Great Movies While High: Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are is nostalgia. That is the best descriptor of this film. This film is a wonderful reimagining and expansion on Maurice Sendak’s 1963 children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. Where the Wild Things Are is great for weedists who enjoy reconnecting with their inner child.

I was thrilled when I first saw the preview for this film and I knew I had to see it. I had been a huge fan of the book as a kid and the movie definitely did not disappoint. An aspect of the film I really enjoyed is that the producers decided to use the same characters in the original book, and they look almost identical to the original artwork, except you know, it’s in CGI format. The movie, melancholic at time, captures the struggle of childhood and the sense of powerlessness and isolation you can feel growing up in a world where everyone is bigger than you.

Max, the films protagonist, is a nine year old who feels misunderstood by his mother and older sister. After a fight with his mother he runs away and finds a boat in a pond which he boards and sails away from his home in as the pond becomes an ocean. He eventually comes to a fantastical island inhabited by the Wild Things.

Max, adorned in his iconic wolf pajamas, comes upon the wild things as one of the monsters, Carol, is rampaging and destroying trees and homes in a forest. Max, delighted by the chaos, begins to join in on the destruction and the monsters take notice of him. Afterward they begin to question who he is and where he’s from, debating among themselves whether or not they should eat him. Max is able to convince the Wild Things that he is a great king with magical powers who can help restore happiness to the group. The creatures declare Max their king and he proclaims a wild rumpus to celebrate (watch the film to see what a wild rumpus is). The rest of the film follow the adventures of Max and the Wild Things as they seek to create a new way of life together.

Where the Wild Things Are is a great movie for weedist because of it’s dreamy childlike quality, the beautiful soundtrack, and the surreal imagery on screen. Viewers can laugh at the film as all of the main characters and decisions in the group are governed by the simplistic logic of children. Where the Wild Things Are will definitely take you back to your childhood and have you feeling like a kid again.