Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are" is a beautifully inventive film about the wonders and the pitfalls of a child's imagination. It is by no means perfect or smooth, as nothing gestating from a ten-year-old's mind would be. The benefit of this adaptation from the classic Maurice Sednak's book is that the stories and images are filtered through the visual styling of the fantastic Jonze, who made his reputation as one of the great music video/commercial directors ever. (The anecdotal evidence I would offer is his Nike ad from 1999 that perfectly captures the apocalyptic dread of Y2K, the positive aspects of New Year's resolutions, and the product itself in a span of 59 seconds.) The sparse text of the story has also benefited from a screenplay co-written by novelist Dave Eggers who finds a way to make the mind of a young boy vividly alive and believable.

Of course, this amazing feat is completely lost upon the critics of this adaptation who say, out of one side of their mouth, that adapting a book with such a nominal amount of words (nine sentences keeps getting thrown around; my copy is buried in some box in the upstairs of my parent's house) that represents a sort of dearth of creativity in Hollywood  - never mind that the studio hired a director who hadhelmed such adult-themed theme park rides as "Being John Malcovich" and "Adaptation". Out of the other side of their mouths, they complain that Jonze and Eggers has made the back stories of the Wild Things too psychologically involved, too touchy-feely. When one looks at what the filmmakers were trying to do exactly, this makes sense and serves a larger purpose. The Sednak book - which has captivated audiences with its amazing animation that all but told the story itself- is really a skeletal outline for the film itself. Max (played by Max Records in what is virtually a one-actor film) is now a creative but moody child that doesn't fit in well at home. His sister Claire (PepitaEmmerichs ) tends to stomp on all of Max's inventions of whimsy around the house. Mom (as played by the all-too-brief Catherine Keener) is pre-occupied with work and with her new boyfriend (MarkRuffalo). She tries her best but Max's wild nature bursts out into an emotional rage that causes him to run away in a red-faced fit.

Where does he go? Deep, deep into his imagination as he takes a boat (that looks like something filmed in a bath tub) to an island ran by the Wild Things; a group of oddly-configured animals that are almost made up from facial expressions. The filmmakers actually used costumes - with someCGI touch-ups - from the Jim Henson Studios that focus heavily on the Wild Things' eyes. Gene Siskel once wrote that non-human film characters work only if the eyes work. Not only are they technically dazzling, but they fit the actors providing the voices as well as the characters they portray. We have JamesGandolfini as Carol, the super-sensitive Wild Things. There's Douglas (Chris Cooper), the passive and pensive Wild Thing. There's Judith (Catherine O'Hara), the overexcited Wild Thing. There's also Alexander (PaulDano ), who is dour and seemingly inviting of the abuse he receives. All of this is not, as critics have bemoaned, just a bunch of mopey characters: They are components of Max's personality. Max has created them and he lends to what they do and say. If the dialogue seems stilted and confusing, I think this is because it is a genuine reflection of what a child would put in their imaginary friend's mouth. They all represent his haute emotions at a very troubling time.

All of this makes sense to supplement such emotions in making a 2009 film based off a 1960's children's story. This is a new time and the filmmakers have made a film that expounds on the current environment as well as bringingSednak's work to some sort of rich resonance. The reason why "Wild Things" is so engaging - and sometimes scary enough for me to be convinced this was not designed for children at all - is because these Wild Things so clearly fit into the composite of Max as a character. When there is conflict between them or between them and Max, there is genuine tension. When there is happiness or celebration, the film lifts up mightily. This is a story that looks at Max through his imagination and, in some ways, makes the audience reflect on their own childhood: What we found scary, what we found funny, what moved us to tears. While Max wants to control his imagination (why he makes himself their leader), he also learns a lot by what he has created. Watching Carol morph into a version of himself, perhaps he learns a larger lesson about himself.

While the content of the story became more moving the further I removed myself from watching the film, the technical proficiency of the film is immediate. The special effects are affecting not only because they lend themselves to the characters but because they are so OLD-FASHIONED. These are real things and not just a bunch of  computer pixels. As they are tangible, they almost seem revolutionary in such aCGI -driven time when out-of-the-world characters don't seem very engaging because there's not much soul there. The cinematography, by LanceAcord , uses dark hues and emphasizes shadows to enhance the subtext of several scenes. The music is lyrical and sad, all brought to you by Yeah YeahYeah's lead singer (and Jonze's former girlfriend) Karen Orzolek . You've never seen a children's film like this but it certainly seems like a throw back to a time when real film directors employed a child-like eye to make something that entertains and captivates children yet remains deep enough for adults to appreciate and love. Wow...almost like it's a film for the whole family.

Saying that, I am not sure what kids are going to think of "Where the Wild Things Are". It is dark and probably too scary. (But not as traumatizing as hearing Bambi's mom bite the bullet off-camera.)  Perhaps they would enjoy it on some basic level. Hopefully, parents will use this as an excuse to jump back into an imaginary world now with some perspective. What better reason to load up the mini-van and head to the multiplex? Just don't tell your kids you enjoyed it.

Four Stars (out of Five)

"Where the Wild Things Are" is rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language.