One of the biggest disappointments of 2009, Where the Wild Things Are fails to provide even the slightest glimpse of a full story. It’s obvious that the authors were trying to use the Wild Things as representations of Max’s psyche, but this gimmick is a poor vehicle for character development. Main Characters have access to mirrors every day, show them their own reflection and they’ll keep living their life the way they always have. But give them an alternative perspective, one that has some similarities yet truly is something outside of the Main Character, and you’ll have a catalyst for meaningful growth. WTWTA didn’t have this character and thus didn’t give Max the relationship he needed to arc convincingly. Consequently, the ending was meaningless and empty. This film is a perfect example of what happens when you construct a story that isn’t trying to argue a position. Instead of giving an audience something they’ll cherish, crafting a story in this manner only offers up confusion and disappointment.