I gave it a 7

Rating: 7/10 (3 October 2007)

I gave this movie a 7 (instead of an 8) due to the length. This movie would have been just as good if they had chopped about 30 mins off the length. Other than that, I liked what Penn did with it, and I understand this movie is "based" on someone's life - which is based on others' interpretations.
My wife read the book, and when she explained the gist of the story to me my first thought was that very few in our (USA) society today are prepared to 'live off the land.' We're just not brought up that way. We require a certain amount of (potentially specialized) training and teaching before we can free ourselves from the spoils of progress.
The fact that he died is no surprise. Many people prepare well to do what Chris did, and they die anyway. Had Chris survived, I would not consider him a hero, but rather, very lucky. He needed to go out and find himself, or his life, or whatever. But he didn't need to die doing it. He just didn't give himself very good odds.
Other than the length, my wife and I both enjoyed this movie. mikey.