving your money to.

Based on Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s story of the same name, Where The Wild Things Are tells the story of Max (newcomer Max Records), a young boy struggling with his changing world. Max has a very active imagination, and a great relationship with his mother and sister. When his sister’s friends destroy his ice fort , he takes vengeance by destroying his sister’s room, including some craft her had made for her. Remorse sets in and we get to see the heart of Max, and his relationship with his mother, as they go about fixing the mess. Although not much time is spent setting up these relationships and the person of Max, the time is spent well, giving us insight into Max and showing that his mum loves him and needs him as much as her needs her. When Max’s mum has a new boyfriend over, and Max feels rejected, he dresses in his wolf suit and acts like ’a wild thing’. After being told off by his mum, Max runs away, out of his house and down to the lake, where he hops into a boat and sails away to a far away land full of other Wild Things.

The Wild Things are an unhappy group, falling apart due to infighting and rivalry, but when Max tells them that he has the power to make everything better and to keep the sadness away, they make him their king. Max then sets about, to varying degrees of success, to fix the group and draw them back together. Despite there being seven different Wild Things, all of them are given clear and distinct characters and story arcs. They are all easily identifiable, not just by their looks (each based on the stuffed toys Max has in his bedroom) and voices, but by their actions and personalities. Merry and Pippin, these characters are not.

Carol, Max, KW, The Bull and Douglas, from the original book

Along with being very individual in their personalities, each of the Wild Things’ personalities reflect some aspect of children, forcing Max to take on not just the role of King, but also the roles of parent. Alexander (voiced by Paul Dano) is the part of a child that feels always ignored, like no one is listening or caring. Judith (Catherine O’Hara) is the selfish part, always imagining that someone is getting a better deal then them. Possibly the Wild Thing that is given the most time is Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini, The Sopranos) and is the most like Max, with his belief in the King as someone who should be perfect and powerful and never do anything wrong. Thus when things go wrong Carol retaliates and acts childish, much like Max did when his ice fort was destroyed. But as the king, Max can not act childish, like he once did. At one point Judith yells at max telling him that "[he] is not allowed to get upset when we are upset. [His] hob is to be fix things". Max is the adult, and must act accordingly.

It is through the interactions with the "childish" Wild Things, Max grows up, realising the tough job his mother has looking after him and his sister. Where The Wild Things Are uses the Wild Things to hold a mirror up to the issues and attitudes of children and they grow up and face responsibility. It is a powerful look at what it means to be a child and what it means to be an adult and a parent.

Director Spike Jonze has done an amazing job of capturing the wonder of Max’s imagination. The world is impressive and beautiful at times, and also dark and scary at others. The mix of computer graphics, animatronics and old school puppetry bring the Wild Things to life perfectly. There is only one point in which the interaction of a Wild Thing and Max looks even slightly fake. The camera work ’action’ scenes, of Max and the Wild Things running around carry the energy and excitement that the characters feel. Small nods to the real world that appear in his imagination - the huts the Wild Things live in mimic a twine ball in his bedroom, the Wild Things themselves are similar to his stuffed toys - add to the depth and intelligence of the movie. Max Records, as Max, is wonderful, able to act the full spectrum of emotions without feeling looking awkward or fake.

In the end, this movie takes a classic children’s book, and rather then makes it into a classic children’s movie, makes it into a movies about childhood and what it means to grow up. The movie is not so much for children, as they could possibly be confused by what is going on, or scared by some of the angrier, darker scenes, but a movie for those adults who look back and have fond memories of the book.

Where The Wild Things Are opens this Thursday, 3rd of December (some seven weeks after North America.)

8 out of 10