Thought provoking odyssey based on real events

Rating: Null/10 (6 September 2019)

I have seen this film quite a few times and my opinion has varied based on my own growth in life. Into the Wild is a beautifully made motion picture and some of the segments (especially those with Hal Holbrook and those that transpire around "the magic bus" in Alaska) are powerful. Chris initially comes across as an idealistic jerk - the kind of guy who will thoughtlessly hurt others if they stand in the way of his achieving a goal. Gradually, he is revealed as being more complex. By the end of the movie, I don't know that I liked Chris, but I understood him and sympathized with him, and sometimes that's more important. Into the Wild is a long motion picture, clocking in at nearly 150 minutes. But the strength and breadth of its material earns it the extended running time. It's about many things and makes pointed comments about the ridiculousness of a society where bureaucracy and the rat race have become so cumbersome that they crush the pleasure out of living.