WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE : [5+/10] : Spike Jonze : US 09 : 101m : {14+/28}

Long-gestating big-screen expansion of Maurice Sendak's classic picture-book, in which a hyperactive kid escapes into a fantasy-world populated by giant, furry, English-speaking, American-accented monsters (who look like they've wandered in from HP Lovecraft or Dennis Wheatley.) Too dreamy/nightmarish/arty for kids, too self-indulgent/twee/arty for adults, it certainly has its share of lovely, magical, witty, cute moments (especially the owls). But that's all they are: moments. Overall, the picture feels both redundant and overcooked, an extended excursion into opulently bohemian whimsy. Yes, we enter the imagination of an exceedingly imaginative child – but the price we pay for the striking originality of the sun-dappled visuals and weird atmosphere is the near-total abandonment of plot, characterisation, suspense, drama. While intermittently touching/beguiling, it's nevertheless a deflating comedown after director Spike Jonze's brilliant Charlie Kaufman collaborations Being John Malkovich (1999) and Adaptation (2002).

Neil Young
21st-23rd December, 2009

 ¦ Empire cinema, Sunderland 21.Dec.09 ( £5.80)  ¦