Critique- Where the Wild Things Are

Being 17, I had this book read to me many times as a child and I read it myself when I was able to. Needless to say, I was very excited for this film to come to theatres, but i still can't tell if i am disappointed in the film or not. As far as graphics go, the monsters were pretty realistic (well, as realistic as a giant chicken can look). The fur moved in a realistic way and their eyes were engaged and shining as real eyes would. The only thing that gave way to the fact that they weren't real was their mouths- a straight line that didn't curve much, just opened and shut in a uniform way. That being said, the CGI was still pretty impressive.
Now, talking about the movie, it wasn't as. . . kid friendly as I would have thought. Immediately I was in terror for the protagonist, Max, who was nearly killed several times throughout the movie. It wasn't an obvious 'let's kill Max!' but subtle things that made me scared for Max's safety. There is also the fact that the subject matter was very dark, Max is an obnoxious boy who runs away from his mother screaming 'I hate you!' within the first twenty minute. I won't deny that there were parts of the movie that had me near (okay, AT) tears for Max and the depression that he feels. There are also a few swear words and a scene where his mother is having a date with some man (his father died though the movie doesn't alluded to the event very well, if at all). Finally, there were hidden messages everywhere in the movie, mainly symbolism in the form of the monsters who portrayed different people in Max's life or even conflicting personalities in Max himself. I seriously doubt that a kid would pick up on these subtle touches, let alone understand them. Not to mention that there wasn't a definite ending or obviously clear message in the movie, you had to pick up the pieces and put them together yourself. This was hard for me to understand and, as I have said, I doubt a child would be able to understand it either.
This is not to say that a kid would not enjoy parts of the movie, there was definite humor and an intense journey that would entertain anyone. But I would have to conclude that this movie, while a recreation of the beloved childrens book, is not meant for children at all, but for the adults and older teenagers who were read the book as a child or read the book to their own kids. If you loved the book and enjoy movies that are meant to be read into, to be understood, then I would gladly point you to the direction of the nearest theatre, for this movie is a treasure to all those who know indeed Where the Wild Things Are.