User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 320 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 92 out of 320

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  1. BrianR
    Oct 23, 2009
    5
    This is basically a bore. It's nearly two hours of depressed muppets.
  2. KatB
    Oct 23, 2009
    1
    What in the World? This movie sucked! Well, maybe that's harsh...but the best scenes were the "real" life scenes with his family/mother. I certainly appreciate the suffering and confusion this child lives with at the hands of his "broken" family, but the fantasy in the movie does NOT live up to the hype and was really goofy. I'll bet the book was better! The child was a great little actor! Expand
  3. fw
    Oct 23, 2009
    1
    Horrid. Boring. Tedious. Aimless. Pointless. Weary-making.
  4. JayG
    Oct 27, 2009
    3
    Depressing. Dark. Violent. Inconclusive. Mr. Sendak must have needed some money desperately. I wouldn't take my kids to see it. Read them the book and let their imaginations soar.
  5. pH
    Oct 27, 2009
    8
    Not perfect by any means but a brilliant effort that almost succeeds. Sorta long, sorta slow but a slightly flawed masterpiece in the end. I saw it in a theatre full of kids of all ages and not a peep from any of them
  6. RickA
    Oct 29, 2009
    8
    I liked it and found it to be fun and entertaining.
  7. YevgenyV
    Oct 29, 2009
    0
    Very bad, and I am not a fan of the book. The films worst folly is that it's boring. This is a drawn out, pretentious and boring film which possesses an odd, turgid pace, trying to pass itself of as whimsical and philosophic. What. A waste.
  8. BenjaminH
    Nov 11, 2009
    10
    I finally watched this movie today being it was one of my favorite books as a kid. First off let me say this if you are into movies like "Transformers", or "Fast and Furious" type stuff this movie will be boring and you will hate it. It is also not really a kids movie, even though you can take them, there is a good chance that they will not get it or understand it, as the same with most adults. Now that I have got that out of the way, this is one of the deepest movies I have seen in a long time. It is not a kids movie, but a movie about a kid and his personality, imagination, and most importantly his emotions, both good and bad. Honestly this is the best movie I think I have seen in years, it captures being a kid better than any movie I have ever seen and is brutally truthful at times, it leaves you walking away with a feeling of sadness I have had many times since child hood but kind of ignored until now. Please go watch this movie if you like things like this, it is different than what most people think, but stay away if you are into gimmmicky special effects and fast paced action, this will not be the movie for you. Expand
  9. NickL
    Nov 14, 2009
    3
    I watched this sober. That was a mistake. The only good part of this movie was the soundtrack. Boooooring.
  10. JoeM
    Dec 16, 2009
    7
    I enjoyed this film but I wanted to love it. It is filmed very well and the acting is good, but the movie is just too long considering its short and simple source material.. It should have only been 80-90 mins tops.
  11. PatrickC
    Dec 17, 2009
    2
    For lack of strong dialogue, angry and lonely animals with all that derived from just being bored makes for an awful movie. Even if this wasn't "Where the wild things are" it would still have made for a bad movie in general. The soundtrack, costume design was good, but once again, if that was the highlight of any movie, then it's a terrible movie. It varies greatly from the book, a 10 minute book mind you, you can't turn that into a 100 minute movie when every second page has only 2-3 sentences. Max's claustrophobia early introduced had me worried every time he was in danger from the other inhabitants, especially overbearing strength. Finally Carol's 'development' was nothing short of miraculous at the end, which at best one could say "Only in Hollywood...". Expand
  12. PB
    Dec 21, 2009
    9
    Fantastic. there is little else to say about a film that brings back so many memories of my childhood and portrays them on screen in such an adult and surprisingly dark way. A film for anyone who has ever gone through their parents divorce, ever run away from home for a day, ever ruined their siblings things out of anger, ever wanted to live in a world of their own. One of my favourite films of the decade, I highly recommend it. Expand
  13. marxmetacritic
    Dec 31, 2009
    0
    This is the worst film I have ever seen. When I got to see this film for free with my imax pass, I thought I was in for a pleasant film, but instead I watched one of my favorite childhood books be smashed to pieces right before my eyes. This film: "Where the Wild Things Are" would be more accurately titled: "Where the Depressed, Overly-Dramatic Emo Maniacs Are. The film stars Max, a "9" year old boy (who appears to be around age 13) who goes insane and assaults his mother one night. His mother tries to get him under control, only to cause him to run down the street in his wolf costume, hide in a forest "yelling I hate you!", destroying things and finally sailing away in a small, bashed up fishing boat. He arrives at an island to meet a group of characters who represent his family and his character traits (anger, sadness, etc.) . He befriends Carol, an emo depressing beast who represents how Max is constantly having tantrums, and soon the beast makes him their "king" (who is mainly just a babysitter in charge of keeping these stupid lugs happy). Everything goes wrong, he ruins their lives, and for some reason they just get happy one day and send him home where he treats everyone just as awful as before. The worst part is, that the film has lots of talk about global issues like global warming and the sun going out, making it hard for a usually positive person like me to stomach it. I no longer want to even look at the book, let alone the film. Don't let this happen to you. Expand
  14. Aug 16, 2010
    5
    A sad experience, one that made me feel about myself rather than enjoying the innocence of youth. There's not enough story to carry a full movie, and the wild things seem more like reality show characters bickering amongst themselves rather than fantasy creatures. I was excited for this film, mainly because the story is brilliant and Jonze is very good, but I was sorely disappointed.
  15. Aug 30, 2010
    0
    There is comfort in having a small number of people elevated in one's opinion. For any thinking person that number is never very large. It is very disheartening when one of that number plummets in our esteem. And, in this case, in such a way. It was a betrayal from someone I have held in this position from my youngest days. Where the Wild Things Are was art, and there was a magic to that story in particular. And he lied right to me. I was extremely dubious when I heard it was being made into a full length live action film. But I heard good reviews, and I saw the man himself interviewed, and as incredulous as I normally am (How can you tell when someone is lying? Their lips are moving.), he seemed sincere when he said the film faithfully captured the spirit of the book.

    Shall I catalog how the film missed the essence of every single character in the book? Not only missed, made them the opposite of what their nature was. Max was not a wild, nearly psychotic child. He was not having gleeful snowball fights. He was a lonely, isolated boy who was neglected by his parents, and that was why he sailed away. He was a normal boy, engaging in normal behavior for a child, to which his mother responded in a disproportionate manner. Her detachment was illustrated in the book by having her always out of sight. She was not an overwhelmed mother doing her best with an out of control child. Now the monsters, who in the book were child-like in spite of their size and power, were, I suppose, sort of depicted in this way. But they weren't bratty, petulant, whiny, spoiled children, one of whom, for some unknown reason, has the voice of a Mafioso. That was as much as I could take; I would not finish the film. I suppose Roald Dahl would have had a similar impact if he had allowed that Tim Burton abomination to have been created, and then said right to my face that if was a faithful adaptation. Whoever the rights to that story passed to after his death should be ashamed of themselves, but I choose to believe that Roald would not have sold out in that manner.

    Shame on you, Mr. Sendak.
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  16. Oct 19, 2010
    10
    A beautiful work of cinematic art, although with its flaws. Although it does seem to take itself a tad bit too seriously, it makes up for it in its ability to portray the inner-workings of a childs' mind. Their escape into the world of fantasy to keep from facing reality and the redolent fear of changing is evident. It's certainly not a movie to see with the children, despite the deceptive marketing done. I adored it, personally, and I completely understand those that don't. It's a hard tale to grasp, and also some people just don't like that kind of movie. But I always grew up with people telling me I was a somewhat strange, so maybe that's what drew me to this strange movie. The camera-work was different and gave it a more realistic feel, the lead, who also is named Max, was very good considering how irritable I am when it comes to child actors. Over-all, a wonderful and somewhat hollow (in a good way) film. I suggest it to those who are up for the challenge. Expand
  17. Dec 18, 2010
    0
    This is the most unrelentingly depressing film I have seen in decades. The producers have completely missed the point of the charming and whimsical book on which it it based and created a film that is very disappointing. Perhaps those who have given good reviews have not read and loved Maurice Sendak's original version--but for anyone who has read this to children at bedtime, the film version is a total failure and major disappointment. Expand
  18. Feb 2, 2011
    9
    In one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen, everything is done right. The performance by the lead boy is fantastic and heart-wrenching, as he portrays fear, despair, affection, and so many others on levels that far precede his years. He deserved far more critical acclaim than he was given. Spike Jonze's direction is nothing short of breathtaking, as he brings the subtle hints at deeper meanings that were in the original book to the surface with amazing grace. The "Wild Things" were each brilliantly constructed, portraying different emotional issues while retaining the idea that the family group is necessary and needed, and with hard work and mutual love, it can be attained. The dark look of the film only serves to enhance these ideas, complicated and saddening while allowing, every once in a while, for a glimmer of light and hope to shine through. I doubt that a children's book adaptation will ever be made into a film of such beauty and intelligence again; at least not in my life time. It ranks with the other masterpieces of cinema that are now considered the best of all time. Genius, adult, intelligent, tear-jerking brilliance. The Oscars completely snubbed this gem. Expand
  19. Jan 20, 2011
    8
    WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
    Everybody has a childhood fantasy. Thiz film reminds us how to be a child, where we can escape into our own world. It comes from a Maurice Sendak famous fable, the story told about a little boy who one night had a conflict with his mom. He ran away from home. On his solitude, he lived on his own fantasy, interacted with the characters he made up, and found himsel
    f the meaning of life. The movie directed by Eccentric Music Video Director, Spike Jonze. Jonze directed many famous musicians like: Björk, Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim, etc., which my favorite is Fatboy Slim WEAPON OF CHOICE. His honorable directing credits are BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999) and ADAPTATION (2002). Thiz movie take us to a child point of view, which is simple and naïve. I always like Jonze hand-held camera technique. It is very dynamic and effective to describe the surrealism on every of his movies. The boy perfectly casts by Max Records. The boy monster friends voiced by many well-known Actors, like: James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Paul Dano, Chris Cooper, etc. and the other Casts are Mark Rufallo and Catherine Keener as his mom. In the beginning, I had hesitancy that the monsters will be appeared too scary based on original concept. But after I watched it, actually the monsters were very loveable and funny. The best scene I like the most is throwing dirt scene. The scores and soundtracks were also very supporting every scene on thiz movie. In overall, It is not a perfect movie for children, but it is a must-seen thoughtful movie for all of us as an adult.



    Visit My Blog on JONNY'S MOVEE: http://jonnyfendi.blogspot.com
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  20. Feb 6, 2011
    6
    This was nowhere near as brilliant as it could have been. It was severely flawed in it's lead character, Max, who most of the time came across as selfish and rude, but never really changed throughout the film. The creature effects were well done and there were a few memorable scenes, but overall it was a bit of limp adaptation. That being said, considering what Spike Jonze had to work with, pulling a half decent movie from it was impressive. Expand
  21. Jun 27, 2011
    8
    Film maker Spike Jonze directs a magical, surreal, visually astonishing film version of Maurice Sendak's celebrated classic exploring the joyous and wild rumpus of the time and place we call childhood.
  22. Apr 9, 2011
    7
    I enjoyed the movie. Good voice work and the young boy did a good job. The graphics were pretty good. But it was not as good as the book. It won't "ruin" the book for you, but don't watch this before you read the book to yourself or your kid.
  23. Oct 28, 2011
    3
    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.
  24. Sep 14, 2011
    9
    A beautiful recreation the book by Maurice Sendak in which the story is develop in a deeper way with a conflict that connect with real life, even when the characters are monsters. If you think this a movie for children, then you're wrong. Just see it and learn about life.
  25. Sep 28, 2011
    10
    You might think that because of this movie is based on a book for kids, this movies is also for kids or is the same than the book, but no, this movie talks about grow up and all the process of maduration, is a great job and a has a fantastic development and the camera work is excellent
  26. Mar 22, 2012
    2
    The book is my all-time favorite children's story and still holds up as a wonderful tale well into my adulthood. So forgive me if I take it a little personally when (the normally competent and entertaining) Spike Jonze comes along and turns it into a complete bore. On top of being a snoozer, the world of the Wild Things is as stale and spartan as you can get... the complete opposite of the lush world created by Maurice Sendak. There are also moments of scariness that I don't believe young children should see despite it's questionable PG rating. So yeah, it's a kids' movie that's unsuitable for younger kids. Good call on that one, Spike. Altogether a huge, thudding disappointment that I would like to say would have Mr. Sendak rolling in his grave... except he's still alive... and he has a producer credit in the film. So an unfortunate big thumbs down to one of my literary heroes. :(.... Expand
  27. Aug 13, 2012
    8
    A beautiful movie that perfectly captures the essence of the classic tale. Masterful puppetry. Anyone who appreciates the original book will no doubt realize how great this movie is.
  28. Aug 17, 2012
    10
    A stunning, emotional , well acted and written movie. Although im glad many others give it a 10 i would disagree with any that state it not a childrens movie. Its for everyone that is or has ever been a child, and certainly some children ( just like the " adults " hear giving well thought out 0 reviews ) will find it boring but some will love it. It has a certain look like no other film . Everyone has differnt opinions on everything in life so dont listen to the ( incorrect ) bad review....know what your getting into and just watch it. U could be missing out on one of your new favs :) Expand
  29. Mar 26, 2013
    1
    Now, yes. Many people.. are going to disagree with me, go ahead, hate me. I don't like this movie. I DESPISE THIS MOVIE!!! This is just too dark, too dark (by this part, I mean literally, JUST LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND PEOPLE!!!), and what is pretty much one of the worst costumes on a person for a kids movie, this movie is unappealing and is too dark for a children's movie. And I wanted to give it a chance, because when I was a little kid (or even a baby), this was one one of my favourite books, and you people are giving me this, how disgraceful. Expand
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 37
  2. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. For all the artfulness, the feel of the film is rough-hewn, almost primitive. It’s a fabulous tree house of a movie.
  2. Where the film falters is Jonze and novelist Dave Eggers' adaptation, which fails to invest this world with strong emotions.
  3. 50
    I have a vision of eight-year-olds leaving the movie in bewilderment. Why are the creatures so unhappy? That question doesn’t return a child to safety or anywhere else. Of one thing I am sure: children will be relieved when Max gets away from this anxious crew.