Wild Things, aint really wild, but is still okay

The Wild Things isn't quite as good as it should have been. It's a fine movie, but it's not really light or care-free. Spike Jonze has always been an interesting director, but also fairly dark. He's delved into depravity with his past two movies, and even though Wild Things might seem like a chance for him to break away from that (a movie about a fantasy island full of beasts), he doesn't. The movie treats the beasts like people, giving them real personalities and psychological depths. That's not really a bad thing, but it's probably darker and more thought-oriented than most expect. This is not a feel good movie. But it is interesting. The voices and costumes and animation and look of the film are all wonderful. James Gandolfini as Carol is terrific. And the story is alright. They say that this movie is closer to the real experience of being a kid than any other movie and that's actually true. But by the real experience of a kid, it includes all the bad things. Loneliness, not fitting in, unexplainable rage, things like that. It is a smart, good movie, but it is also sad. And if you want to enjoy it, you will need to do some thinking.