Solid film, but fell short of my expectations

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2008)

Into the Wild is a road-trip/biography film based on a true story about an adventurer named Christopher McCandless. After college graduation, he decides to give away all his possessions and hide from society. He adopts the name Alex Supertramp and travels across the United States, making money from small jobs. At the same time, he finds time to experience the beauty of nature. Eventually, he decides to journey into the Alaskan wilderness alone.
Emile Hirsch does a good job acting as Alex. Although I can't say I was entirely impressed his performance, I respect him because of the difficulty of the role. The fact that he was believable was one of the main things that made the film work.
The plot is somewhat convoluted, alternating between his adventure in Alaska and his previous experiences around continental United States. For much of the film, I did not feel like I was connecting with the events or emotions that Alex was experiencing. The pacing was rather slow as well. There were some things, such as the problems with Alex's parents, that were unclear. Toward the end, it did get better. The final scene was simply beautiful. Despite this, its difficult not to label the film as overlong.
Into the Wild holds high standards in direction and editing. The environmental scenes are a clear contrast to the bland city or slum segments. They are beautifully shot and panned. There are some neat effects, such as slow motion or stylistic blurring, that add a nice touch.
The film fell short of the expectations that I built up from significant critical praise. Some parts were very well done, but as a whole it was too idle. But I did find value in it, even though I disagreed with several of the main messages. All in all, it was a solid but unspectacular adventure.