Into the Wild (2007) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

USA 2007
Director: Sean Penn
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Kristen Stewart, Jena Malone
Rating: R
Release Date: 21 September 2007
Running Time: 2 hours 27 minutes

The Movie Review

Into the Wild film still 1


INTO The WILD
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Life is sometimes about making choices. Surely some of you agree that life is not all about money, it's about finding your dream. Having everything at hands doesn't mean your life is complete. Into the Wild attempts to enliven the effort of finding dreams in an unusual way. Into the Wild is a true story based on the real life of Christopher McCandless and directed by Sean Penn.

Christopher McCandless comes from a broken family even though Chris and his sister Carine live in a prosperous home. After his graduation, In the age 23, Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) is enrolled to a university but he's really never got there right from the first year. He instead packs his gear and all necessary comforts to pursue life in the wild when there are no rules and no one to tell him what to do (arguably the result of traumatic experience Chris and Carine had with their father). Chris is not a rebel, he is simply a true adventurer and a soft-spoken guy that in his adventure, Chris meets several people that will be touched by his determination and way of thinking before eventually Chris too will be touched by them.

Into the Wild presents its great story perfectly, if I can put it in other words, it's like Lone Ranger Robinson Crusoe, or Deliberate Castaway. Into the Wild movie could not be given any other appropriate title, except if I'm being a tad sarcastic about it, I would call it "Discovery Channel Special", since I think on some points this movie would turn tedious for its vast range of beautiful scenery in the desert, the mountain, the river et cetera but sometimes with no dialogue added repeated music over and over. However, when things start to get a little bit boring, Sean Penn manages to spice things up again. So in the whole I think the pace is well-kept.

Emile Hirsch gives everything he's got in this film and do please forget Emile Hirsch in The Girl Next Door because here, his performance is total, totally enchanting. But to earn the Oscar he might meet difficulties, for I think this year sees also the great performance of Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises and Tommy Lee Jones in In the Valley of Elah. Nevertheless speaking about acting, than the actor in this movie that I think is really acclaim-worthy besides Emile is Hal Holbrook (as Ron Franz) with his performance that feels so genuine and naturally touching...

This movie delivers a message where the term "Upside down" can be applied thoroughly. Alexander Supertramp makes things that are seem ugly and miserable into something likable and even grateful-worthy, and this message here is a great message to deal with everyday life and hopefully could change the way we think and things that we feel ungrateful about.

Take it for example like this, you got lost with no one around, Alex thinks of it as freedom from rules. You got to sweat to hitchhike on a train, Ales sees it as an opportunity of free ride. You got to sleep in a public bed, Alex finds it very comfortable after a long night. In a nutshell Supertramp's way of life can not be tried entirely by common people, but there is definitely some good example to be taken for our life and the way we deal with it everyday.

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com