Into the Wild

Sean Penn directs this feature based on best-selling author Jon Krakauer's true story of a young man who gives up everything to lead a solitary life in the wild. Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a middle-class college graduate, abandons his safe existence to trek across the harsh yet beautiful terrain of Alaska. William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden co-star, along with Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook (in an Oscar-nominated role).

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» Recommended for 6 people

» Reviewed by 17 people

The movie was very well done and very well acted. Unfortunately the story is about an selfish, spoiled brat. White water rafting without a helmet, sleeping in his car in a flood-plain, going home with random people; it was only a matter of time until he died of stupidity.
- ryanknapper

what an idiot...dude learn some survival skills before going INTO THE WILD...duh!
- wqn 1162765

This movie really fails because it commits two fatal flaws. First, it spends a long time demonizing the main character's parents as "violent" and "lying" while showing no real external evidence of such behavior. The only evidence of the claim is the narration by the main character and his sister, but the only thing we ever see them do is look for their kid, whom it's obvious they love. This frankly makes the viewer feel like these are just dumb teenage kids who are stuck in that "I had it so hard" mentality even though they really had it pretty sweet. Second, the main character demonizes society for being sick and obsessed with money, but he is just as bad as those he critiques. It's just that he's obsessed with Thoreau and getting back to nature instead and goes all out to abandon everything associated with modern living. It's not that he has a "better" view on life, just that his 5 ideas in a box are different from the 5 ideas in a box his parents have. Despite these two flaws the film glorifies the kid's journey and in no way ever examines that his behavior and repeated abandonment of everyone who grows attached to him is irresponsible and selfish. In that sense, it's possibly the most self-righteous film I've ever viewed and can't get above one star as a result. At least the Eddie Vedder songs were pretty good.
- Sirkickyass

I give this a "strong" 3-star rating but the 3 stars certainly reflects my disappointment because I had expected to love this film based on the high critical praise and the subject manner (I enjoy films about off-beat characters and conflicts of the psyche). There are numerous strengths of the movie, especially in acting (Emile Hirsh, see other reviewers comments, and the cameos from Catherine Keener and Vince Vaughan), pacing (it never feels like a 2 1/2 hour movie), and cinematography. However, I was distracted by the voice-over narration (especially the character's sister, portrayed by Jena Malone), which was often trite. I think it would have been better to say less and to show more of his life that motivated him to go into the wild (i.e., interactions with the family, the inner tumoil of mental illness). The character's motivation was told via this narration instead. At times, the music was also jarring and took the viewer out of the introspective mode (i.e., original score from Eddie Vedder was too "rock-n-roll" and although might have been an attempt to highlight the rebellious nature of his journey, did the opposite: the viewer feels like it's a fun and exciting adventure without serious consequences to the main character and his family).
- Eleni

Once again, another movie in which the book is better. But, I can not blame anyone. I think this movie did as good a portrayal of the journalistic style of the book as possible. Emile looked uncannily like Chris from his last photo. In all, I hope more people read the book and watch this movie, and want to explore the wonderful things that are on this Earth. Go out Into The Wild. I give it 4 of 5 stars
- JC 1318137

Plodding, meandering, 1 hour too long, and not very sympathetic. So why three stars? Because there is scattered greatness to be found here. Emile Hirsch gives a stunning performance as the flawed but likable central character. The modern technologies we've become accustomed to have made many modern people feel disconnected from their humanity, and this is the story of one person trying to reconnect to their basic human instincts. Hal Holbrook's sequence is pitch-perfect -- the classiest performance in the whole film. His segment almost seems like a mini-film in itself. The fractured time is also not presented very clearly and can lose some viewers. I kept thinking a better director than Sean Penn could have made this movie into something special. This review is all over the place, but so is this movie. If you liked "The Motorcycle Diaries" you might enjoy this, although be prepared for something slower, sadder, and simply not as good.
- Topaz420 in CA

"Freedom is another word for nothing else to lose" is from a Janis Joplin song applicable to "Into the Wild." While the lead character is romanticized in the movie, the reality seems to be that Christopher McCandless was angry with his parents, shut out the world and ended up in the wilds of Alaska without the training or experience necessary to handle the task. His search for freedom seems ideal to many and the thought of giving up all his money, possessions and heading out without telling anyone where he is what has happened to him has an idealistic ring to it--especially to those of college age. But, while the trek sounds romantic, the character ended up in a variety of situations very people would want to be in. The movie is too long, the scenery of Alaska and the Southwest and West are beautiful, and the story is a tragedy portrayed as an idealistic quest for an ideal that ignores the reality of life.
- AtTheBeach

To find the interior person and to make friends with the longing of that person, I think that is what drove Christopher McCandless to turn his back on family and on the established order in his life. He embarks on a quest to find the thing lacking inside of himself. Into the Wild takes us into the mind and heart of this hermit of sorts who demanded to live his life on his own terms and his own truth, not on those dictated or dreamed for him. It comes at great price though, for he cannot allow himself the responsibility of belonging to anyone, parents or siblings or friends. It is a bit of profound egotism, because you die to those who love you and force them through a great deal of pain and grief. We belong to those we love and they belong to us. A modern day tragedy and yet full of hope and healing, even in death. Sean Penn has directed a winner in this--quiet and powerful, it opens for the patient viewer like dreams and flowers. Five stars for a compelling story and moving human performances. 8/22/08
- TH Reviews

Great performances, solid direction, but a script that doesn't provide the insight I had hoped for. Read the book, it's great. Skip the movie.
- Mercurywaxing

Beautifully filmed and directed, this compelling story struck a chord in my soul. Few viewers will deny the magnificence of this movie. Admittedly it will not appeal to all, but for anyone who has ever wanted to leave it all behind and live off the land, it will stimulate your mind and your memories. This true story proves that one can be both intelligent and foolish at the same time. To call Christopher McCandless naive would be too kind. Extreme idealism and his love for nature clouded his judgement to the point of intellectual arrogance and denial of humanity. Although I wouldn't call him likable I felt a bond with this character, and my subconscious was awakened, if not assaulted, by his tortured soul.
- couchdog53

To be honest when I first read the book I found Chris McCandless to be a holier than thou brat, basically a fool kid with naive unfocused ideas who'd rather trust his own limited experiences than those who had much greater knowledge of how to survive. It's a testament to Penn's passion for the story and the life of Chris that I found myself seeing him in an entirely different light. His interpretation along with Hirsh's amazing performance creates an inspiring film about freedom; freedom from the shackles of routine life, freedom to explore and experience, and freedom from the past. It's not that Chris was hell bent on proving his way was the right way, but rather someone who wanted to find truth after discovering the fraudulence of his parents' life. It's as if at that moment his reality was shattered and he had to discover a new one. Hirsch plays Chris as a determined explorer and a man who could seemingly charm anyone he came in contact with. What facets of his life they took liberties with I don't know, and it doesn't really matter, this is a film and not a history lesson. And Penn's direction is unbelievable. This is obviously a story he's had to tell for a long time. Even if you're not interested in the material his excitement to tell the story will draw you in. The film is very much from Chris's perspective and the beauty and horror captured in the film we experience first hand, as he would have. The photography and locations they chose are breathtaking and the way the story is told with a fractured narrative, Chris's sister's voice over, and title card quotes are a perfect way to capture the spirit. I can't think of a better performance this year than Hirsch’s, it's achingly poetic, touching, and it feels completely alive. Reading the accounts of the people Chris met in the book, people who acted as if they had met the Messiah annoyed me to say the least, but watching Hirsch play that character you'd be hard pressed not to look at him in that same light.
- Paul Logan

One of the best films of the year thus far. Forget what you think about Sean Penn and go see this one, or at least put it in your queue. Outstanding performances by everyone involved, especially Emile Hirsch and Hal Holbrook. Great Eddie Vedder soundtrack as well. Line up the Oscars, it's that good!
- Frank W

I originally wondered how Sean Penn was going to make a film about a young man who spends over a year on the road by himself -- I assumed you can only film so many nature shots without dialogue before things get boring. Well, I was wrong, and Penn does a great job capturing the motivation and drive behind Chris McCandless. (Actually, the film's success is due to both Penn and actor Emile Hirsch, who does an outstanding job portraying McCandless.) At times I found the pacing of the film to be a little slow, but this is probably due more to my own impatience than the film itself. To it's credit, the film does a good job reflecting the rolling, wandering life of McCandless and takes it's time moving along, and it's possible that a more conventional pace would not have been as true to the story. While this is not one of my favorite films, it's definitely worth seeing, and it certainly was one of the best films of 2007.
- Author Allen

I am emotionally torn in writing this review for INTO THE WILD. I decided to go with really liked it, though I could just have easily gone with really hated it in anger over a young man throwing his life away. I never read the nonfiction book that Sean Penn based his screenplay on, so I'm not the one who could say how close this adaptation followed the book. Nor could I say how closely the book resembled the truth. Here's what I can say with any certainty. Emile Hirsch gives an astonishing performance as the lead character. I hope he really didn't lose forty pounds during the filming. Sean Penn has also made an impressive directoral debut. The film is long, with some of the shots too impressed with themselves and presented in an artful, leisurely fashion. I have to wonder what this film's first cut clocked in at. The story is emotional, at once uplifting and, for me, upsetting. My main concern is that there are impressionable people who will try to follow in McCandless's footsteps.
- Firewater

This movie haunts me, but I only want to give it 3 1/2 stars. It was slow and I thought there would be more action. I also didn't care for the jumping back and forth in time - just start the story and take it sequentially to the end. The landscapes and cinematography were beautiful and there were some profound words, but despite all that, I kept wondering how this bright, young 20-year-old man was going to ultimately survive. This was a compelling, thought provoking movie about the meaning of true happiness. In this case, it seemed happiness for this young man was trading the pressures of modern society for the pressures of being truly alone and surviving the wild.
- Southern Belle 1

I found the adventuring part of the story fascinating, and thought that overall the movie was well done, showing off lots of gorgeous landscape and getting at the heart of human bonding and friendships. Ultimately, though, it was a very sad and depressing look into the mind of a very intelligent and consciencious, but rather immature, young man who didn't live long enough to appreciate the gifts he had, put them to work for good, and to be able to understand and maybe even forgive his parents for not being perfect. It showed the downside of searching for oneself which involves the very real possibility (like in this young man's life) that one can get so lost that one is not able to find a way home. I felt his family's pain and bewilderment and wondered at the man Chris might have become had he allowed himself to mature.
- VJ Purplequeen

Wonderfully acted, beautifully shot, yet somehow the whole movie is less than its parts. I think the biggest problem for me is the fact that the main character is just not sympathetic. While his cross country odyssey is admirable and interesting, his poor decisions and ultimate fate seem less tragic than they are inevitable. The fact that Christopher McCandles is heralded as a kind of anti-establishment hero is the saddest thing to come from this movie and the book on which it is based
- Brody