Genres

Visitors Review

abwilliams47 2012-05-24 17:07:14

wow

i saw a preview for this at the beginning of like Roscoe Jenkins orsomething of that nature..figured it'd be interesting, maybe boring,but interesting...well, was in in for somewhat of a surprise.i loved everything about this movie, so many elements of Chris are inmyself, and while i'd never take it to the extremes he did, i can feelfor him and understand how he did.he was rather selfish, especially when it came to his sister, but itsultimately his life. he lived it to the "fullest". he saw things thatthe avg person would never see outside of a magazine or article.hetruly embodied the "live out your dreams" mantra to the fullest. itsjust a shame that such a slight mistake ultimately cost him everything.them damn lateral veins, one sentence of material could have saved himbasically. and just like in every story, once you start to realize whyyou really did something or loved something, its taken away..great great movie. i'd recommend it to anyone with an open mind on lifeor any movie buff. i honestly hate movies for the most part but lovedthis one. Emile Hirsch is climbing up my list.

Eric 2012-05-24 01:54:04

Wild Man Gave Me The Blues

If I have a son some day and he turns 18, two of his gifts would be Thoreau’s Walden and Kerouac’s On The Road. In my opinion, every boy on the cusp of manhood needs to read these two books to broaden their sense of the world and to inspire them to let their imagination guide them. Perhaps on that same list should also be Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild as a cautionary tale of sorts. But I must wonder what Sean Penn saw in the material when he initially wanted to turn this bestseller into a movie. What did he see in its protagonist and what did he believe was the meaning of his doomed journey?Sean Penn’s Into The Wild is arguably one of the best worst movies I have seen this year. It’s the true-life story of Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), a 23-year-old college graduate on the fast track to Harvard Law School who after graduation gives away all his earthly possessions except his car and a stash of books, his money, and destroys his Ids and stars heading north to Alaska. He changes his name to Alex Supertramp and starts hiking it after his car gets slammed during a flash flood. He meets interesting people along the way like a hippie couple (Brian Dierker and Catherine Keener), a South Dakota grain farmer (Vince Vaughn), and eventually a lonely old leather smith (Hal Holbrook). They all are intrigued by the boy and his single-minded quest for Alaska (which we know he makes it since it’s the first thing we see). They also try to discourage him from going, try to get him to call his parents (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden), and maybe because they know something about reality that he is romanticizing.So why do I not like this movie? It’s not in the content that is my displeasure but in the presentation. Penn’s film is aggravatingly vane and self-aggrandizing. First, there’s his use of trick shots that look cool, but only for the sake of looking cool. They have no place in a film like this. There are even times that he has characters breaking the fourth wall (looking into the camera on purpose) that makes no sense whatsoever. This film even sports the worst title cards in the history of the movies, I kid you not! When you see the title imposed on the screen, don’t deny that you want to roll your eyes. It’s almost like Penn is trying to come across this material as an auteur instead of as a storyteller. The problem is that when he does these trick shots, it comes about Penn instead of his subject. And then there’s the structure of the film. It starts off with Chris in Alaska in what might be considered the halfway point to his journey (and the end of the most interesting part of it). We are taken back to the beginning of his journey in flashback while cutting back to Alaska at points. What is the purpose in filming it like this? The reason is simple; Most of the Alaskan parts of the film have Chris pretty much alone, prancing around (I’m not kidding) when he isn’t reading or hunting. In short, Penn sees the Alaskan part to be dead space that needs to be filled with something until he can get around to the tragic ending. And then there are the two voiceovers. There is Chris’, which we expect and accept, but then there’s also Chris’ sister (Jena Malone), whom literally does nothing else in the movie but provide this voiceover. Even when we are taken back to the parents, she is rarely seen, as though her story is only to tell Chris’. This second voiceover is also pointless since what she talks about is ultimately a speculation for the reasons Chris left. Why couldn’t the film leave the why up to the audience? All the really matters is that Chris has left, hurting pretty much anybody who cared for him all in the sake of a personal journey that was naïve at best, stupid at worst.There film could be considered hypercritical, considering that the film is supposedly trying not to pass judgment on Chris, but seems to indict his family for being materialistic and shallow. Most of the characters are well rounded, except for Chris and his family. Chris can’t be well rounded since he’s obsessed with his quest. But the film decided to make him a messiah of sorts, spouting off well-articulated defenses to his quest against those who wish for him to stop. Most do so because they like him and almost want his to stay with them. They either want to adopt him or marry him. It is in these supporting performances that the film is as it’s best. Two of the best are Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook, both of which I will be supportive of during the Oscar race. But it is in Holbrook that I almost want him to win. This is his finest hour in a career of fine hours. He gives us a character that we like because he’s the kind of father that Chris needs (or that the film argues such a case anyways). While the Chris character isn’t well rounded, Emile Hirsch does his best to make Chris a real character.Again, the real problem with the film is Sean Penn as screenwriter and director. I honestly do not know how he got the McCandless family’s approval to make this movie since it does make the family out to be rather two-dimensional and their son’s abandonment to be almost noble. The film does work in several places, but not enough to be recommendable, entirely because Penn wants us to recognize that he’s behind the camera. It’s apparent that he honestly wanted to play McCandless himself in how he directs Hirsch. He has his actor walking, talking, pausing, and internalizing like he himself would play this part. This is something not new in film (Robert Redford has done that with many of his young actors that I deem this technique a Redfordism), but it can be annoying. What he needed to do was let the story tell itself, to play the film as a natural element, almost documentary in feel. That’s what keeps the film from the greatness it could have been. And then there’s the Eddie Vedder songs, while not entirely bad, doesn’t really add anything to the film. Every time one came on, I thought to myself “here’s another Eddie Vedder song” and rolled my eyes.There is something interesting in how many of the critics embraced this film with its unnatural technical experimentalism when they sneered at Julie Taymor’s radical filmmaking with Across The Universe. I would love to hear how they can back a film that takes precious to a whole new level and yet snide at a film that while as ambitious, doesn’t try to hide it under the veneer of earnestness.All in all, I’m very angry with Into The Wild. I wanted to love the film, but the filmmaker actively kept me at arm’s length. Is the movie worth watching? I can argue that it is in it’s own way, but I think that anyone who sees it will be confused as to the mixed messages that this film has about it’s protagonist, his family, and the people he meets along the way. I think the film wants you to think it’s deeper than it really is, like Kerouac and Thoreau, an escapist’s fantasy, only this time, it has gone awry.

Luke Downing 2012-05-23 05:53:51

A modern day masterpiece?

With Into the Wild, Sean Penn; whom takes both screenwriter anddirector credit, sets about telling the story of estranged student,Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch). The film, based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer, follows Chris after hisgraduation as he goes about removing all materialistic elements of hislife and also leaves his home and family behind. Chris renames himself'Alexander Supertramp' and journeys, as the title so obviouslysuggests, into the wild.We are told the story by McCandless' sister, played by Jena Malone (ofDonnie Darko fame). This offers an outside insight into our ascetictravellers reasoning, ensuring that we can not resent him for hispotentially reckless decision.This film is a true journey, brought to life superbly by Hirsch'sportrayal of McCandless as well as the various other supporting rolesthat open up a world full of intriguing characters with a lust foradventure and experience.Of course, what coming of age film would be without a love interest?Into the Wild is no exception. However, as our 'Supertramp' befriendsthe undeniably appealing free spirited Tracy Tatro (or should I sayTwighlight's 'Bella Swan'?) we realise that even love can't tear himaway from his adventurous escape.If nothing else grabs you about this film, the cinematography, courtesyof Eric Gautier, surely will. We are bombarded with landscape afterlandscape, from sun kissed beaches to snow frosted mountains, that arephotographed in a way that have to be seen to be believed. You mayargue that any one could make these places look amazing, in that caseI'd challenge you to do the same.Into the Wild is a film filled with adventure, awe inspiring sceneryand most of all; emotion. All backed up by an incredible soundtrack.Penn has done himself proud here and (if he wasn't already) he must betaken seriously as somebody that can work just as well behind thecamera as in front. He cant take full credit though as the film isundoubtedly thrust higher by its characters, its story and of courseone of the real stars, its scenery.

2012-05-22 20:32:33

Unbelievably Great Movie!!!

I rarely write reviews for anything, but I will make an exception forthis one. I think the most accurate feeling I had after seeing thismovie was the distinct impression of reeling in space, like when youwere a kid and you got enough courage to ride (what you thought at thetime) to be the scariest roller coaster you've ever seen. I think ittakes courage to see a movie like this. Be warned, this is not yourtypical Hollywood big budget formulaic movie. I will be thinking aboutthis movie for a long time. What I liked (no, loved) about this moviewas its ability to keep you interested and at the same time let itsmessage keep humming in the background. "Happiness is only real when itis shared..." This movie wanted me to embrace the world in a way thatEVERYONE SHOULD FEEL. People's lives are a unique poetry all to theirown, live yours like you're trying to say something, but never forgetthat JOY can be had by reveling in the idea that WE ALL SHARE OUR LIVES(in some way) WITH EACH OTHER...

pat-pat 2012-05-21 10:16:37

Beatuiful, Outstanding Film One of my Favorites of all Time

This had to be one of the most moving films i've ever seen. How EmileHirsch has portrayed this fine young man has astounded me and made meeager to see some of his new work. But Emile isn't the extent of thegreatness of this film, no, far from it every actor Catherine Keener,Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Jena Malone and especially thetriumphant return of Hal Holbrook all are at the top of their game andwere very believable. I never thought of Sean Penn as a great directorespecially after seeing in my opinion the lukewarm "The Pledge" but hetruly is for this picture. Many people including my father havecriticized this film because they believe that Chris was stupid andself centered. But what they don't understand is that Chris simplydidn't want to lead a normal, average life he wanted to adventure andenjoy life's beauty. Of course he felt sorrow in the end for dyingalone in the wild, but the ending is pitch perfect and made me well upin tears. Anyway this movie has inspired me in many ways, I bought thebook a few days after seeing the film in theaters and just today boughtthe DVD and look forward to seeing it again. 10/10 people this is amust see!

2012-05-20 22:08:28

A harsh lesson about the naivety of youth and broken homes

This film is interesting enough to hold your attention throughout and although there are some magical moments there is an overwhelming amount of tragic ones. There are messages and life lessons but there is also much meaningless behind it as a young man opts out from the rat race to try and survive in the wild but usually returns to the streets or country as a homeless vagrant before trying once again to survive the roughest of places. Each time he goes out into the wild the ruthless conditions he chooses escalate. He hopes eventually to reach Alaska for the purest wild experience he can have. Ultimately the film is about the people that the boy meets on his journey and the advice they give him and the stories they have to tell. It is also about his parents and family back home that have lost him probably due to their own domestic issues and failure to communicate. It is more than a bit of a disturbing worldview. Into the Wild is worth watching and has an art-house indie feel but is quite a depressing one because its stars are mostly down and outs and lonely. Its message could well be get a job, have a family and enjoy your 9 to 5 as much as it is about trying to be original no matter what it takes. It's a strange one and in a few ways I wish maybe I could unwatch it. Maybe it helps us become more aware of the destitute problem and for that it can be commended, but at the same time you feel very uncomfortable watching the downward spiral of its main protagonist because it is a corkscrew into misery that he is choosing. The ending is shocking and horrific not because it is so graphic but because there is poetry in the distress.

2012-05-20 00:05:21

Profoundly Sad

I do not see this as a story of man vs wild. It is, in my opinion, the profoundly sad story of a lost soul. This young man set out to learn about himself, and he thought he could do it by leaving behind his family and his life. Through his journey, he encountered people who seemed to need him, and I think they learned something about themselves from having met him. Sadly, however, he left each encounter just when he felt himself getting close...to caring, to love, to the essence of what we all need in life. If only he had paid attention and learned from the people he met on his quest, he might have lived to share his wisdom with others. He found joy in the beauty of the natural world, but too late he realized that joy is meant to be shared. So this is the story of man vs himself and the consequences of a broken spirit without inner resources.

Max_cinefilo89 2012-05-19 11:24:31

Exceptional in every possible way

Sean Penn's Into the Wild is beautiful, staggering, thoughtful, a laborof love made by a filmmaker with real passion for the story he set outto tell. Like a Terrence Malick picture, Into the Wild transcends anyconception such as "if you only see one film this year" and goes beyondthe very notion of "Oscar-worthy". If one really has to say somethingon the subject, then Into the Wild should have shared the Best Pictureaward with No Country for Old Men, but that kind of thinking is besidesthe point because Penn's masterpiece is more than a movie, or a work ofart for that matter: it's a life experience.A rebel at heart, Penn clearly identifies, at least on a few levels,with the film's unconventional protagonist, a bright young boy namedChristopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), whose astounding true story wasfirst recounted in Jon Krakauer's book which gives the picture itstitle. Christopher had it all: loving parents (William Hurt and MarciaGay Harden) and sister (Jena Malone), excellent grades and a mostpromising future. Then, one fine day the 20-year old college graduatedecided that wasn't really what he wanted, took his law school fund anddisappeared, setting out for a journey to the heart of America. "I'mgoing into the wild" the self-renamed Alex Supertramp wrote in hisjournal, and though he occasionally ran into people (Catherine Keener,Vince Vaughn and others) he would connect with in a deeper way, that'swhere he really belonged: away from civilization, just him, hiselementary tools and the pure, untarnished nature surrounding him.Christopher's journey, which is carried out with just the basicresources one needs to survive (no cell phone or other gadgets), is amodern odyssey of sorts, a quest for something that was lost foreverand won't be found in the near future. In a world like ours, wheretechnology rules all, a choice like Christopher's would be met withdisbelief and probably derision. That only heightens the intensity ofthe character's message, which is also what the director aims to tellus: we need to rediscover ourselves before it's too late. It doesn'tmatter whether we are young or old, as the protagonist touchinglyteaches an elderly man (Hal Holbrook, the only cast-member to benominated for an Oscar), the important thing is we give it a serioustry.To simply call this a film isn't enough: in one of the most amazingcombinations of efforts in the history of movie-making, the story,Penn's soulful direction, Hirsch's painfully real performance (will heever be this good again?) and Eddie Vedder's elegiac songs (anessential soundtrack for any true film-lover) merge into somethingthat's almost too powerful to describe in words: you have to see it tobelieve it.Into the Wild isn't an "easy" film: it will leave you very affected,possibly devastated, but also as enriched as one can ever be afterseeing a genuine masterwork. It will ignite real thoughts about lifeinstead of the phony reflections so many "issue movies" try to induce.It will hit the gut, the heart and the mind in equal measure, and oncethe initial wave of emotional overflow has passed you will feelimmensely rewarded. Into the Wild does this because it isn't merely amotion picture: it is art, life, freedom and nature, all together in amesmerizing piece of visual poetry.

byoshslc 2012-05-19 01:23:37

Loved it.

I saw this movie in an advanced screening. I didn't know what toexpect, but this movie really surprised me. It really ran the gamut ofemotions that you don't usually expect from movies. Being of collegeage, it really struck a chord in me to explore. Great cinematography ofamazing places which I terribly want to visit. It was a long movie butI enjoyed the tempo. Good acting from all of the actors and a greatcasting job. Emile Hirsch really shines in this movie, it reallyshowcased his full potential as an actor. I have no yet read the bookbut after seeing the movie I will be picking it up Asap. Go see thisfilm! Hope you enjoy!

RichHartford 2012-05-18 06:32:08

Sean Penn's Powerful Movie About A Character Study of McCandless

Jon Krakauer's novel,"Into The Wild" was a book assigned during myEnglish courses when I was still in college.I found the bookinteresting since I have always been intrigued by the travel stories ofChristopher McCandless.When it was turned into a movie,I expected alittle less compared to the non-fiction novel I read.The talentedactor,Sean Penn did not disappoint me in terms of his screenplay andhis directorial effort for the book's adaptation into the big screen.Itbecame an epic movie no less.The story starts in April 1992.It was during that time that ChristopherMcCandless (Emile Hirsch) arrives in a remote area of the DenaliNational Park and Preserve in Alaska and sets up a campsite in anabandoned bus. At first, McCandless is content with the isolation, thebeauty of nature around, and the thrill of living off the land. Hehunts wild animals with a .22 caliber rifle, reads books, and keeps adiary of his thoughts as he prepares for himself a new life in thewild.Two years earlier in May 1990, McCandless graduates with high honorsfrom Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly afterwards,McCandless rejects his conventional life by destroying all of hiscredit cards and identification documents. He donates nearly his entiresavings of $24,000 to Oxfam and sets out on a cross-country drive inhis well- used, but reliable Datsun to experience life in thewilderness. However, McCandless does not tell his parents Walt (WilliamHurt) and Billie McCandless (Marcia Gay Harden) nor his sister Carine(Jena Malone) what he is doing or where he is going, and refuses tokeep in touch with them after his departure, leaving them to becomeincreasingly anxious and eventually desperate.Years later at the abandoned bus, life for McCandless becomes harderand he becomes less discerning. As his supplies begin to run out,McCandless realizes that nature is also harsh and uncaring. In the painof realization, McCandless concludes that true happiness can only befound when shared with others and seeks to return from the wild to hisfriends and family. However, he finds that the stream he had crossedduring the winter has become wide, deep, and violent due to the thaw,and thus he is unable to cross. Saddened, McCandless returns to thebus, now as a prisoner who is no longer in control of his fate and canonly hope for help from the outside. In a desperate act, McCandless isforced to gather and eat roots and plants, but he confuses similarplants and becomes ill as a result. Slowly dying, McCandless continuesto document his process of self-realization and accepts his fate, as heimagines his family for one last time. He writes a farewell to theworld and crawls into his sleeping bag to die. Two weeks later, hisbody is found by moose hunters. Shortly afterwards, Carine returns herbrother's ashes by airplane from Alaska to Virginia in her backpack.This film is has a powerful message about the effects of ouruncompromising choices in life;a person's search for identity and placein this world; and most of all,that people need to connect with oneanother in this journey called life especially with one's family.Thoseare the things that McCandless realized at the time of his death.Toobad,that he never knew them until he had gone to the wilderness.Aside from that,this movie is a character study of Christopher JohnsonMcCandless.When one sees the film,you either love him or hate him. Itnever presented him a hero or a martyr for his philosophical ideas noridealism.It also presented him as a selfish person who wanted toinflict pain in his family.That is what makes the movie a great one.Aviewer can relate to him one way or another.It was truly one of the best films I have seen in myself.Sean Penn hassimply created one of the best films that a person could relate toespecially in his search for the meaning of life.

Romanus Nies 2012-05-17 19:21:53

The end of an idealist

Glorious or inglorious, that is here the question. Alex Supertramp is adown-shifter par excellence, who still needs at first thenon-down-shifters for his gradual self-realization. He is an adventurerand freedom-seeker and he is not satisfied with little. He resignsmaterialism, the urges and lies of the American society and tries tobreak out into the wild nature, to experience "real" life. To late itdawns upon him that nature is no garden Eden and that some attainments,not so much of the civilization, rather of the socialization arereasonable. It is a surprising end that Krakauer describes with thehelp of the diary of the unfortunate. The movie is here not so muchstringent. The end of Alex is cruel and shows that it is vain toromanticize nature. Unfortunate could be the wrong word. If Alex wouldnot have renounced such reasonable artifacts like a map, which heintentionally left back, or at least if he had informed about thelocality, he could have made it easily to survive. That he wanted it isshown clearly by his desperate struggle against death. Experiencedadventurers always calculate with emergency cases when they plan theirspecial tours. Idealism needs carbohydrates! Alex was sheepish,overambitious maybe simply silly. Yes, exaggerated idealism issometimes nothing else than density. But it would be wrong to judgethis young man. He made a decision and he paid for it. Did he findself-determination? No, no man can exist for himself, the freedom someare searching is nothing but an abstract and nature is not nice at all!She is like she is. Without man she is nothing at all. Nature is therefor man, but she does not know it. But man has to know it. The sojournin nature is a good opportunity for self-reflection. Krakauer impliesthat Alex could have reached the goal to live his idealism until thevery bitter end. He is not different to mountaineers whonotwithstanding the risks want to have their extreme experience. Thereis nothing left than the hope, that instead of the romantictransfiguration of a life in the wilderness or the intended union withnature – a thing that cannot exist – in the face of death the simplerecognition prevailed that life, that loves and can be loved is themost sensible and praiseworthy. A lot of knowledge for a young man inour times. A recommendable film and book. Krakauer did not drawconclusions. He did not want to interpret too much into it. Perhapsbecause he is guilty himself of extreme adventures.

aswerve 2012-05-17 06:52:55

90 year old man, what do you know about life!

Films have to be viewed in their own light as it's own single artpiece, as the filmmakers intended to deliver their narrative throughsound, picture and editing to us. Forget all knowledge that this filmwas 'based on a novel' that was 'based on a true story'.Saying that, this film is hypocritical from start to finish with atouch of left wing anti- establishment thrown in for good measure andsome very lazy film-making indeed.Society is awful. Join a charity and help out. My dad was a meanie.Stand up to him when he is beating up your mum, not when he is offeringto buy you a new car.I do not understand how this film is regarded so highly that itappeared on many top 10 critic list for 2007. This is why I am writingmy 2 cents worth.Technically this film is sloppy. It uses every filmic cliché devicepossible to spoon feed it's audience and not allow them to make theirown decisions of what is happening on screen.Main protagonist starts acting dizzy as if he has ate something bad.Not sure if you were right? Sean Penn the Director cuts to the word'Poison' then to the bag of weeds, then to a full screen text of'Death' back to the bag of weeds and then if you weren't sure what washappening we get a blurred, stretched out effect laden close up of theprotagonist getting sick.Too many problems with this film; the length (2hr 20min), theanti-establishment themes (we get it), Not sleeping with sexy trailerpark girl (?).Society is awful and evil, so what he denounces it. Then why hitch-hikewith people who own cars, steal rides on trains and eat food frompeople who live in houses. Nice ideals.Finally, standing in the soup kitchen line he realizes that society isso disgusting that he does not want to be in a room full of homelesspeople as it hits him that he actually has parents to fall back on whenhis self-righteousness does not work out.Up there with 'Life is beautiful' as a truly overrated film.

2012-05-15 06:20:16

Good movie but don't get carried away

McCandless' story is incredibly interesting. This movie is well done by the director, Sean Penn, and well-acted overall. It is a movie you really should watch, but don't get carried away by the touch of romance of adventure this story evokes, for McCandless truly was unprepared and thoughtless in regard to what he did. Even if his parents fought and weren't perfect, they deserved better than they got from him. While this story is absolutely fascinating, no one should entertain the idea they would do what he did. As an entertaining film, especially if you like adventure, survival type things as I do, I think it is one you would watch more than once, just don't emulate him all you young men out there..

nvillesanti 2012-05-14 14:30:05

A terrible, depressing movie about self destruction…

I can't believe that this movie is among the top 250 list of IMDb. Withso many true stories that are really worthy for a movie, they come withthis garbage of a man who just wants to be a bum and how great it is.This movie just embraced the idea of being homeless. Into The Wild,tells the story of Chris McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch), a kid whojust graduated from college and decides to go on a trip throughout thewilderness, with no money, no phone, and clearly no responsibilities.On his journey he meets with hippies, criminals and all kinds of trash,which obviously, didn't help Chris develop any sense of responsibility.The writers try to present Chris McCandless as a brilliant collegestudent, who is always reading books about philosophy and nature. Inthe end he ends up alone, insane, and dead. Sean Penn tries to justifythe character actions by portraying a supposedly dysfunctional family.In reality, the character of McCandless is just a spoil brat that justdoesn't want to face the realities of life and decides to run away fromit. The director tries to enchant the audience by showing visuals ofmountains and wilderness but that doesn't hide the fact that this movieis a terrible one. The film massage is clear from the beginning, "lovehumans, but love nature more." What type of nonsense is that? It'samazing what some people will do for nature, but won't even move amuscle to help their peers. The movie is depressing and plain terrible. But if you are the hippietype, hate having to pay the mortgage on time, or don't like to haveany responsibilities, well you'll definitely love this movie and evenmight identify with the character.

jimbecker1956 2012-05-13 14:46:13

Why wasn't this movie nominated for Best Picture?

I just watched this film on DVD after having read the book about 6years ago. I found it to be an excellent film adaptation of an originalstory.The acting is excellent. Emile Hirsch gives one of those "careerdefining" performances. The rest of the cast was quite good. HalHolbrook has a small but very touching part. What impressed me aboutthe film overall is the excellent story telling. Sean Penn found a wayto make the story compelling by using different voices to narrate thestory. My major question is "Why was this not nominated for BestPicture?". I would say it is a better film than Michael Clayton or NoCountry. I wonder if it was hurt by the way it challenges contemporarysocial and cultural values? Of course one could just resort to sayingthat Chris was "crazy" but that doesn't really address the fact that hetried to live a life based on complete integrity without compromise. Aninspiring story, a heroic tale? A great film.

raypdaley182 2012-05-13 00:52:08

Incredible story

I don't want to rate this too highly.Don't get me wrong, it's a very good movie. But the motives of the maincharacter are highly questionable.He's a guy who just graduated college and gives up everything he has togo travelling around America. That might not sound like a big deal.He donates his life savings to charity and basically becomes a tramp,travelling from place to place and surviving on what he can forage forthe main part. He's got no survival skills or expertise, all he has isbooks.And that's pretty damn stupid & incredibly arrogant to think he'll makeit. He doesn't ever try to contact his family who he estranged himselffrom. He doesn't really like his parents, he found out his father wasmarried to another women with another child when his mother had him &his sister.He does seem to like his sister but his father is prone to bouts ofaggression & some domestic violence to his mother. Their not adysfunctional family by any means, they sound like pretty normalaverage people to me.This is not their story though, its his story of travelling acrossAmerica, adopting a new identity (he decides to call himself AlexanderSupertramp) and the people who he meets and whose lives he interactswith and for some of them influences and makes changes upon.The film looks amazing, the locations are beautiful. All the minorcharacters he meets along the way are also played very well by thesupporting cast (Even the normally unbearable Vince Vaughan playing atotally different role from normal shines in this movie). I didn'tbelieve in the character of his father (played by William Hurt) verymuch, he just didn't convince me.The eventual ending of this film is quite sad but I won't spoil it. Themusical soundtrack is also fantastic, as written by Eddie Veder. Evenif your not watching what is quite a long film for the plot orcharacters then enjoy either the locations or music which add hugely tothe very moving story.It's a bit meandering in places and very difficult to watch in placesalso but it's worth sticking with. Not a hugely feel good film butquite an interesting story which is based on someones real life.I'd recommend it.

Abdul Wasey Tanweer 2012-05-11 20:52:51

distinct watch for adventure lovers...

A good movie, may contain some wrong info of Chris McCandless, indeedwritten somewhat wrong by writer himself... But he wrote a greatstory.. I think he perhaps knew that he would die due to his thinking,so he planned to write an inspiring story of his wilderness for hisparents, his belongings and perhaps for us too...He could have wanted to push his adventure to the limits... I noticedthe turning point when he said "what if I were smiling, and runninginto their arms", it surely was enough punishment for his parents, hemust have returned to home by the time he left Ron Franz.Another quote is also worth notifying: "Would you see then what is seenow", this thing tells me that he must have finalized and shaped thestory after he knew that he will die...Anyways, i enjoyed it good.... A movie containing many lessons

cchires 2012-05-11 10:07:14

Lessons from 'the Bus'

I had been familiar with this story for awhile, but had never set timeaside to read the book or see the movie. This week, however, thelibrary was promoting novels about nature and I took the opportunity topick up the book. I read it in one sitting. It was that type of book;one that touches you on an emotional level and makes you forget all ofyour surroundings. Tonight I watched the movie.I've read some of the criticisms of Chris and I agree with many ofthem: yes, he did not know nearly enough about the wilderness to go onhis endeavor and he would not have met his end had he heeded any of theadvice of people more knowledgeable about Alaska. But what intrigued meabout his story was not the 'how' of the adventure, but the 'why'.The motive to escape his synthetic family is more apparent in the moviethan in the book, but I think he would have still gone on this odysseyregardless of his damaged home life. He just could not handle theresponsibility that went with the attachment to other human beings. Yousee that in all of the people he meets while on the road. He packs upand leaves whenever it gets too emotionally intimate. The saddestexample of this is when Ron asks to 'adopt' him and Chris dodges hisrequest. His reaction inevitably seals his fate.His story would not have been possible to tell if it weren't for thepeople that he met on the road putting the pieces of his two yearsabbatical together. For all these people to remember him so vividlyand embrace him, he must have had some special qualities. It's tragic,however, that he denied all of these people from relating to him. Hewould only have his outlook on life shaped by authors such as Tolstoyand London. I think the lesson to take from his story is that althoughwe may all want to shun the world we live in, we cannot preventourselves from connecting to other people. If we do we all end uptrapped on some form of the same bus that was Chris' coffin.You will notice that I haven't said anything about the aesthetics ofthe film. For me to focus solely on the emotions that the movieproduced and filter out all its technical qualities should give you aclue as to how well this film is made.

rjcmls 2012-05-10 14:03:36

An inspiring story told to near perfection.

In a move people consider selfish and moronic, Chris McCandless(Hirsch) abandons all of his money, possessions and relationships as heventures out to live off the land for a few years. He bemoans what heperceives to be the trappings of money and modern society, and thepropensity for people to blindly hurt each other. He reasons that bybeing largely by himself and surviving on the bare minimum, he willfind the truth and happiness that evade people for a lifetime. The people like me who love this film find what Chris did inspiring andlife-changing. For much of our lives we are slaves to money, workingpointless careers just to buy things that, when all is said and done,are meaningless and unnecessary. Chris not only had the prescience tosee the emptiness these things would bring, but the rare courage toescape them. I have seen many, many movies and I have yet to find one encompassingthe depth and beauty so brilliantly displayed by Into the Wild. Itmasterfully immerses the viewer in a deep philosophical place where weare forced to reflect on what it is we truly value in life, what trulymakes us happy. Though it can be quite sad at times, it has aprofoundly uplifting quality to it, one that is rarely conveyed bymovies these days.

2012-05-09 20:07:17

Life, The world and Everything

OK, just gotta say, for all of the stupid futility of his death, Chris still lived MORE than ANY of us. His death was sheer idiocy, but his life, his refusal to accept society on society's terms are brilliantly illustrated in this movie, and REALLLY define his existance, both in the real world and in this adaptation.