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Genres: AdventureDramaBiogra
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Marcia Gay Harden, Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener
Director(s): Sean Penn
Available Quality: Hi Def
Country: USA
Year: 2007
Available Quality: DivX, Hi Def, iPod, Hi Def
IMDB Rating: 8.2 out of 10 (160197 votes)
Based on a true story. After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire 24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.
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Visitors Review
(24 May 2012)
Strong film-making...really liked it despite my Sean Penn problems
Let me come right and admit that I dislike Sean Penn a great deal. His politics are infantile, silly and represent Hollywood's penchant for knee-jerk liberalism at its worst. His trips to Iraq are an embarrassment.But let me also admit that he truly is an artist to be reckoned with. From his wonderful performances in FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH through is Oscar-winning work on MYSTIC RIVER, he has proven himself a unique talent. And now his skills as a director cannot be overlooked either. His past efforts as a director had merit, but with films like THE PLEDGE, he allowed himself an indulgent pace, and the movies meandered a bit. They still showed skill...but only now, with INTO THE WILD, can he truly be called a director of importance.Based on the terrific book from Jon Krakauer (who also wrote the MUST READ "Into Thin Air"), INTO THE WILD follows the true-story of Chris McCandless, a young man who drops out of life in a serious, disturbed way.McCandless comes from a family of privilege. Raised in the south, we see him graduating from prestigious Emory College, and telling his folks he's thinking of Harvard Law. He clearly has a lot of issues with his folks and their materialism...but at first blush, he seems like little more than an upstart college kid who was raised in a cushy enough life to be able to readily shower disdain on money & materialism. A poor kid would never do this. He seems very close to his younger sister (Jena Malone), as they are united in their disregard for their parents (Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt).Turns out, Chris is going to drop out of their lives completely. He gives away all his money and sets out on the road with his beat-up car, eager to "see America" and to live off the land (although frankly, living off the land for him seems to require lots of begging for money, taking handouts and eventually, when his car is trashed, accepting rides). He even changes his name to Alexander Supertramp. He's a drop-out on a mission to erase his past life as well. He NEVER touches base with his family, even his beloved sister.Eventually, he becomes more and more eager to tear himself away from the trappings of civilization, and he goes to the wilderness of Alaska, IN THE WINTER to live on his own. He has almost no survival skills, and if not for stumbling upon an abandoned bus that had obviously once been used as a campsite, he probably would have died in a day or two. As it is, his time in Alaska stretches on for weeks or months, and that's all I want to tell you, in case you didn't know how this story turns out.Chris (or Alex) is a supremely annoying character to me. I'm a man in my 40s with kids of my own, and so naturally I bristle at his cavalier hatred for his parents. And I'm also annoyed at his thoughts on dropping out, which as I said seemed to involve mooching off of others. As though our society owed it to him to support his noble desire to have no possessions, responsibilities, etc. etc.But here's the surprising thing...as much as part of me disliked this young man and his questionable mission, I was drawn deeper and deeper into caring about what happened to him nonetheless. Penn, and especially his young star, Emilie Hirsch, do a masterful job over the films 2.5 hour running time of making you empathize with this guy. As we learn more about his relationship with his parents, we see that while he might be over-reacting, he does have legitimate gripes that go deeper than we thought at first. He's trying to erase his identify, because it's been built on a lie in the first place. He truly wants to strip away anything that reminds him of them and their world. At first, just distance helps...but he begins to see that he himself needs to be laid bare. He has an almost primal need, not to commune with nature, but to use that communion as a way of reducing him to just basic needs for food and shelter. And at the end of the film, when we see that he has finally succeeded and has finally come full circle, it's a shattering moment. Only then do we see the skill with which Penn (who also wrote the script) and Hirsch have led us. We thought we knew what McCandless wanted from his journey...but what he came to was something different indeed.Most of the movie deals with McCandless' encounters with the various people he meets. He spends time working on a wheat harvesting crew run by Vince Vaughan. He lives for several months with Catherine Keener and her husband in a desert in Arizona. And most touchingly, he befriends a old veteran played by Hal Holbrook. It's nice to see Vaughan play a normal guy at more or less a normal level of energy, rather than his over-the-top antic-ness. But it is Keener and Holbrook who threaten to steal the show. Keener plays a "hippie" who has dropped out of life to get away from a terrible sadness of her own. She has a burden she carries that makes her both love McCandless like a mother AND to understand the grief McCandless's mother must be going through. She infuses her character with sadness and toughness in equal measure. It's an almost perfect role for Keener, who has an almost unique quality to her...one of smarts, sexiness, sadness and empathy. I think there's a fair chance she'll be nominated for an Oscar. An almost slam-dunk Oscar nomination for Hal Holbrook, however. It feels like years since I've seen him in anything, and the 20 minutes or so he is in this movie are as quietly powerful as any 20 minutes I've seen this year. His character has shut off from the world and lived in insulated sadness for decades. McCandless comes into his life and shows him that the world still has something to offer him. Holbrook responds and begins to open up. He takes on physical tasks he didn't dare before. But he also begins to love the young man who has brought him this renewal...and he knows this kid is going to leave soon and never be seen again. Holbrook is masterful in his scenes, and his final few moments are quite powerful.Another aspect of this movie to be savored is the sheer enjoyment of the beautiful American scenery. We're taken all over the western half of our nation, and also to Alaska, and Penn allows plenty of time to take in the sights. What a beautiful country the US is!!The movie is not perfect. Sometimes Hirsch relies a little too much on just smiling beatifically at people, and the almost reverent response they have towards him is a bit much. He does become a character that the viewer cares about...but sometimes Penn plays him off as too "pure." He seems to have no interest in sex, for example...and this interesting aspect of his character is left unexplored and unexplained. (Also, I got tired of Eddie Vedder's songs...his diction is so bad, it just sounded like whining. And this is from a guy who sorta likes Pearl Jam.)This is a broadly sweeping movie about a very tiny subject...one troubled man whose journey of self-discovery led him in unexpected ways. In the great scheme of life, it isn't terribly important. Yet it reminds us that the human heart is unfathomable, that reactions aren't predictable AND most importantly, that we can grow and learn and come to accept what life has dealt us. The movie is sad, yet quite uplifting. It is a movie that finds forgiveness and redemption in unexpected places.So, it is with some chagrin that I must say I highly recommend this effort from Sean Penn.
(23 May 2012)
Best Film of the Decade
There's not much to criticize in this film, it's almost flawless, a seamless piece of art. It's the composite of the True story of Christopher McCandles, The Jon Krakauer novel, the screen play directed by Sean Penn and the sound track By Eddie Vedder. I've never heard a better cohesiveness between a soundtrack and a screenplay than in this movie, it's haunting. Sean Penn uses a chapter format sequence for the movie in the sense of the Krakauer novel and the literary prowess and potential of McCandles himself who may quite possibly have become a great writer had he not encountered the profound and inadvertent course of advents that culminated in his fate. The performances by all the actors were great and the Eddie Vedder songs are powerful. A must see film for anyone who loves dramas about "push the envelope" type personalities.
bruce-129 (20 May 2012)
Real art is not a form, it creates its own form
I have never seen a movie like this before. Just to be clear, this is aunique amazing movie, but mostly it is the story and the man that makesthe movie. One can wonder about the reality of this movie and this man,but something amazing happened in this guy's life in his short 24 yearson planet Earth.Go see the movie before you read the rest of this or any of the mostlyidiotic posts always present on IMDb, this movie demands it, and youcertainly deserve it. Even if it rubs you the wrong way, it is a veryhuman movie, and a very human experience to watch it.Christopher McCandless was a puzzle, obviously, at least to us theviewers of this presentation of his life. He has a pull towardsconfronting nature and reality in the form of nature. Probably hisphilosophical side, and probably his disappointment in people, thepeople closest to him, his family, the people who gave him theirreality.Christopher apparently wanted to make his own reality, and this iswhere I can relate to him as a human being. He got caught. It was toomuch for him ... just so barely though it looks like. What would he belike today if he had lived? Does the myth and the meaning to the restof us only have power because he died? He died so alone, and yet heknew love and life and had the courage to live like few people.Very great movie, all the great contributions from everywhere cametogether to create a really powerful movie. This kid gets in your headand you share his life with him, he becomes part of all of us ...thepart we do not have the guts to live, and the part that led to hisdemise too, or might have led elsewhere.The picture of Christopher at the end shows what must have been areally great human being. Thanks for existing, and thanks to all whobrought this man to life for the rest of us.
Dan Franzen (20 May 2012)
Sensational
Into the Wild is an alternately enthralling and wrenching portrait of ayoung man who ran from his problems and searched for peace and foundparadise and, in turn, anguish and despair. Chris McCandless' journeyis a gripping travelogue that's both a cautionary tale and avicariously exhilarating experience; man, it looked like he had a whaleof a good time, but man, did it end badly for him.First and foremost, what makes Into the Wild work so flawlessly is thateven knowing the final outcome doesn't change the overall effect thatmovie will have on the average moviegoer. Based on McCandless' realstory, the movie pulls few punches in how the protagonist is depicted;he's neither a saint nor a sinner, just an idealistic (and not naive),troubled college graduate who feels adrift from literally everything:parents, life, friends.Chris (Emile Hirsch) is a highly intelligent Emory College grad, theson of a NASA scientist (William Hurt) and an entrepreneur (Marcia GayHarden). But unlike other privileged young citizens, Chris has nointentions of enjoying the gifts and wealth his family and connectionshave afforded him. Instead, he gives away his life savings of $24,000,abandons his beat-up Datsun, leaves his family behind (without tellingthem), and sets of on a trek around the country.Chris's travels take him literally all over the country, across themidwest (where he runs a grain harvester for Vince Vaughn), to theRocky Mountains, to the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, evendown to Mexico, winding up at his ultimate resting spot: deepest,darkest, remotest Alaska. The story is told in two timelines, one ofthe present (the time shortly before and after Chris discovers anabandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness), and one of the past, theevents leading up to Chris's Magic Bus time. And the two timelines arebrilliantly juxtaposed with each other by director Sean Penn, whodoesn't just show us a perfectly linear chronology of how Chris came tobe in an abandoned bus; he shows us the story behind the adventurer,the believer, the angel, the tactiturn rebel, the iconoclast.So what made Chris McCandeless decide to ditch everything and live offthe land like some latter-day flower child? I'll explain no furtherthan to say that his upbringing, under the commanding, demanding eyesof his overachieving, arguing parents, played a huge role - but perhapsnot the only role. In short, Chris decides he simply does not wish tobe part of the rat race; he does not wish to be trapped in ameaningless job working for a meaningless company doing trite,soul-destroying things. He wants to live and learn on his own. Andthat's where the inspirational aspect of this kicks in. He sets out toaccomplish something undefined (i.e., the abstract Find Himself) andwinds up absorbing more knowledge through his experiences than mostpeople do through their lonely lives of quiet desperation.Along the way, Chris meets myriad people, and it's genuinely touchinghow much of an impact he has on their lives as he passes through. Inparticular, Catherine Keener plays an aging hippie whose love for hersoul mate (Brian Dierker) has begun to fade; the mere presence of theChrist-like Chris magically changes that, for the better. (A lesserfilm might have had Chris and Jan sleeping together to fomentcomplications in everyone's relationship.) Chris tells everyone hemeets that his ultimate goal is to live in the Alaskan wilderness,consequences be damned; everyone tells him not to do it.The impression we're finally left with of Christopher McCandless isthat of a clever, thoughtful, engaging young man who had more demonsthan a nightmare of Clive Barker dopplegangers. Haunted by his ownharrowing childhood, he escaped as literally and figuratively as hecould, living by the seat of his pants over thousands of miles ofgravel, sand, and asphalt. His motives might have been a bit selfish(he never did try to contact his family, the film tells us), but hisheart seemed to be in the right place otherwise. Which made his demiseall the harder to bear.Hal Holbrook, playing a crusty benefactor to Chris in the Arizonadesert, earned an Oscar nomination, and it's well deserved, but evenstronger accolades are due to Hirsch, who underwent tremendous physicalchanges just to play Chris McCandless properly. And the final scene,the waning moments of Chris's life, is so vivid and packed with emotionthat you almost can't bear to watch, peeking instead through crossedfingers. Hirsch is so excellent in the role that it's a travesty ofsome magnitude that he wasn't more widely recognized for his grueling,gutty performance. Even more so when you realize the guy later playedSpeed Racer and previously had been best known for being Judd Hirsch'skid.
(20 May 2012)
Much WISDOM shared from Alex Supertramp's journey...
It was Hemingway who said, "First, one must endure." I was reminded of this quote and many other wise sayings as I was just watching this film on DVD and now I wish it had came to the area so I could have seen it at the theater. This was a very good "true" story about one man's search for WISDOM, self discovery, and some real insight on what society deems necessary for people and what can happen if someone doesn't just thirst for experience - they go out into the world and live FREE. Emile Hirsh was terrific as Chris McCandless (a.k.a. Alex Supertramp)and Jena Malone, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Hardin, Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook, and others were excellent as well. I think I liked Hal Holbrook's character best - after Alex Supertramp's.Without giving anything else away - I'd like to say - Two thumbs way up from me. I also recommend the film "Grizzly Man" for those who enjoyed this film.
than75 (19 May 2012)
A (great or garbage?) movie
Since almost everyone knows the story, i may skip a great part of itand jump into the resume. Through my willingness of not wanting me tobe preoccupied by others review, i usually read them after having seena movie, thus looking for missed spots, unfilled blanks and of coursealternate viewing angles to my limited ones. After spending more thanan hour over the reviews i couldn't fail to notice that most of themwere either dithyrambic or thought of the movie as totally overrated.Moreover, i have to accept the fact that everyone is right, in its ownsense and aspect. But, the truly interesting in the above, is that this(great or garbage?)movie can't pass unnoticed and for me that's itsgreatness. It might appeal to the senses and the heart, to ourUniversity year dreams, to the lonely reading afternoons, it comes likea hammer to smash the image of what we have become and all the wastedpotential which lied upon us. Reversely, seeing this movie through theprism of cold heart and common sense, through the eyes of a fatherrather than the ones of a son, it's just a movie of another wastedyoung life, no more than a "narcotic journey"..... Since, consideringthat technically is a good movie, It's merely up to you love it or hateit!
texrangers31 (17 May 2012)
Incredible Acting!
I have always been a fan of Emile Hirsch and thought he had amazingpotential. This film finally put him in a role where he is able tocarry a film and prove that he has the chops to be considered for anOscar. Sean Penn does a fantastic job of translating the popular bookonto the big screen while still capturing the true essence andcharacter of Chris's story.The film is an emotional ride as we have to meet and say goodbye to somany lovable characters at the expense of Chris's journey. The lengthof the film might be an issue for those out there looking for a ninetyminute movie fix, but the acting and the message of the film help tocarry it through.
(17 May 2012)
Sad journey into the wild
I have a brother with a wild spirit who once took off on a hitchhiking trip from Ca. to Montana. He was 17 at the time. He's 52 now and hasn't changed much, but takes his wife in tow and instead of his thumb, has chosen rental cars and airplanes. The young man in "into the Wild" was looking for something in himself, but he forgot to watch along the way. He missed seeing all the love, the admiration, the need that others have and instead, chose to seek only for his own gratification. It's life's journey that makes this life worth living. It's others that we allow into our lives that complete us. And it was difficult to feel anything for the movie's subject, since he hurt a lot of people along his path to self discovery. Had he lived to be an old man, he would have learned that we are "herd" animals, and is we stray too far from the herd, we are alone....eternally. This was a profound story and I recommend either reading the book or buying the video, but expect to feel empty when the story ends.
zeedunn (13 May 2012)
Escape the Mold of Society
When Christopher McCandless graduated from Emory University, hisparents are sure he will follow the path they have set for him:becoming a lawyer. McCandless wants nothing to do with that. He hasgrown up watching his parents choke on the American dream. They seemterribly unhappy.Instead, he wants to break out of the trap, give away all of his money,take only the most essential possessions on his back, and work his wayup to his ultimate adventure: surviving alone in Alaska. He left homein summer of 2000. By April of 2002, he was ready to walk into thewilds of Alaska.On September 6, 2002, McCandless's malnourished body was bound in a bushe had survived in for the past several months. What lead him to thisfate? Dying alone is no man's dream. Primary source material for thismovie and the book it was based on are the journals McCandless filledwhile he was on the road.We see his trek across the country. The people he met and befriended.Everyone seemed to like him. Some people were ready to adopt him ormake him their pseudo-son. He made no judgments and seemed to have novices. He doesn't drink too much or accept inappropriate offers fromunder-aged girls. And he is single-minded in his goal. We also see thesadder side of this story, the sister and parents he left behind. Theyseem haunted by his absence.The performances are amazing by all characters. This film will make youquestion the choices you made when you were at those essential yearsafter college. There is one telling scene where McCandless is walkingthe streets of a bustling metropolis. He people watches and sees awell-dressed man eating fine food at the table. The man seems confidentand happy as he gorges himself. McCandless looks again and see his ownface instead of the man's. And he runs as fast as he can away from thecity. He knows he is not immune to the charms of wealth and suburbanliving, and it scares him to death. He knows one thing: he doesn't wantto become his parents.I felt sad at McCandless's fate, but at least he lived in a way hebelieved.
nicoleahern (13 May 2012)
An honest film that really moves you
An amazing performance from Emile Hirsch that really does bring tearsyou your eyes. there is just so much honesty in the film in what issaid and what Chris goes through, with you travelling by his side thewhole way. its so refreshing to watch a film and be so consumed by itbut not in the dramatic spectacular way that often happens inblockbusters. the simplicity: a boy on his way to manhood and thelessons he learns and his ideas on life. i loved this film and thinkthat Sean Penn really brought it to life. a film that inspires you andkeeps you thinking on a deeper level is one that can be remembered. iwont forget the magic of this film, with all its societal messages andand personal elements i feel like i was there in the wild.
Howard Schumann (07 May 2012)
Sweet, thoughtful, and deeply moving
Chris McCandless, a young man of twenty four took his last breath inthis world in August 1992 - alone. Found starved to death in anabandoned bus in Denali Park, near Fairbanks, Alaska, he had left hisaffluent home in the Southern U.S. after graduating from Emery College,tuned in to the call of the wild, turned on to the spirit of JackKerouac and Henry Thoreau, and dropped out of a society he rejected forits commercialism and greed. Directed by Sean Penn and based on JonKrakauer's book about Chris' life, Into the Wild is a celebration ofyouth with its idealism, desire for adventure, and also its arroganceand short-sightedness. Penn, who seems deeply connected to his subject,consulted with Chris' parents after waiting ten years for theirapproval to undertake this project. The reuslt is a sweet, thoughtful,and deeply moving film but, like its main protagonist, full ofcontradictions.The debate over whether Chris was a highly evolved truth seeker or avengeful and self destructive personality is not answered either in thebook or the film. Ever looking for the real McCandless, Penn fills inthe gaps with a semi-idealized version but since the only knowledge wehave of the real person is from Chris' journals, letters, novels andpoems, and the thoughts of his sister Carine (Jena Malone) narrated invoice-over, who he was remains maddeningly elusive. In spite of Chris'ultimate discovery about the true nature of happiness, Into the Wild isnot a message film but a voyage of discovery in which a headstrongyoung man gradually acquires the wisdom to reach out to others, even tohis parents in a fevered dream. More than a story about a return tonature, or a white middle class youth's protest against his parent'svalues, it is a search for authenticity in a world that has forgottenwhat truth looks and feels like.Chris is engagingly played by Emile Hirsch who had to ride the rapidsof the Colorado River and lose 45 pounds in the process of making thefilm. He brings a quality of instant likability to his role, though attimes he skirts around the edges of the character without fullyinhabiting him. The film is divided into four chapters that signalChris's growing maturity. It begins in Alaska, then flashes back to thetwo-year journey that brought him to this point. Along the way, hegives away his $24,000 inheritance to charity, burns all of his money,abandons his car, changes his name, and hitchhikes across the countryand up to Alaska, never once communicating with his distraught family.It was part of Chris' contradiction that he rejected humanrelationships, yet was able to give of himself to those he met alongthe way. He makes a friend of Wayne (Vince Vaughn) his boss as a farmworker in South Dakota, an 81-year old retired veteran (Hal Holbrook)who offers to adopt him, a 16 year-old singer-songwriter (KristenStewart), and a pair of aging free spirits Rainey and Jana (CatherineKeener and Brian Dierker). These contacts appear to be genuine butMcCandless keeps his distance. When Jana tells Chris about her own sonwho ran away and hasn't been heard from in two years, he seemscuriously unmoved and is silent when Jana tells him how children areoften cruel to their parents.Backed by original songs by Eddie Vedder that never seem discordant,Into the Wild is a beautiful film that should be remembered at Oscartime, if only for Hal Holbrook's masterful supporting performance.Though it occasionally lapses into clichés such as Chris telling Tracythat "If you want something in life, reach out and grab it" andmelodramatic scenes where the sun emerges from the clouds just at theright moment, the film has a grasp of the grit of life and ultimatelybecomes transcendent. While we may rightly view Chris' short life as atragedy, but as Albert Einstein says, "the real tragedy of life is whatdies inside a man while he lives".Whatever else could be said about Chris, and as a parent I am appalledby his cruelty in refusing to contact his mother and father or even hissister for a period of two years, to him life was a game that was onlyworth playing 100%. Those who refuse to take risks in life may stand injudgment of McCandless and call him stupid, yet some have forgottenwhat it is like to be young and some never knew. He made mistakes,serious errors of judgment, yet in the end I am reminded of what GeorgeBernard Shaw says, "I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no"brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have gothold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly aspossible before handing it on to future generations." Chris McCandlesslife was a candle that burned brightly on both ends, then flickered anddied but what he has passed on to us is a splendid torch.
polster3 (06 May 2012)
don't eat the brown acid!
i went expecting a brooding beautifully shot Alaskan/western meditationon Nature's virtue and Romantic Rebellion and instead got horriblytrite HIPPIE PAP ( complete with an inserted guitar strumming JoniMitchell love interest! ) ( blah!! ) !!!! the real Chris was anintellectual who read Tolstoy Emerson Thoreau and wanted to striphimself away from society and its vanities.... he ( tried to be )physically, morally pure; the celluloid version lacked this moralintenisty..... at the very least, surely Mr. vedder could haveencouraged Mr. Penn to have his cliché hippies early nineties GRUNGEcliché hippies for Godsake and not the recycled Woodstock wastoids thathe throws us... bummer, dude, through and through... ( and i didn'teven talk about the hysterically bad/pretentious voice overs he usesthroughout ).... it could have been so much more...
(04 May 2012)
No man is an island...
This review is from: Into the Wild (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) (DVD) This is the best and most underappreciated film of 2007. I suspect that come oscar time it will garner an award or two, possibly Best Director for Sean Penn and Best Supporting Actor for Hal Holbrook. I'm not holding my breath for Best Picture however as it's ultimately a bit too bleak and the main character too unconventional to be an easy sell to the Oscar crowd. I absolutely loved everything about Into the Wild, most especially Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandless who is amazing in his most impressive and challenging role to date. It is very true to the book and whether you feel it is the sad chronicle of a misguided youth or the ecstatic tale of one guys search for ultimate freedom, one couldn't ask for a more perfect adaptation. One is left regretful that McCandless only realized his epiphany too late..."Happiness is only real when shared."
imdb-5-mbrna (04 May 2012)
I gave it a 7
I gave this movie a 7 (instead of an 8) due to the length. This moviewould have been just as good if they had chopped about 30 mins off thelength. Other than that, I liked what Penn did with it, and Iunderstand this movie is "based" on someone's life - which is based onothers' interpretations.My wife read the book, and when she explained the gist of the story tome my first thought was that very few in our (USA) society today areprepared to 'live off the land.' We're just not brought up that way. Werequire a certain amount of (potentially specialized) training andteaching before we can free ourselves from the spoils of progress.The fact that he died is no surprise. Many people prepare well to dowhat Chris did, and they die anyway. Had Chris survived, I would notconsider him a hero, but rather, very lucky. He needed to go out andfind himself, or his life, or whatever. But he didn't need to die doingit. He just didn't give himself very good odds.Other than the length, my wife and I both enjoyed this movie. mikey.
Gordon-11 (02 May 2012)
A beautifully sad tale of a wild search
This film is inspired by a real story of a young man who abandons hismaterial life, to soul search deep in the wild."Into the Wild" is so beautifully shot, from screen composition,location and even the weather. Everything looks so beautiful. I wouldhave believed it was a National Geographic show.The most amazing of all, is the portrayal of Chris. He is charming andbrainy. He could have had a bright future, but he walked away from itto live an unconventional life. The ending scenes shows Chris in such asorrowful state, that it would break anyone's heart. Emile Hirsch'stransformation for this film is probably the most dramatic afterChristian Bale in "The Machinist". I feel so sad and sorry that, by theact of Chris' free will, he threw his life away. I can only hope thathe found what he was looking for, when his eyes saw the last glimpse ofthe beautiful blue sky.Sean Penn has established himself as a master of profoundly touchingfilms. "Into the Wild" is one of these amazing films. It will leave youimmersed in thoughts, and haunts you long after you watched it.
bradpittsbodyguard (01 May 2012)
I have to say Oscar Material.
I have to say Sean you did buddy. This movie is ultimately awesome!! Weneed more films like this. I had the opportunity to see this film lastnight and I loved it from the very beginning. The cinematography wasabsolutely awesome and breath-taking. If more people would worry aboutother human beings rather materialistic things we would be in muchbetter environment. I truly believe Happiness is SHARING as well. Whenyou see a "HOMELESS" looking person, or someone who doesn't have whatyou have, you should NEVER judge how they got there. I have to tell youthis movie really touched me and makes me want to live more to thefullest to make a difference and to be a better person.
missdecision (29 April 2012)
Very poor and disappointing given the high rating on IMDb
This film was a massive disappointment given the high rating on IMDb.The characters do not come across well and don't encourage any empathy.The relationships between the lead character and the people that hemeets on his trip are overly sickly sweet and seem to happen overnightand don't feel credible at all. It is sad that this film is based on atrue story given the outcome and the lack of communication with hisfamily, but ultimately it is not a particularly good film and Iwouldn't say the acting was anything particularly commendable. I woulddescribe this as a fairly weak 'coming of age' film with higherpretensions, and the only difference being is that it has a sad andunfortunate ending.
fugfar (28 April 2012)
troubled rich kid wants to live off the land
i don't care how many people thought this was good, to me its absolutecrap. i couldn't wait for him to die. i have no sympathy for thecharacter. he just wanted his story to be told. and the story is aslame as the douche its about. farewell starving idiot. i bet yourfamily and friends were really hurt a$$hole, mission accomplished.didn't this guy get eaten by bears? i can only hope. so for the extralines in my review, i would haveta say this movies only pull, is onyour heartstrings, wanting you to feel sorry for this tool, but idon't. if im choosing illegal activities, id choose the chick, over theriver any day, or maybe both at the same time. but hes "morallysuperior" hanging with hippies, no drugs, just reading the classics. ifi was a moose id kill him myself.
chris (23 April 2012)
The wild heart of man
Into the wild follows the true story of Christopher McCandless - anincredibly gifted young man who abandons the material world andburdensome social conformities to embark on a journey of truth andself-discovery. As you follow him across country and a range ofstunning backdrops, watching his everyday highs and lows allows theviewer a real intimacy with his character. This intimacy is definitelystrengthened by the fact that the movie is based on a true story. It ishard not to experience a whole range of emotions as you watch hisjourney, and as his push to reach Alaska gathers pace, part of me wasleft in awe of his sheer will and conviction, while another part of mepleaded with him to come back to the 'real world' and realise hispotential. When you watch this movie expect to see a truly uniquestory, first class acting and stunning visuals, but also expect to beprovoked into discomforting assessments of yourself and the world youlive in. Do you have the guts to abandon our modern world of materialand social constructions in search of truth and self? Probably not; andneither do I. This is what makes Christopher's story so inspiring andexhilarating. P.S. If your thinking about doing any travelling then this film is aMUST before you go.
(22 April 2012)
Into the Lobby
This is the first film I have seen in a very long time that was well worth the wait. It took over 12 years for this film to be made by Sean Penn. It is based on the book which was written with insight from the true diary of a young man played by Emile Hirsch. The true life character Chris Leaves the norm of society life for a life of adventure and spiritual awakening which will cost him his physical life. The message of this film is that happiness is within no matter what the outward situation in life. Live life to the fullest from the heart and in death you will live on. This film is nothing short of an oscar winner in my heart and is this years best film for 2007 in my opinion. I do not want to spoil what this film has to offer by giving a long detailed description. If you are on a path to spiritual realization this film will truely touch the depth of your soul. I have not been able to get this film out of my head. Very few films have hit the core of my being as this one did. I have seen this film twice in theaters and await the DVD. Thank You Sean Penn for making this incredible film. If anyone rates this film less than 5 stars then they did not even come close to the great spiritual depth and truth this film has to offer.
Review total: 20, showing from 1 to 20