Jonze thankfully never portrays them as truly evil, only young souls who just prefer the taste of any creature that doesn't belong to their group. Jonze's film always has the scent of violence within its folds and he never intensifies it to scare little children. To wit the monsters are always a bit threatening but never horrifying. Jonze seems intent on displaying what carnage these monsters can inflict on their environments and yet deep down they represent unbridled youth and the elements that come with growing up. Some of the characters are never listened to, while others can tend to separate from the group to forge their own alone time. Max is able to keep up with his friends quite often but discovers that emotions can run high when entrenched in deep emotions of love and affection. The voice cast is excellent with every single respective star given their moment to shine through the eyes of their characters. The stand out, of course, is James Gandolfini who is a highlight as the deeply lonely Carol who forms a personal relationship with Max as the film progresses. Jonze doesn't always stick true to the book but he manages to form identities out of the various lands we journey through. This is truly one of his stand out masterpieces.