A Rare Beauty and Must-See!!

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2008)

Into the Wild is a beautiful film that takes the time to relish in the simple pleasures that most people neglect to even consider. The grandeur of nature, the deep meaning behind a simple act of kindness, and the innate desire of man to commune with a force greater than himself. The slow, natural pace of the film illustrates the timelessness of life in the wild and one's ability to savor every waking second. Into The Wild also conveys the importance of human relationships, illustrating that time spent alone can reaffirm a person's life but is not a fulfilling life in and of itself. Told through secondhand accounts in a style that reads as a documentary film, Krakauer's book version of Chris McCandless' life lacks the degree of emotional relevance that is present in the film. The film stays with McCandless through all of his experiences, therefore providing the poignancy that one might expect from the written biography. While the book impelled many readers to believe that McCandless was a wandering suicidal idealist with no desire for human contact, the film is able to drive home that point that McCandless was frustrated with the capitalistic scheme that engulfed him and that he was simply looking for himself in the wild. It is evident that the human experiences McCandless had while traveling to Alaska affected him greatly and that he intended to maintain contact with each of his newfound friends. McCandless did in fact work along the way in order to support his new lifestyle but simply denounced a life of excess. The landscape is breathtaking, the relationships touching and the story of a young man in search of a meaningful existence is admirable and tragic. It is hoped that those interested in seeing the film will not be dissuaded by those who say it is too long, too slow and too boring as such opinions counter the essence of McCandless' mission. The film is well crafted, well acted, and penetratingly beautiful.