A Magnificent Film !

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2010)

I have seen this movie three times. I have seen it alone twice and once with friends. My friends did not like it. I did not enjoy watching this movie with friends. There are two ways to look at this. Maybe this film can be enjoyed alone and not with others OR as is the case with most movies you have to identify with the lead character.
Much has been said about how the book has been hollywoodized or how Chris was not a doomed romantic hero but a stupid cretin with a death wish. But that isn't what the movie is all about.
Into the wild is about many things. It is about natures importance in our lives. It is about peace and love and human relationships. It is about solitude. But mostly it is a coming of age story.
Emile Hirsch stars in this movie as Christopher Mcandless a 24 year old college graduate who ventures into the mountains of Alaska to escape from it all. His parent's treachery and the lies that surround him. Hirsch does a beautiful job of playing Chris. He completely inhabits the role and brings out a staggering performance. Since Sean Penn himself is such a great actor maybe it was easy to bring out a performance of this magnitude in another. The film is aided by a perfect supporting cast. Every single person in this movie has done a good job. Right from Vince Vaughn to Jena Malone who plays Chris' sister and she also narrates the movie.
Credit must be given to Sean Penn. You can see that in the movie there is a perfect amalgamation of the filmmakers thoughts , feelings and vision with the subject matter and that gives us a truly wondrous film.