Review of Into the Wild (2007) by Antoinette C — 06 May 2012

Written and directed by Sean Penn, the film adaptation of Jon Krakauer's National Bestseller, 'Into the Wild,' is a heartfelt translation that puts scenic imagery to the fruitful words of Krakauer and summons the mind's capacity to understand a questionable young soul, though perhaps not as thoroughly as its 224-page precursor.

Penn deserves mounds of appraisal for his job on 'Wild,' for he's accomplished a book-to-film alteration that is as good as it could have been; it's hardly even altered, actually. The beloved and ridiculed Christopher Johnson McCandless (the subject of Krakauer's book, Penn's film), played lawfully by the enthusiastic, perfectly-cast Emile Hirsch (formerly of 'Alpha Dog'), is a 22-year-old Emory University graduate who decides to make a life of his own -- one not tainted or dictated by the confines of an acquisitive, success-oriented society; he donates the entire remains of his college fund (which amounts to just over $24,500) to charity, ditches his car, burns the contents of his wallet (including identification and around $120 in cash), changes his name to "Alexander Supertramp," and foots a 2-and-a-half-year journey that ceases in August of 1992 with his death near Denali National Park in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Backed by a solid soundtrack from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder (which shares the hopeful nature of both the wilderness and McCandless), 'Into the Wild' delivers times over through wonderful, sweeping landscapes, great performances, fantastic directing, clear-cut editing, and by allowing us to meet -- and become very attached to -- the captivating, curious, profound, and astoundingly special Chris "Supertramp" McCandless.

With a collective cast headlined by greats such as Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt (who play Chris' parents, Billie and Walt), the charismatic and always fun Vince Vaughn (who plays Wayne Westerberg), the terrific Catherine Keener (as Jan Burres, one half of a rubber-tramp couple that Chris meets on his journey, to whom he is known as his alias "Alex"), and Hal Holbrook (as Ron Franz), and a well-crafted storyboard, Krakauer's literature comes to life in true form. You certainly won't want to skip this one at your local multiplex, either; its immense beauty and undeniable quality are too overwhelming not to be seen on a 30-foot projection screen.