Where the Wild Things Are is a strange beast. It looks like a family film but it isn't particularly family friendly. That isn't to say that it isn't suitable for children. There is an edginess to it, though, that younger kids might find harsh. Moreover, although it takes place in a fantasy land populated by strange creatures, it isn't an adventure in the mold of The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter or The NeverEnding Story. Its source material is a children's book by Maurice Sendak. The book has been expanded upon and somewhat reinterpreted by the film's co-writer and director Spike Jonze. The result is a movie that is original, intriguing and technically excellent but only intermittently moving.

Want to know more? Nine-year-old Max (played by Max Records) is a lonely boy. He has no friends, his dad has gone and his mother doesn't have time for him. On top of that the neighborhood kids carelessly destroy his precious igloo. His release from this frustrating life is to run around his house screaming and breaking things. Then one night he finds his mother with her boyfriend and something snaps. Max runs away from home and comes to a boat on the shore of a large body of water. Being a determined and impulsive boy he jumps in and sails away.

After surviving a storm and several days at sea, Max comes upon an island. Seeing some lights in the distance, he scrambles up a cliff face (along with being determined and impulsive Max might also be a bit mad) and makes his way through the trees towards them. What he finds is a strange collection of gigantic creatures: the film's titular 'wild things'. At least one of these creatures (later we learn his name is Carol) appears to be getting enjoyment out of destroying the large spherical structures that are the other wild things' homes. They, meanwhile, seem indignant about what he is doing but apathetic about stopping him. Seeing the opportunity to vent more of his frustration or expressive destructive exuberance, Max decides to jump in and help out Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini).

Max's intrusion is not widely appreciated and, doing what any good beasts should do if their homes are endangered, the wild things threaten to eat him. Max's response is to tell them that he is a king with great powers. Luckily, that's just what they've been looking for and Max is enthusiastically accepted as the new leader of the wild things' land.

The reign of King Max the First starts off with a wild rumpus. It is not long, though, before things begin to go sideways. Some of the wild things become jealous of Max's attachment to Carol. Max then begins to realize that responsibility is not an easy thing to handle.

At its heart Where the Wild Things Are has a clever idea. The metaphorical significance of the titular creatures (like Max, they are really just looking for a role model) is a unique twist on the lonely-child-finds-a-way-to-happiness fantasy subgenre.  Unfortunately, it is muddied by a meandering plot that provides no source of narrative drive. The film's themes are original and subtle but the downside of this is that there is no dramatic impetus. Once Max arrives on the island, events seem to amble from one situation to another and the wild things spend too much time chattering or bickering among themselves.

The traditional family fantasy film is populated by characters who are quirky, humorous, bold, bizarre or a bit stupid. Wild Things' characters have most of these qualities in some measure but mostly they seem to be self absorbed, cranky or slightly pathetic. There's a grating quality about the film's mood, too, that extends from both the behavior of Max and his giant friends and from the musical score. It is all the more welcome, then, when we do get occasional glimpses into the softer side of the characters, particularly Max, Carol and the enigmatic KW (Lauren Ambrose). There is a loneliness about Carol's personality that is exposed in some of the film's highlights. These make his character endearing despite his destructive tendencies. It helps, too, that the wild things are brilliantly realized through a combination of live action and CGI. Each creature has a unique look and the designers have done an excellent job of staying true to the illustrations in the book while turning the characters into three-dimensional flesh and blood beings.

I had read such positive reviews of Jonze's film that I expected to be uplifted, excited and moved by it. The first of these emotions was something I regretfully missed and the occurrence of the other two was intermittent and fleeting. Jonze has reportedly said that Where the Wild Things Are is not a film for children but a film about childhood. Everyone's experiences growing up are different, of course, but I didn't see much in this film that reminded me of my childhood. There also seems to be more anger than in the lives of most of the nine-year-old children that I have known. Perhaps Max's journey in the film could be seen as echoing that awkward transition period between the pre-teen and teenage years when innocence is lost and realities start to set in. In any event, the commentary on childhood was lost on me.

Who will like it? It's hard to say. Where the Wild Things Are seems to be one of those films you either get or you don't. I didn't but maybe you will.

Disc details: The uniqueness of Where the Wild Things Are isn't limited to the film itself. Among the special features on the Blu-ray is the oddly named short film Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More to Life. This is also an adaptation of a Maurice Sendak story. Like Where the Wild Things Are it's an odd tale that might be unappealing to younger children. The story concerns a dog who decides to leave home and experience the world. When she tries to join an acting troupe she gets wrapped up in a story that involves a flamboyant cat, a freakish baby and a hungry lion. At times it is bizarre in an 'Alice in Wonderland' kind of way. At others, it is downright macabre to the extent that it is likely to frighten some children. It makes clever use of live action, animation and animatronics but I couldn't help wondering what audience it is aimed at.

Aside from this short film, the special features on the disc include a series of brief behind-the-scenes videos and HBOs 'First Look at Where the Wild Things Are'. For anyone interested in background information the last of these will probably be the most interesting. It includes interviews with Sendak and Jonze and relates the film to the book. There is not much in-depth material in any of these features, though. If you are looking for detailed information on the making of the film, you will have to look elsewhere.

In the close-up shots and daytime scenes Where the Wild Things Are benefits greatly from the added clarity of Blu-ray.  The detail in the creature designs can be fully appreciated and the sharpness adds depth to wide-angle landscape shots. The stick castle that the wild things construct also looks fantastic with the added detail of high definition. This is not a colorful film, however, so it doesn't benefit from the vibrancy that high-definition can bring to a film's color palette. Also a significant proportion takes place at night. Therefore the detail present at 1080p resolution is not as much in evidence as it is in some other Blu-rays I have reviewed recently, such as Up in the Air.

Anything else? Where the Wild Things Are is similar to The Fantastic Mr. Fox in that both are based on children's books and both take a commendably unique approach that won't suit everyone. Neither, therefore, may be the best choice for family viewing.   The main difference is that Where the Wild Things Are is at times downbeat whereas Mr. Fox is generally energetic and off-beat.

For a different take on Where the Wild Things Are you can read Kimber Myers' review of the theatrical release here.