Into the Wild

Andrew Brinkhaus

Andrew Brinkhaus

Veteran
I went to see this film last night, pretty excited by the reviews I had read, and the great vibe I had gotten from other fans of the book...By the end of the film, I was truthfully frozen in my seat. I thought this film was absolutely incredible. As a fan of the book, I was excited to see all the small elements incorporated into the film.

When you watch this film, there is something so captivating, so real, about what is happening. The people and places McCandless encounters are incredible. This is a film that should be on everyones shelf. I highly recommend you go see it, while it is still available in theaters.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/intothewild/large.html

"Into the Wild” is about one individual’s real-life quest. But like all great art it’s about a whole lot more." -ROBERT W. BUTLER
The Kansas City Star
http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/story/303159.html
 
Last edited:
yeah i saw this movie a few weeks ago, and i have to say it was really a great film. didnt really know much about the story and based on what i saw, im impressed that sean penns is as good a director as he is an actor (in some cases) check it out if you have a chance.

-daniel
 
MAJOR SPOILERS AT END OF POST (I will warn you when)

I really liked this movie. It did a lot of different things that most movies are afraid to do (of course it was Sean Penn, so that's not surprising). One of the hardest things to do in film is to keep your film interesting without having a plot. And just so you know, Into The Wild has absolutely no plot (unless you count one day wanting to go to Alaska a plot). Once you have entered that realm, all you have is your characters to take you on the journey. And the journey is pretty incredible, as are the characters. As much as I hate to say it - because I hate when Hollywood is so in love with a young actor and dubs him "the next big thing" - Emile Hirsch really is the next big thing. He does an incredible job as this person. I totally bought him.

SPOILERS START HERE

The only reason I wouldn't put this film in the "great" category is the ending. When Emile's character dies, it's just too much. It's too harsh. It's too cruel. Now I know that this film was about a person's choice to be alone and his shunning of society and long-lasting relationships in general - and this was sort of his punishment. Dying alone in this horrible way. But it was too much. And to be quite honest, it was terrifying. and not in a "ooh, how daring" kind of way. It was just way way too much. I'm sure others will disagree, but those are my feelings about it.

Still, the movie has so many good things going for it, I recommend you catch it if you have a chance.
 
SPOILERS



Hey C.G. I'm glad you liked the movie, I haven't seen it yet. I have read the book though. and you said the ending was to much b/c he died. I don't know if you read the book or even knew there was a book, but he does die in the book and they let you know that literally on the cover. I don't know if that changes anything, I just wanted to make sure you knew that and that he dying wasn't a creative choice.
 
This was the first film I had seen in the theatre since Harry Potter, so it has really been a while since there was anything that motivated me to leave the comforts of DVD. As a huge fan of the book, this film had far too much allure for me to stay away.

Normally any adaptation of a book just falls completely on it's face and ends up being a hollow shell of the written work (notable exceptions being 'The Perfect Storm' and 'Shoeless Joe/Field of Dreams'). I really feared that that this film had so many potential pitfalls that there was no way that it could live up to expectations: a massive tale that takes place in specific locations, a young actor best known for skating in Lords of Dogtown, an ego maniac director who became obsessed with the work and meticulous in his approach to how it 'HAD' to be shot, and a story that has so many facets that both inspire and revolt the audience that it doesn't ever take a firm stance on whether the protagonist is noble or snob, elitist or hippy, selfish or selfless.

The 2.5 hour viewing of this film left me speechless, sitting in my seat after the lights were up and the credits were finished; my girlfriend pulling on my arm to get me to let her at least escape to the bathroom.

This is, by far, the best film I have seen in years, and yet the problems and flaws actually become the pearls that make this an incredible tale that inspires and scares.

Without getting into a straight scene for scene comparison with the book, I will say simply that the film is one of the best possible adaptations of written source material I have experienced.

I don't want to talk about story, in fact there are only three elements that I think demand attention with this tale.

First, the actors. Every person cast in this film created a character than lingers with the audience far after the credits complete. I could see this film easily sweeping the actor awards this season and multiple actors from this film facing off against one another for the award. Not that awards mean anything (Ben Affleck has an Oscar), but still, this is what you expect to see when you watch a film... whoever the actor was before the part, whatever paparazzi pictures were snapped, whatever headlines were made simply fade away and all that remains is the character created upon the screen. There isn't a single casting decision that comes off as poorly made. You don't see Hurt playing a character, you just see the character and forget it is Hurt.

The imagery is breathtaking to the point where you want to empty your bank account to see with your own eyes if such wonders of nature and beauty actually exist or are merely creations of Hollywood special effects. The length to which the producers spared no expense in ensuring that the audience experiences the same wonder and moments of complete intoxicating natural beauty is impossible to ignore. The images are just without compare.

Finally, Hirsch. He takes on the McCandless / Supertramp character with such gusto that you have to wonder if we are seeing the emergence of one of the finest actors of his generation. The McCandless / Supertramp is incredibly complicated in that he is a spoiled, elitist, arrogant, rich kid who is also this passionate, committed, and determined existentialist. The duality and conflicting elements of the character and how he brings them to life without ever imposing judgment by straying more to one element is a perfect dance atop a tightrope.

At the end of the day, Spiderman 3 lingered with me after I saw it because I was amazed that a superhero could cry so much. 30 minutes after watching Harry Potter I couldn't remember the movie specific details that differed from the book I had read. Three days after seeing 'Into the Wild' I cannot shake the images I saw or the emotions I felt watching this. The characters experience is inspiring, haunting, scary, motivational, and shockingly passionate all at once.

I have a newfound respect for Penn as he has crafted one of the finest films I have ever experienced.
 
Jeremy Ordan said:
...
Click to expand...

Thank you.

This movie looked interesting to me, but I was on the fence as to whether I should bother seeing it in theaters or just wait for the dvd release.

Your review makes me want to go see this asap.

Cashing my first check for my new job tomorrow... perhaps an afternoon trip to the movies will be in order.

Anyway, great review.
 
spoiler?

I didn't like the film and personally felt it could have been better had someone else structured/directed it. I've read the book and it was very accurate to it, but just because something makes a good book doesn't mean it will automatically make a good film. I felt that maybe the film spent too much time on montages of traveling and not enough time developing the relationships he built and abandoned on the way, because isn't the end of the film more about realizing that relationships (flawed as they may be) are more important than isolating yourself/running away from your problems?
 
MORE SPOILERS


Bsmith, I'm sorry I didn't clarify. It wasn't that he *did* die that upset me, it was the manner in which Penn directed it. It was just so harsh and unrelenting. I thought he could've pulled way way back on that one. Just my personal opinion. And as far as Chris F., I can totally see a lot of people feeling the same way. The kind of approach you need to have for this film is very sophisticated and open. It does not entertain in a traditional way. And my feeling is the average filmgoer will hate it. It will be interesting, as Jeremy noted, whether this thing will do well at awards time. It could just as easily be completely forgotten. Then again, awards these days seem only to be based on how much money the studio decides to put into the awards campaign.

Oh, also felt like the stuff with the old man near the end was the strongest part of the film. That actor (is his name Hal Hartley?) was really awesome.
 
Just saw this film (on DVD) and was blown away. HOW in the world was it not nominated for Best Picture, how was Sean Penn not nominated for Best Director, and how was Emile Hirsch not nominated for Best Actor?

Seriously, I'd place this in the top 2 films of 2007. The more I think about it, I might like it as much as No Country For Old Men.

Excellent film. I hope Penn directs more.
 
I love this book, but my god this film had the worst editing I've seen in awhile.

There are some great scenes, but this film just annoyed me.
 
Saw this in theaters a while ago. I really enjoyed most of it.

SPOILERS



I didn't like when he stared directly into the camera while eating the apple. Felt like an outtake... I also didn't like the scene in the bar when they're drunk and they keep saying "society!" I don't know why, it just didn't feel real.

I loved the ending and I thought it was fittingly brutal.

Holbrook should have won best supporting. He was great. I also can't believe Hirsch wasn't even nominated.
 
For some reason, I love the little apple scene. If the film had a very traditional editing structure, it would be too jarring. The the editing is already very self-reflexive, and so the apple scene didn't feel out of place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top