Into the Wild Movie Review

The photograph draws you in. A derelict and dilapidated bus, partially covered in snow, stands alone in a desolate landscape. Its only companion, a forest of sparsely covered spruce trees and frozen, mountain terrain. Snow billows dance about eerily, weaving their wispy figures around the shell of the bus like a ghost whose sole duty is to guard the perplexing story within. The picture is haunting, a reminder to us all that there are places far removed from human existence. Places where man is no match for nature, where the land is wild and the elements unforgiving. Situated slightly below the picture are the words, Into the Wild. The title beckons us to examine the photo further, to read the short paragraph that ensues. We find that the bus does, indeed, carry the end to a story, one of life, adventure and untimely and tragic demise. We find ourselves desiring to know more about the young man, whose leery preoccupation with the ills of society, government and uncomfortable familial relationships, causes him to abandon everything for a fleeting moment of isolation in the Alaskan wilderness. And so begins the inspiration for the movie Into the Wild, a book of the same name, written by an aficionado of adventure himself, Jon Krakauer.

Who better, then, to adapt the story to screen, other than Sean Penn himself. A man who makes no apologies for his dislikes for the current government and who finds himself on modern day adventures of humanity. He was so captivated by that picture, in fact, that he found himself reading the book from cover to cover in one night, over a decade ago. Penn was mesmerized by the riveting story of Christopher Johnson McCandless, an ascetic young man filled with wanderlust, passion and fervor for all things austere. McCandless, an Emory University college grad, forsakes a life of affluence for a vagabondish life. He gallivants with the colorful characters in society who live on the fringes of mainstream America, who gauge their successes by experience and not the material. Penn has captured a beautifully written book and painted a visual paradise that takes us on a journey across the great American landscape. We find ourselves following Chris as he paddles down the Colorado River, winding his way between the sheer, red canyon walls. We sit in amazement as we witness the portentous Alaskan mountain ranges and the grandeur beauty of the desert. We know, because of Penn's desire to stay true to the story, that we are seeing the actual places that Chris journeyed through, Lake Mead, Slab City and the great wilds of Alaska. Apart from the visually aesthetic cinema-photography, however, Penn draws us into the life of McCandless through incredible storytelling. Visceral emotion drives the film. We are able to sympathize with the vehement bitterness Chris has towards his parents, a bitterness that helps carve the path to his ultimate fate. We follow him on his journey as he briefly touches the lives of those around him, yet, we also see the selfish seclusion that supplanted human relationship. The movie reads like a documentary. One feels as though they are furtively looking in on a life in motion, a life where the outcome is unknown and the future uncertain.

Emile Hirsch , who plays McCandless, morphs into character with unrivaled vigor, even going so far as to experience the breath of a grizzly bear on his body and the unyielding power of nature as he rides down the Colorado River through precarious rapids.Through Hirsch, we see how McCandless lived, we witness the thoughts that guided his decisions but we also see that no amount of intelligence or pride can outwit the ominous hand that nature can outstretch. Apart from the heroic, almost sacred spin that Penn gives to the film, we are able to see that life is an adventure and that Chris had the nerve to live it. Do we sit idly by or do we step "into the wild" whatever that may be. But remember this, we must make our decisions with forethought and consideration, lest you find yourself the way Chris did, alone and afraid facing the end of his life.