The story, as millions of children and grown children know, tells of a rambunctious boy, sent to bed without his supper, who then encounters fearsome-looking but surprisingly gentle creatures when his bedroom turns into a mysterious forest. The film does surmount one of its two difficult challenges: Through puppetry and computer animation, the film making teams have successfully put a world of childhood imagination on the screen. Where the film falters is Jonze and novelist Dave Eggers' adaptation, which fails to invest this world with strong emotions.
I've been hearing reports that the film is proba
bly too gloomy and depressing for its own good and I assume that the debates between Jonze and the studio who wanted changes made were because of this. Which is understandable from a studio perspective, they wanted a typical children's film but instead got a rather dark and depressing story about being a child in a dysfunctional family.
Anyway, if this film does strike a chord with youth it will be something that can grow in meaning with them as they get older. That'd make it something even more special than a lot of the kid's films that are released today.
I enjoyed it a lot. I feel the same way about this film as I do with "The Hours." It wasn't cheery. It wasn't light and happy. It's purpose was to show the emotion of this little boy paralleled with the Wild Things. The script was meticulous and amazing. Every scene was vital to the story and you can connect with the characters. It helped that it had the most beautiful direction and cinematography, too.
0 comments
Post a Comment