Into The Wild

I just watched this movie last night. Sean Penn wrote and directed it, I guess it's based on a book that was based on a news article about a man named Christopher McCandless.

Heres the jist of who he was, I copy pasted this off Wikipedia; why re-invent the wheel?:

Chris McCandless grew up in Annandale, Virginia,

Spoiler:
and died at age 24 in a wilderness area of the state of Alaska.

In April 1992, Jim Gallien, an Alaskan, gave McCandless a ride to the Stampede Trail in Alaska. There McCandless headed down the snow-covered trail to begin an odyssey with only fifteen pounds of rice, a .22 caliber rifle, a camera, several boxes of rifle rounds, some camping gear, and a small selection of literature—including a field guide to the region's edible plants, Tana'ina Plantlore. He took no map or compass.

Spoiler:
He died some time in August, and his decomposed body was found in early September by moose hunters.

I loved this movie, every moment of it. (this is me talking now; Tired Hiker) It can be compared to 'Easy Rider', as far as it's tone goes, minus all the drug influeces. The heart of the movie lies in Chris's (Emile Hirsch) journey to find real happiness which he discovers

Spoiler:
to late in the game that, real happiness can only be shared.

I think I also liked this movie because it reminded me of the times when I back packed into the wild myself. I did not isolate myself in the Alaskan Wilderness to the degree that Chris McCandless did, but I did journey parts of Alaska with friends, and I did go on a journey by myself in the Big Sur wilderness where I camped in a rain storm, and isolated myself in my tent with a good book until three in the morning when I skinny dipped in a hot spring. It was one of the most exhilirating times I ever had, and the freedom I enjoyed gave me a better sense of who I am and what is important in life. Into The Wild made me feel like I was back on that journey.

This movie is now on DVD.

Yeah, this movie was very good. Emile should have gone up for an Oscar, I think.

Originally posted by BackFire
Yeah, this movie was very good. Emile should have gone up for an Oscar, I think.

I think you are right. I also thought the editing was great and deserved an Oscar nod as well. And Eddie Vedder's original songs were perfect for the film.

I wanted to watch this in the threatres, but it left before I could. Does look like a good film, so I'll definately rent it.

Spoiler:
Trials of the human spirit blah, blah blah aside, the guy is a moron though, he goes into an extremely hostile enviroment with little or no training or supplies.

I used to make a living as a guide in Canada's Northwest territories, and McCandless' name came up in more than one conversation, and without fail the mere mentioning of his name garnered hostility.

McCandless was a naive, if not stupid, if not completely insane person who had no concept of the wild, and no real respect for it either.

I used him as an example to many that I guided that many deaths that occur in the wild due to arrogance, stupidity, or willful ignorance, of which he was a prime example.

Krakaur's book was a compelling read, and I might see this movie, but if it at all glorifies him and his naive attempts to telive London's stories, then I'll just take a pass.

He is very naive, but that's not what the film is about. It was his own journey, and yes, he did some extremely stupid things, but he learned from them and the film shows how he deals with his mistakes like when he totally destroys a perfectly healthy moose. It is such a waste, he kills it and then takes too long curing the meat and it goes bad with flys and maggots. The lesson of the film, as he discovers, it that real happiness is shared. And he learns that lesson too late, so you are right about his ignorance, but he still had a zest for life that can be appreciated. I wouldn't say that the film glorifies him. I think that once you see what his situation was like growing up and you learn a bit about his back story, it would help you understand where he is coming from.

Originally posted by =Tired Hiker=

I think I also liked this movie because it reminded me of the times when I back packed into the wild myself. I did not isolate myself in the Alaskan Wilderness to the degree that Chris McCandless did, but I did journey parts of Alaska with friends, and I did go on a journey by myself in the Big Sur wilderness where I camped in a rain storm, and isolated myself in my tent with a good book until three in the morning when I skinny dipped in a hot spring. It was one of the most exhilirating times I ever had, and the freedom I enjoyed gave me a better sense of who I am and what is important in life. Into The Wild made me feel like I was back on that journey.

This movie is now on DVD.

thats interesting...,what did you learn about yourself?

Christopher McCandless is such a brave man, or do you think he's insane for doing that?

Originally posted by ragesRemorse
thats interesting...,what did you learn about yourself?

For me personally, I had many fears about backpacking. Will I get attacked by a bear? Will I get lonely? Will I get hurt? Will I have enough food? Will my camp stove break? Will there be wood for fire? Will it rain? Will I freeze to death. Will I get lost . . . . ?

After backpacking alone and not encountering any of these problems, I showed myself first hand that I could get out there and do it on my own. I prepared myself for the journey, studied maps, learned about not attracting bears, etc; so with common sense and logic I learned that my fears were really not as threatening to my life as I thought they might be. I also grew up in a big city, so being out in nature made me feel more in tune with the Earth. Sitting in a natural hot spring at three in the morning by myself, with nothing above me but tree tops, the moon, and the stars, as a rushing river flowed downhill from me was as close to magic as I had ever come. Now that I have done it, I know it's out there and I can go back to it. It comforts me to know that.

So to sum it up, I learned I could journey into the unknown with only myself to guide me through it. And that has applied to many other aspects of my life.

Originally posted by =Tired Hiker=
For me personally, I had many fears about backpacking. Will I get attacked by a bear? Will I get lonely? Will I get hurt? Will I have enough food? Will my camp stove break? Will there be wood for fire? Will it rain? Will I freeze to death. Will I get lost . . . . ?

After backpacking alone and not encountering any of these problems, I showed myself first hand that I could get out there and do it on my own. I prepared myself for the journey, studied maps, learned about not attracting bears, etc; so with common sense and logic I learned that my fears were really not as threatening to my life as I thought they might be. I also grew up in a big city, so being out in nature made me feel more in tune with the Earth. Sitting in a natural hot spring at three in the morning by myself, with nothing above me but tree tops, the moon, and the stars, as a rushing river flowed downhill from me was as close to magic as I had ever come. Now that I have done it, I know it's out there and I can go back to it. It comforts me to know that.

So to sum it up, I learned I could journey into the unknown with only myself to guide me through it. And that has applied to many other aspects of my life.

Wow, i appreciate you for sharing your experience. That, was quite a vivid description and actually filled me with some inspiration. I have been planning to back pack along the Mediterranean coast. I am not sure if i will be able to find a friend to join me, but i have decided that i am going to take that trip regardless. I have, recently, grown cold feet over the idea about doing it alone, but i think i am definitely going through with it either way.
Where at, in Alaska, was this?

The Alaska trip was with friends, we spent a week hiking through several zones in Denali. But the trip I spoke of where I went by myself was in Big Sur, California. That is where the hot spring is. It's an amazing place.

Didn't like it. It was too long and droned on and kept skipping back and forth too much.

Originally posted by Kelly_Bean
Didn't like it. It was too long and droned on and kept skipping back and forth too much.

Originally posted by =Tired Hiker=
For me personally, I had many fears about backpacking. Will I get attacked by a bear? Will I get lonely? Will I get hurt? Will I have enough food? Will my camp stove break? Will there be wood for fire? Will it rain? Will I freeze to death. Will I get lost . . . . ?

What about rape?

Originally posted by Robtard
What about rape?

Originally posted by KharmaDog
McCandless was a naive, if not stupid, if not completely insane person who had no concept of the wild, and no real respect for it either.

My take on it is that he wanted to challenge himself to see if he could do it. When he was ready to leave he was trapped there. I'm not sure why that is stupid.

Originally posted by Kelly_Bean
Didn't like it. It was too long and droned on and kept skipping back and forth too much.

I didn't like it either, overall, but not for that reason. I personally got pissed off with him for coming across as a pretentious, naive brat. The back and forthing I did appreciate 🙂

Oh, and I couldn't stand Jena Malone as his sister. Her voice irritated me and as the majority of the narrative (if not all) was her, it kinda put me off.

It's a shame because the concept and directing was good.

I have the movie sitting here and going to watch it tonight. It looks really good.

This is one of the best movies I've ever seen.

The ending you could see coming but it was still a beautiful film.

Emile does deserve an oscar for that role.

Well most know what happened to him so obvious what was coming. I enjoyed the film and it's gorgeous to look at, wonderfully shot.