Product Description

This is the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch). Freshly graduated from college with a promising future ahead McCandless instead walked out of his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people -- a fearless risk-taker who wrestled with the precarious balance between man and nature.System Requirements:Running Time: 148 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMING OF AGE Rating: R UPC: 097361316949 Manufacturer No: 131694

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1910 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
• Released on: 2008-03-04
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Danish, English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 148 minutes

Amazon.com
A superb cast and an even-handed treatment of a true story buoy Into the Wild, Sean Penn's screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer's bestselling book. Emile Hirsch stars as Christopher McCandless, scion of a prosperous but troubled family who, after graduating from Atlanta's Emory University in the early 1990s, decides to chuck it all and become a self-styled "aesthetic voyager" in search of "ultimate freedom." He certainly doesn't do it halfway: after donating his substantial savings account to charity and literally torching the rest of his cash, McCandless changes his name (to "Alexander Supertramp"), abandons his family (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden as his bickering, clueless parents and Jena Malone as his baffled but loving sister, who relates much of the backstory in voice-over), and hits the road, bound for the Alaskan bush and determined not to be found. For the next two years he lives the life of a vagabond, working a few odd jobs, kayaking through the Grand Canyon into Mexico, landing on L.A.'s Skid Row, and turning his back on everyone who tried to befriends him (including Catherine Keener and Brian Dierker as two kindly, middle-aged hippies and Hal Holbrook in a deeply affecting performance as an old widower who tries to take "Alex" under his wing). Penn, who directed and wrote the screenplay, alternates these interludes with scenes depicting McCandless' Alaskan idyll--which soon turns out be not so idyllic after all. Settling into an abandoned school bus, he manages to sustain himself for a while, shooting small game (and one very large moose), reading, and recording his existential musings on paper. But when the harsh realities of life in the wilderness set in, our boy finds himself well out of his depth, not just ill-prepared for the rigors of day to day survival but realizing the importance of the very thing he wanted to escape--namely, human relationships. It'd be easy to either idealize McCandless as a genuinely free spirit, unencumbered by the societal strictures that tie the rest of us down, or else dismiss him as a hopelessly callow naïf, a fool whose disdain for practical realities ultimately doomed him. Into the Wild does neither, for the most part telling the tale with an admirable lack of cheap sentiment and leaving us to decide for ourselves. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

The end result of impractical idealism
*alert* Filled with spoiler potential *alert*

Portions of Into the Wild were beautiful. The natural landscapes and odd characters were often compelling. However, the end of the movie was ruinous and unappealing. Into the Wild is not a story of hope, transcendence, or overcoming. It is, instead, a story of failure.

I'm sure many viewers will be able to relate to the main character's need to explore himself and the world around him. Emile Hirsch plays Chris McCandless very well. However, I question the logic of glorifying a life filled with what I consider bad choices. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here. I will let you the viewer decide for yourself. Be aware before you decide to spend a few hours with this movie that there is no fairy tale ending.

Nature can be cruel and Alaska is wild. McCandless saw, heard, felt and tasted things many of us will never experience. Is that admirable? Decide for yourself.

Dull
This is just my opinion, a priviledged kid quite possibly suffers from a mental disorder, reads a book on wild berries and which ones will kill you after he makes and eats his all natural trail mix. Oh my gosh was this movie boring. I normally like documentaries or movies based on real life experiences but this was just long and boring. If you suffer from insomnia buy this movie but if not I would skip it.

THANK GOD AMERICANS CAN BE DIFFERENT!
THIS MOVIE ON A YOUNG GUY WHO TOOK THE CHANCE OF THINKING AND BEHAVING DIFFERENTLY(IN TERMS OF WHAT ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM HIS BACKGROUND) AND ACCORDING TO HIS IDEAS IS MANGIFICENTLY WELL ACTED AND PRODUCED. I HOPE SOME AMERICANS WILL TAKE INSPIRATION ON THIS MOVIE.