Director: Spike JonzeWriters: Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers
Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener; the voices of James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, and Forest Whitaker
"You're the owner of this world. " You all know this story, from the 1963 beloved children's book: a young boy with an affinity for a wolf costume (Records) gets sent to bed without supper, and imagines himself sailing away and becoming king of an island of monsters.
One of the best parts of the film is that that's pretty much it. Unlike certain other (food-related) children's books that recently came to the big screen where the plot gets altered drastically to become a feature film, not much more happens in the film than happened in the book, and it really works for a change. Maybe it's just the wonderful performance of Records (a rare instance when I tolerate an actor playing a character with the same first name), or the stunningly brilliant visuals from Jonze, or even the soundtrack provided by Karen O and Arcade Fire. Some people will say that it's depressing, but I came out of the film with a wholly positive feeling. While I'd recommend that you only let the kids read the book, this one DEFINITELY needs to be seen as soon as humanly possible.
Spike Jonze is my hero
ReplyDeleteSLIGHT SPOILER ALERT
ReplyDeleteIt was a really downer movie until the resolution, although I wish the sister had been included in the ending. But still hopeful nonetheless.