Good, but could be better

Rating: 8/10 (5 November 2007)

I was holding off reviews of this film until after I had read the book and actually seen the movie. I like how faithful it was to the book, though parts had to be condensed for brevity. I found it interesting because I had actually been to many of the places that Chris had visited and was glad to see that it was filmed on location except for the part at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (I did not see it in the film credits I am familiar with the area where Chris lived). An area near Palm Springs was substituted instead.
I found the acting and storyline to be very good, but parts of the film seemed overdone and over dramatic. Some of the slow-motion shots were not necessary and seemed a little dumb, though.
Overall, I thought it was a good movie and was interesting to watch all the way through. If you've read the book first, you won't be disappointed. I usually don't like to read the book first because I don't like the changes they make in the movies, but this film did the book good.