Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are Image
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Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 320 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Max Records
  • Summary: The 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 as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though, that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought. (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 37
  3. Negative: 0 out of 37
  1. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    100
    Jonze has filmed a fantasy as if it were absolutely real, allowing us to see the world as Max sees it, full of beauty and terror. The brilliant songs, by Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and the Kids, enhance the film's power.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    80
    The film treats kids' inner lives as more than a fantasy, which is a rare and beautiful thing.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    60
    Director Spike Jonze's sharp instincts and vibrant visual style can't quite compensate for the lack of narrative eventfulness that increasingly bogs down this bright-minded picture.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    60
    Where the film falters is Jonze and novelist Dave Eggers' adaptation, which fails to invest this world with strong emotions.

See all 37 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 104 out of 179
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 179
  3. Negative: 61 out of 179
  1. joe1975
    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
  2. BridgetC.
    8
    While the story sagged a bit in the late middle, the rest had me gripped and enmeshed in the head of a 9 year old ( hard to do that with my mind).
  3. grandpajoe6191
    7
    "Where the Wild Things Are" is a movie campier than its original book source, but director Spike Jonze successfully transfers the unbiased, pure perspective of a child (Max) to the audience.… Expand
  4. TedD
    3
    I just saw the film, Where the Wild Things Are, last night. There were moments that I really liked in the film but even in those moments I felt frustrated in that the movies main character had never been fully develope much less a sense of exceptionality in his life experience. Even when I tried to appreciate the setting and creation of the wild animals I was aware of my boredom. And as to the insights into childhood, I found those self-indulgent. One scene stood out to me. Before running away, the boy stands on the kitchen table saying "Feed me woman" and asserts more than he knows only to find that he is more terrified with his mothers remark, "What is wrong with you? Maybe he knows in a post Freudian world living with a single Mom and watching his Mom flirting with her boyfriend. His answer is to set sail and find a new family where he can be King and in becoming King he becomes tamed. I like the insight but a whole film?… Collapse

See all 179 User Reviews

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