How does an Oscar-nominated director manage to simultaneously anger and please fans? Make the book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak into a movie, of course.

Some fans say that the movie has no moral, or that the Wild Things are neurotic, or that there is no real character development, but I thought the movie was excellent on so many levels. Despite being based on a children's book, the movie is deeper and darker than anyone could have expected.

One of the best parts of the movie is Max Records, who plays 10-year-old Max, a boy struggling to figure out where exactly he fits in. Not quite an adult, not quite a child, Max clings to childhood by wearing his wolf outfit. After a fight with his mom, Max runs away and sails to the place where the Wild Things are. When he arrives, he's made king and expected to fix all of the Wild Things' problems. As far as the plot goes, that's all anybody needs to know. With this movie, the message isn't in the plot but in the journey.

The main gripe from people who disliked this movie is that the Wild Things are whiny and neurotic beings that look to Max to solve everything, especially Carol (James Gandolfini, The Sopranos) and the diminutive (for a Wild Thing) Alexander (Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine).

People who disliked the movie also claim that there is no "moral" to the story. But like a novel, the best parts, the deepest insights are buried below the surface and that is what made Where the Wild Things Are incredible. Don't miss out on one of the best movies of 2009.

David Salazar is a junior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach him at davidjsalazar@gmail.com.