Where The Wild Things Are: The Wild Rumpus Edition

March 20, 2012 @ 2:54 pm

*This rating was given before reviews were required*

I had to add my dissenting opinion to the otherwise glowing reviews here. There may be some people who will find it helpful or informative.

What NJVC has done here is technically very impressive. His edits are not simply "seamless", they are artful. Audio crossover fades keep things moving and provide a sense of continuity between scenes which otherwise might be lacking. The song choices are inspired and do SO MUCH to increase the enjoyment of the film. There is a lot to appreciate in this edit.

The areas I feel differently than the other reviews basically fall into two categories.

This film is based on one of my favorite books as a kid, and I love the framework of that adventure. A boy goes off on a scary adventure where he 'out-wilds' the wild things and becomes their king before going back home. There's a sense of a grand journey that builds in scale. I feel a lot of that is lost with the restructuring of the scenes and the cutting back and forth in time.

The original film did a great thing when it framed Max's wildness as A) acting out due to the family breaking down and B) a selfish problem to be outgrown. This allows the film to not only be an adventure, but to also be a tale of heartbreak and redemption, where you see Max unable to take his new family situation and run away, then it becomes a coming-of-age story where he comes to terms with the fallibility of adults and the idea that there "is no such thing as a perfect king". He learns to think of others, stop expecting so much, and value teamwork and building something long-term.

For me, the structure of the new narrative does a great disservice to the themes of the story. The pacing is totally thrown off, with Max just suddenly being on an adventure but without the sense of danger and desperation and angst he originally brought to it (which is reflected in the Wild Things, like all his feelings). Then the constant flashbacks in the middle of the film are so on-the-nose paralleled to their real-world components, it doesn't feel like Max has run away from his problems, it feels like he is playing in his own world, consistently imagining monsters and adventures while at home. The ending is the worst of all. It undoes the mother's forgiveness and understanding, and changes the film from Max growing and learning a lesson to Max just having a string of creative adventures. By moving a scene from earlier in the film to the end, the interacting between Max and Mom implies no lessons were learned by either, and the whole thing was just one event in a series. You could argue that it actually doesn't make any sense, but I'll stop at saying that it just doesn't fit with the narrative throughline of the film.

The original film was imperfect. It definitely needed a bit more of the emotive magic that NJVC's musical edits put in. It also probably needed a bit more fleshing out of the story with some more explicit details to add depth. For me though, this edit goes the opposite direction and makes the film very superficial and just 'a boy's adventure'. It's worth a watch, to be sure, and everyone can then make up their own mind. But for me the original film is a much deeper and more emotionally cathartic journey.

I was spoiled by viewing njvc's version before the theatrical cut, and comparing the two is like asking which one gives off more warmth, a campfire or a match?

njvc finds the film's poetry and removes the semiwet concrete in which it's encased. Here, the protagonist is less of a brat, and that works better. The original soundtrack was serviceable, but njvc's sonic selections drew me more deeply into the movie.

And the intercutting between the real and the fantastic was inspired. The original kept the fantasy world tucked away from the introduction, as if the fantasy were a reward the audience had to wait for, according to some worn code of ritual. But njvc mercifully throws us into max's dreamspace without unnecessary ado.

This version has greater brightness in the nocturnal scenes, and that's for the better. Some of the lackluster dialogue remains, but that's not njvc's fault; enough was removed to elevate what was left.

Bravo, njvc. 10/10.

So I bought and watched the theatrical WTWA based on all the good feedback this edit was receiving. I watched it this past weekend. I thought it was decent. Although I did feel it was a little long (even though it was only in the 1 hour and 40 minute range).

Enter The Wild Rumpus Edition. I only watched the edit portion of the dvd, so when i go back and watch the special features I may have to edit this post. I just finished watching the edit, and this is one of the few times where I knew what to expect going into the edit. Usually I like to watch an edit without knowing the changes made, but I already knew before watching this that there was going to be knew music added, and that in this version Max would be making multiple “trips” to the place where the wild things are.

This “multiple trip” way of telling story worked great. I think this aspect of the edit (along with the reduced runtime) made it more enjoyable for me. As far as the new music that was added – rescoring and/or adding music is always a risk. Its hit or miss. It’s one of those things that IMO really has to “fit” in order to work. Well njvc definitely picked music that works. None of the extra music he chose to use felt odd or out of place, to me it all felt natural and fit the tone of the movie.

I enjoyed the new opening bit and I really liked the new ending!

As far as editing goes, technically it seemed fine. I noticed no problems with the audio or video.

I give this edit a 10/10 and I definitely find this version to be more enjoyable than the theatrical version (which is something I rarely say about a fanedit – there are fanedits that have been equal to the theatrical but rarely for me more enjoyable. This is one of those times though). I’m very stingey with my 10/10s (i think i’ve only rated 2 fanedits 10/10) but this is very deserving of the score. Great work!

March 1, 2012 @ 10:10 am

When njvc first announced this edit I was skeptical how well he would pull off his intention due to a lack of “real world” scenes. I can safely say that my fears were quelled.

njvc has made an absolutely perfect fanedit. This is a beautiful piece of work and it should be seen by everybody. Well done!

The quality is top-notch, even in the single-layer DVD. And the extras were a real treat, especially the commentary with Mr. and Mrs. njvc.

10/10!