- Oct 27, 2006
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Hi ATOT folks, especially KT 
I watched 'Into the Wild' last week, and decided to post about it here, in case any of you were interested. It's a film based on a Jon Krakauer book, that is about a true-life account of a young man and his unusual and often amazing adventures. After watching things like 'Atonement' and 'No Country for Old Men', it was a nice change of pace to see something of this scope.
I read the book first, and upon hearing that a film would be made of it, I hesitated to think that the subject would convey into the movie format without some serious drawbacks. Indeed, had pretty much anyone else taken on this task, it might not have been delivered in such spectacular fashion. It was directed and the screenplay adapted by Sean Penn. The first film that I saw of his was 'The Crossing Guard', and the visceral and intimate performances that he was able to draw from David Morse and Jack Nicholson gave me a respect for his skill in film that I didn't expect to have.
The film is shot on location at dozens of places along the path of the real-life Chris McCandless, and the film's deliberate pacing and 2.5 hour running time are apropos to the story in every way. If you are in a fidgety mood or don't like long films, this probably isn't for you. The supporting cast is eclectic and excellent as well, including a shockingly good and funny performance by Vince Vaughn, easily his best work since 'Swingers', he's very memorable though his time onscreen is brief. Jena Malone was the perfect choice to convey the grief, worry, and love from his family as they go down their own paths. William Hurt gives a performance of subtle menace and scarred maturity as Chris's alternatively disappointed and confused father. The soundtrack is a fiercely raw Eddie Vedder work, and it fits more perfectly than anything else I could imagine for the content.
The story begins with Chris graduating from Emory university. Shortly after graduating, he gave his life savings (that he was going to use towards possibly attending Harvard law school) to charity, cut up his id/social security, and burns his cash. He drives into the desert, and abandons his car there, and so begins his epic journey. It's very philosophical, and the story is very alive. Chris's exuberance, sorrow, and fierce individuality combine with his solid moral compass to take him along his spectacular path in surprising and wonderful ways. The film touches on the people that he encountered during these years, and it all comes together to paint a portrait of a man who dared to take his desire for truth to it's limit, and he comes to some observations and ideas that are very different from where he started from.
The film's only real weakness is the lack of a hard look at the dumb things Chris did, as there are very legitimate criticisms to be expressed about the reckless way he went about his journey, but this is really a small complaint, and does nothing to reduce the enjoyability of the story.
9/10, Highly Recommended, though only for film fans with lots of patience for a deliberately paced work.
A quote that Chris liked :
"Death's a fierce meadowlark but to die having made Something more equal to centuries Than muscle and bone, is mostly to shed weakness. The mountains are dead stone, the people Admire or hate their stature, their insolent quietness, The mountains are not softened or troubled And a few dead men's thoughts have the same temper."
-L. L'Amour
I watched 'Into the Wild' last week, and decided to post about it here, in case any of you were interested. It's a film based on a Jon Krakauer book, that is about a true-life account of a young man and his unusual and often amazing adventures. After watching things like 'Atonement' and 'No Country for Old Men', it was a nice change of pace to see something of this scope.
I read the book first, and upon hearing that a film would be made of it, I hesitated to think that the subject would convey into the movie format without some serious drawbacks. Indeed, had pretty much anyone else taken on this task, it might not have been delivered in such spectacular fashion. It was directed and the screenplay adapted by Sean Penn. The first film that I saw of his was 'The Crossing Guard', and the visceral and intimate performances that he was able to draw from David Morse and Jack Nicholson gave me a respect for his skill in film that I didn't expect to have.
The film is shot on location at dozens of places along the path of the real-life Chris McCandless, and the film's deliberate pacing and 2.5 hour running time are apropos to the story in every way. If you are in a fidgety mood or don't like long films, this probably isn't for you. The supporting cast is eclectic and excellent as well, including a shockingly good and funny performance by Vince Vaughn, easily his best work since 'Swingers', he's very memorable though his time onscreen is brief. Jena Malone was the perfect choice to convey the grief, worry, and love from his family as they go down their own paths. William Hurt gives a performance of subtle menace and scarred maturity as Chris's alternatively disappointed and confused father. The soundtrack is a fiercely raw Eddie Vedder work, and it fits more perfectly than anything else I could imagine for the content.
The story begins with Chris graduating from Emory university. Shortly after graduating, he gave his life savings (that he was going to use towards possibly attending Harvard law school) to charity, cut up his id/social security, and burns his cash. He drives into the desert, and abandons his car there, and so begins his epic journey. It's very philosophical, and the story is very alive. Chris's exuberance, sorrow, and fierce individuality combine with his solid moral compass to take him along his spectacular path in surprising and wonderful ways. The film touches on the people that he encountered during these years, and it all comes together to paint a portrait of a man who dared to take his desire for truth to it's limit, and he comes to some observations and ideas that are very different from where he started from.
The film's only real weakness is the lack of a hard look at the dumb things Chris did, as there are very legitimate criticisms to be expressed about the reckless way he went about his journey, but this is really a small complaint, and does nothing to reduce the enjoyability of the story.
9/10, Highly Recommended, though only for film fans with lots of patience for a deliberately paced work.
A quote that Chris liked :
"Death's a fierce meadowlark but to die having made Something more equal to centuries Than muscle and bone, is mostly to shed weakness. The mountains are dead stone, the people Admire or hate their stature, their insolent quietness, The mountains are not softened or troubled And a few dead men's thoughts have the same temper."
-L. L'Amour
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