Into The Wild [HD DVD]
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden, William HurtDirector: Sean Penn
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Running Time: 148 minutes
DVD Release: March 4th 2008
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DVD Review
This is the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch). Freshly graduated from college with a promising future ahead, McCandless instead walked out of his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people -- a fearless risk-taker who wrestled with the precarious balance between man and nature.
User Reviews
pretty good - Rating: 4/5
This is a movie about a dirty hobo named Alexander Supertramp who discovers that he has magical powers.
Although Alexander is a hobo who rarely ever bathes, every woman in the movie thinks he is a dreamboat, and every man wants to be his best friend. One man even wants to adopt him!
Every person who meets him in this movie cries when they must say goodbye to him. But he doesn't care. He only cares about being a hobo.
There is more nudity than I was expecting in this movie.
Most movies about hobos do not contain this much nudity. There is both male and female nudity (including genitals).
My Review - Rating: 5/5
This copy of Into The Wild is a great copy and it is a good movie.
Poignant adventure story - Rating: 5/5
When Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch) graduated from college, he had one goal in life - to finally break away from his unhappy family and the constraints of society in general and live off the land in Alaska. The film flashes back and forth between Chris' adventure in Alaska and the months leading up to it, focusing on the people who befriended him, including an aging hippie couple and a lonely, old man (well-played by the venerable Hal Holbrook).
Based on a true story and narrated with many of Chris' journal entries, the film is an emotional roller coaster; I was torn between admiring his youthful idealism and courage and hating him for the pain he inflicted on his family. The movie feels much like a documentary as it follows Chris hitchhiking and working his way across the country and then surviving, at first quite well, in Alaska.
Emile Hirsch is well-cast as Chris and makes you care about him right from the start. He did all of his demanding stunts himself and even lost 40 pounds to play the ailing Chris. It is a very touching story. Surrounded by the splendor of the wilderness but ultimately alone, Chris finally understood that happiness is only real when it is shared. Highly recommended.
Maybe worth a spin on cable. - Rating: 1/5
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get that hasn't been put forward more eloquently, clearly, and deeply in so many other works. This film was actually a little hard for me to watch. Alex's relationship with his parents, seemingly the catalyst of his transformation, was hamfisted and forced; I just didn't understand it. Hirsch's performance, while obviously earnest and eager, comes across only as that and not much else. He looks like a kid trying too hard to imitate a new age hippie hobo. His jittery/spastic behavior and wide eyed proclamations reveal none of the depth and soulfullness that was seemingly intended. I'm supposed to think that Alex is an old soul, and I don't see that. I'm really starting to think we've lowered the bar on what we deem deserving of high praise. We're becoming a bunch of superlative adjective spitting automatons, heaping praise on everything and anything that has Oscar buzz, and especially if there is some tragic element involved. Movies about or staring a youth taken from us too early can also be bad movies.
Good Movie, But You Must Read the Book! - Rating: 3/5
I initially had every intention of never seeing this movie after reading Jon Krakauer's excellent book of the same title. The fact it was a Hollywood production directed by the repulsive Penn made me want to barf. That said it was a good movie, very well done, even if it distorts the story to make a better movie which is what all wide release movies pretty much have to do to make a buck.
Before you ever think of ordering the DVD, buy the book and read it a couple of times. Then read some of Krakauer's other works and other authors' books on mountaineering and adventuring. You'll get the impression that many extreme adventurers are trying to fill in some empty parts of their soul through challenging the elements, and many freely admit to as much. There's nothing wrong with that, sometimes they are able to find peace of mind through their travels, other times not.
This movie does not delve into this aspect of the story, which is good business because that would get pretty complicated and overshadow the McCandless personal story. This movie is more of eulogy to the young man, which is fine, but you really need to look further to understand the important points Krakauer was trying to make in the book.
So if you've read the book, the movie works great to personify the enigmatic McCandless and adds compelling visuals and narrative to his intriguing story. If you have not read the book I think it would seem a little confusing and you would end up wondering why someone so naive has a big budget movie made about him.
The story of McCandless is not all that unique, Krakauer points out in the book. Many young men have made similar risky treks in search of some sort of truth they felt was not realizable in ordinary civilization. What is unique is the fact Krakauer spent a lot of time and effort investigating and trying to place into context this young man's actions, relationships (or lack thereof) and motivations.
Since he was a somewhat dysfunctional adventurer himself, Krakauer is able to lend an authenticity to his narrative that Hollywood cannot. So while Penn did a fine job of running the story through the Hollywood production process, you do lose some of the most crucial insights of the book.
Also, Penn cannot resist foisting his politics very awkwardly into the film... let's pan to photo of George Bush before the encounter with the bureaucratic park ranger, we all know he was responsible for making the crazy rules about running the Colorado river. Similarly have McCandless glance at the TV and watch Bush talk about the first Gulf War, that must have been part of what drove him to abandon his family. What a load of BS! Fortunately those are some of the worst offenses I could find and other parts such as the touching encounters with the old man who built Salvation Mountain and the reflections of Ron Franz pretty much make up for them.
Anyway, I would say the DVD is only worth owning if you already own the book. I don't think it can stand on its own merit, but rather makes a nice complementary piece. Especially given the good acting and cinematography... having Alaska to work with as a back drop helps a lot!
