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- 2009
- PG
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- 1 h 41 m
- 2009
- PG
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- 1 h 41 m
SummaryThe film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just...
Directed By: Spike Jonze
Written By: Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, Maurice Sendak
- 2009
- PG
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- 1 h 41 m
- 2009
- PG
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- 1 h 41 m
Where the Wild Things Are
71
6.9
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SummaryThe film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just...
Directed By: Spike Jonze
Written By: Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, Maurice Sendak
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally FavorableBased on 37 Critic Reviews
71
62% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
38% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
Metascore
Generally FavorableBased on 37 Critic Reviews
71
62% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
38% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
His (Jonze) obvious affection for, and veneration of, Maurice Sendak's 1963 Caldecott Medal-winning children's book is palpable in his near-perfect live-action adaptation, a dreamy -- and, like Sendak's book, faintly nightmarish -- exploration of one child's tantrum-y side.
What he’s (Jonze) ended up with strikes me as one of the most empathic and psychologically acute of all movies about childhood -- a "Wizard of Oz" for the dysfunctional-family era.
User Score
Generally FavorableBased on 183 User Ratings
6.9
67% Positive
122 Ratings
122 Ratings
21% Mixed
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
12% Negative
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
User Score
Generally FavorableBased on 183 User Ratings
6.9
67% Positive
122 Ratings
122 Ratings
21% Mixed
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
12% Negative
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
May 5, 2020
Literally my favorite movie. I watch it at least once every 6 months. Highly recommend for kids or adults
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Nov 21, 2016
I kid you not, I'm writing this review while listening to "All is Love" in the background. "Where the Wild Things Are" was definitely a polarizing movie, but I personally consider it one of my favorite films. Beyond the brilliant soundtrack, design, and acting, "Where the Wild Things Are" is beautiful for the way that is so wonderfully portrays childhood. Be it through curiosity, fear, adventure, or innocence, the film is just so beautifully crafted in so many ways that it's such an excellent film. Do I believe the film is for everybody? No. Will everyone find it as profound and breathtaking as I did? No. But either way, "Where the Wild Things Are" is a perfect example of wonderful, imaginative filmmaking that should bring out the inner child (and, for that matter, the inner "Wild Thing") in all of us!
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There are some great, rapturous moments in Where the Wild Things Are. Jonze is humbled before the wonders of a child's imagination, and so are we.
The result is an involving experience for all but the most fidgety children and an opportunity for parents to enjoy (rather than endure) a motion picture with their offspring.
Where the film falters is Jonze and novelist Dave Eggers' adaptation, which fails to invest this world with strong emotions.
Warmly and gently handled, though the central story, detailing the personal politics between him and the six childlike monsters, steadily loses steam.
May 13, 2014
Childhood redeemed!I've never thought i see this book in the big screens considering how little content the original had. The author must of had alot of imagination to turn such few words into such a fantasy driven movie.
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Oct 16, 2024
Although it had potential, it squandered it by making it too adult; as someone who read the books as a child, I was expecting a bit of escapism. Instead, I got a sullen coming-of-age story that doesn't quite hit the mark in any category. The voice acting from James Gandolfini was great, but other than that, I wouldn't give this movie much in the way of praise.
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Aug 1, 2013
I'm not sure what exactly to make of the meaning behind all those beautiful images. The center to me seems to be the portrait of childhood imagination, the boundless energy and freedom of play. But the magic is marred by a conservative guitar-soundtrack that reminds us of the mundane, uncreative rituals of adults. In passages, the film plays like a commercial because of the overly pleasing music. It just destroyed the atmosphere and magic for me. The child acted like a child acting like a child, as if his subconsciousness was constantly aware that it was all theater. Real kids are supposed to be more fully 'into it', a state of mind nailed pretty well in some other films. The monsters had voices of standard human bodies, although being much bigger than humans. In a movie that plays all-in on atmosphere, those mistakes are deal-breakers. If you have a special interest in childhood psychology, I guess its a relevant movie, but I doubt you'll come away from it much wiser. I had high expectations for some movie magic and the movie didn't deliver. Only partly, in the sometimes grand scale of the images. I want to give extra points for originality, but it was based on a book, so in fact its a very conservative vision based on an original book.
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Oct 28, 2011
It is rubbish, I'm sorry to people that liked it but I really didn't enjoy the film. I was looking forward to going to see the film at the cinema but I was really dissapointed, I am a fan of the book but it isn't based on the book at all. I really disliked it.
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Production Company
- Warner Bros.
- Legendary Pictures
- Village Roadshow Pictures
- Playtone
- Wild Things Productions
- Legendary Entertainment
Release DateOct 16, 2009
Duration1 h 41 m
RatingPG
TaglineThere's one in all of us.