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DVD
REVIEW: INTO THE WILD

02/29/08

“I read
somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to
be strong... but to feel strong.” Christopher McCandless not
only makes this statement but he brings it to life by
leaving it all behind, literally, and taking on the world.
Chris is not exactly the body builder type so he must have
felt very strong because he succeeded for a long period of
time, something that I’m sure the majority of us would not
be able to do. This movie takes you on his journey step by
step as he searches to find purpose, meaning, truth, and
basically himself. This is like nothing I’ve ever seen. The
closest concept I can think of is Castaway with Tom Hanks
except for one major difference: Chris chooses to go on this
adventure. The movie was long at well over 2 hours but so
was the journey. The movie was slow at times but so was the
journey. The movie was odd and unexpected but so was the
journey. The movie was breathtaking and beautiful and so was
the journey. This film was like watching a master artist
create a piece before your very eyes until it culminates
with the finished masterpiece at the end. You might or might
not like it, but it is still considered a masterpiece.
Christopher McCandless, a.k.a. Alexander Supertramp (Emile
Hirsch), is a bright young man who graduates from Emory
University. Having deeply rooted issues with his parents and
not wanting to conform with the “norm” of society, instead
of getting a job and settling down, he decides to embark on
a journey of a lifetime that peaks at the peak of the United
States; Alaska. The problem is that he takes whatever he
could stuff into his backpack and his old car. That’s it! He
leaves all his other possessions behind including all of his
money. Actually he gave away his entire savings of $24,000
to charity and burned whatever he had left in his pocket . .
. yes burned. So how did he survive? Exactly! But somehow he
does and for a very long time. He starts out heading West
for as long as his car survives. After that he’s on foot,
hitchhiking, or riding the Colorado River rapids. He works
odd jobs here and there so he can pay for necessities and he
meets the most incredible people along the way that become
his new family. But when his travels finally take him to his
final destination, the wilderness of Alaska, he truly
disconnects from everyone by going “Into the Wild” with only
his backpack of stuff and a gun for hunting his meals, all
the while reading up on the philosophies of life from the
top authors of the books he took with him and incorporating
the philosophies of his new family.
There are three things that stand out above all else in this
picture: the story itself, the gorgeous cinematography
(which was shot entirely on location), and Emile’s
performance. While watching this film you will wonder if
this guy is crazy or is he a genius, is he stupid or is he
taking on the challenge, is he just plain suicidal or is he
an adventurer, is this unrealistic or is this extreme
realism as he escapes what he calls sick society to find
ultimate freedom. He totally isolates himself from his
former life by eliminating all ties, destroying any form of
ID, and leaving no trails so as not to be found. This
determination reaches it’s climax with a man vs. nature
showdown. The real kicker about this drama is that it is
based on a true story. I don’t know what rock I was under
but I really don’t remember hearing about this case back in
1992 and it did make national news. Needless to say, I was
dumbfounded while watching this story knowing that it
actually happened. Emile has accomplished his biggest career
changing role ever with his best performance to date which I
think has potential for an Oscar nomination. But Emile was
not completely alone. He did have a talented supporting cast
with the likes of William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden as his
parents, an interesting appearance by Vince Vaughn as a
wheat farmer, and soul-touching performances by Catherine
Keener and Hal Holbrook as two different characters
encountered during the journey.
Director Sean Penn is demonstrating that he is for real.
This was not an easy story to tell but he took on this
challenge, similar to Chris taking on his, and came out with
a good product. The imagery combined with the connection
created between the audience and Chris are top notch. I
won’t be surprised if Sean gets an Oscar nod. I’ll leave you
with this thought given to Chris by Ron Franz (Hal
Holbrook): “if you forgive, you love . . . if you love, God
shines His light on you.” So does God shine His light on
Chris? You’re going to have to find out for yourselves.
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
VIDEO:
16x9 Widescreen
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 in English , French, and Spanish - English 2.0
Surround Sound.
Subtitles: English, French, and Spanish.
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Director: Sean Penn
Writer: Sean Penn(Screenplay)
Jon Krakauer (Book)
Genre: Drama Adventure
Duration: 2hr 28mins
Staring:
Emile Hirsch
Marcia Gay Harden
William Hurt
Jena Malone
Catherine Keener
Brian Dierker
Vince Vaughn
Zach Galifianakis
Kristen Stewart
Hal Holbrook Producer: Sean Penn
Art Linson
Bill Pohlad
Distributor: PARAMOUNT vantage
Rating: R for non-stop violence,
language
and some nudity.
Release Date: March 4, 2008
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