Where the Wild Things Are- just saw it (just got a SPOILER)

[momx2]

My DD 11 and DH left the movie theater it was so bad. We had all went as a family, but me and DD 8 had to leave 20 minutes in because she got sick suddenly. She thought the beginning was very weird though. We ran into some of DD 11's friends coming out of the showing right before ours and there was 3 kids around 11 and 2 moms and all of them hated it.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Well, we just got back and thought the movie was ok. It wasn't great, but it didn't bore us either. I think I had prepared myself for the worse though, so I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't that bad.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

We went with a group of kids, and my 10 y.o. DS was the only one that really liked it. Some of the scenes were so over the top bizarre, that I couldn't help but laugh, even though they weren't supposed to be "funny." I really don't think it was violent enough to be PG-13, and there wasn't any cursing either. But, it is definitely dark. There is nothing fun about the movie at all.

 

[teacups]

Actually the best part of the movie was the preview for that BABIES movie!! Did anyone else see that? It looks so cool!

 

[IDoDis]

Isn't it great? Scholastic books released a dvd collection of with several Sendak stories. I'll have to settle for their version.

This must be the dvd set you are referring to:
http://www.amazon.com/Scholastic-Treasury-Storybook-Classics-Collection/dp/B0012909Q8

I had to bring another teacher's class into my class the other day when her sub didn't show up, and she sent along this dvd set for kids who were having computer time. The kids loved the dvd's.

 

[Nancyg56]

It's for adults.

And Maurice Sendak, the author of the book, said that if anyone has a problem with that, you can go straight to he**!! He was heavily involved in the making of this movie.

I think they are marketing it wrong, though. They need to have made it more CLEAR that it's for adults and not for kids. I agree...it should have been PG13.

This has been marketed to children and it is not a children's movie, IMO. WE just took 11 8 year old girls and while they all insisted that they liked the movie, one little girl was in tear. She says she was laughing at something another said but those were real tears. I believe they liked having a party at the theater but if we could do it agaon ith would not be this movie.

I love the book too much to touch this with a ten foot pole.

It's a children's classic but the author, Maurice Sendak and the director, Spike Jones, have been interviewed extensively saying the film was not for really small children but more for adults. I would consider age 6 a really small child and I work with kids this age all day long. Parents should do their research before taking their kids to see any film.

If this was not a children;s movie then the marketing should have been geared toward adults. The previews have been at children's movies.

I'm surprised that some have never heard of the book. It is a children's classic. If you haven't read it to your kids, I really encourage you to go out and buy it (or borrow it from the library). It really is a nice story and can be read in less than 10 minutes. It was one of my favorite books, and it's now my sons favorite. They can recite it by memory.

My own children grew up with this book and my DD has read it to her DD.

Well we are home and that movie was not at all what I would have liked for my DGD's birthday movie. It was way over the childrens head, I know where the movie was going but honestly, not one adult would have stayed if not for the children.

 

[Feralpeg]

Call me odd, but it just seems strange to take a classic children's book and make a movie that is for adults and not child friendly. I love the book, but I'm very leery of the movie. I'll probably wait to see it when it gets to cable.

 

[Nancyg56]

Call me odd, but it just seems strange to take a classic children's book and make a movie that is for adults and not child friendly. I love the book, but I'm very leery of the movie. I'll probably wait to see it when it gets to cable.

I believe that it was intended to be a children's movie but with adult overtones. It was uncomfortable to watch the wild things pelt each other with dirt clods and to see one creature hit owls with rocks and insist that the owls liked it. I understood the intent of the film but I truly would never ever again subject kids to that. I do not think they could have separated the intention of the filmmaker from the reality of the actions on the screen. As an adult I would not have chosen to go to this for any reason other than to watch it with my DGD. This was marketed to children and when the reviews came back questioning that intention I believe the filmmakers said it was an adult film.

 

[Nik's Mom]

This must be the dvd set you are referring to:
http://www.amazon.com/Scholastic-Treasury-Storybook-Classics-Collection/dp/B0012909Q8

I had to bring another teacher's class into my class the other day when her sub didn't show up, and she sent along this dvd set for kids who were having computer time. The kids loved the dvd's.

Yes that is it! But you can buy the individual dvd's if you don't want to spend that chunk of change all at once. Sometimes Costco will have them. Looking back on it though, I wish I would have just bought the entire set. My kids really do love the dvd's, even now at 7 and 10 years old.

 

[pyrxtc]

well, I hope it's family relatable since my 6 yr old is going to see this movie with some friends as a birthday party today. He does not know the book at all.

 

[wdwfan16]

well, I hope it's family relatable since my 6 yr old is going to see this movie with some friends as a birthday party today. He does not know the book at all.

The "bad boy" of the monsters, Carol, does many bad things. He wrecks their homes, hits his friend in the eye with a dirt clod (you will later see the injury the dirt clod leaves), tears another friend's arm off and gets mad every time he does not get his way.

 

[nuke]

The "bad boy" of the monsters, Carol, does many bad things. He wrecks their homes, hits his friend in the eye with a dirt clod (you will later see the injury the dirt clod leaves), tears another friend's arm off and gets mad every time he does not get his way.

Sounds like some kids I know.

 

[Sparx]

i really felt like carol was meant to be an embodiment of max, and how max acted at home. and the other wild things were meant to symbolize other aspects of max's life.

we saw max(carol) wreck his sister's (kw's) things when she left him for her friends (bob and terry) and throw snow balls (dirt clods) at others (the wild things) until things escalated too far and it ended in tears.

eta
the children's book was a strange breed of children's book. it was upfront that its pretending was pretending. usually, children's books aren't so honest. max imagined everything that happened with the wild things, and he put a lot of his own actions into theirs. and the wild things in his mind were just as unruly as the ones we saw on the screen. they wouldn't always listen to him, and they demanded too much of him, in his position. the movie took this to another level.

 

[Vallie]

I'm disappointed to see the negative reviews on here

My DBF and i are REALLY looking forward to seeing this movie.

I LOVED that book as a kid and think the movie looks amazing. Especially the imagary. Im hoping it will be one of those you love it or you hate it type movies, which I think it sounds like it is.

Ive also read that its intended to be an adult movie.

Im excited to hear the soundtrack too. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs... you really cant go wrong!

I guess I'll have to see it for myself!n

 

[damo]

i really felt like carol was meant to be an embodiment of max, and how max acted at home. and the other wild things were meant to symbolize other aspects of max's life.

we saw max(carol) wreck his sister's (kw's) things when she left him for her friends (bob and terry) and throw snow balls (dirt clods) at others (the wild things) until things escalated too far and it ended in tears.

eta
the children's book was a strange breed of children's book. it was upfront that its pretending was pretending. usually, children's books aren't so honest. max imagined everything that happened with the wild things, and he put a lot of his own actions into theirs. and the wild things in his mind were just as unruly as the ones we saw on the screen. they wouldn't always listen to him, and they demanded too much of him, in his position. the movie took this to another level.

That is exactly how we interpreted it. We thought the movie was fantastic but definitely not a movie for little kids.

 

[vettechick99]

I thought it was a beautifully made movie. The Wild Things are also well created and loved the kid they used for Max. But having read the book to my students, I was wondering how they were going to make it as long as they did...the book is only like 15 lines!

I thought it was ok. Wasn't crazy about it, didn't find it funny at all, would never take a toddler/Pre-K'er to see it, but I've thought about the movie several times since I saw it on Wed. Whatever that means. I think it's a film that will grow on you.

I wish Spike Jonz had made it less serious, and more entertaining.