Scenic Vistas That Will Expand Your Horizons!

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2007)

Sean Penn has given those adventurous enough to see Into The Wild a prodigious/edifying epic. To use gutter language, he **really** shot his wad with this masterpiece. It's almost hard for me to put into words how good this film is by touching on so many different life aspects and yet melding them all together in order to have a resultant grand brush stroke.
Christopher McCandless is played by Emile Hirsch. He acts well beyond his years. The remaining cast is too numerous to list, but they all turn in fabulous work. Christopher graduates from college, has some money saved, looks back at his past, decides a charity could use the money in a good way, gives one a check, burns all his previous ties to everyday ho-hum life after he recalled his upbringing and not necessarily wanting his children to have to be put through the same stuff. After eliminating the identifying markers from himself to the past, he wanders through South Dakota, Arizona, and Mexico before heading to Alaska.
This movie has too many philosophical points brought up and dealt with to name here or mar your own viewing pleasure, but I will boldly and forcefully say that any self-respecting movie lover will be in awe while leaving the theater afterward. They may well want to go multiple times like I did. Don't let this go to DVD or a second-run theater, or you will be forever kicking yourself. Hurry up--it won't be playing new much longer!