Review of Into the Wild (2007) by Tim S — 30 Mar 2012

I guess movie lovers are really quite split on this movie...some say its a great film, others not so much, and then there are some that say its a good film with some problems. I guess I fall into the latter category.

Into The Wild lies somewhere in between a biography and a nature film. The subject matter lends itself to the landscapes shown in the movie but loses its credibility in some cases. The cast is pretty solid and gives fine performances.

There are so many different people that its hard to cover them all individually. The look of the film is nice. It reminds of a Tony Scott film at times, at others a documentary. Sean Penn mixes it up quite a bit and the film doesn't really have a central style.

Seems more like experimentation than actual style. The songs from Eddie Vedder do the film justice and are its high point really. I guess my complaints with the film would be the lead character's lack of human frailties.

He seems almost angelic and it bothers me that a man could be so incorruptible and nearly a diety to those around him. I found it hard to swallow, especially since I've heard that the man DID have faults and shortcomings.

I've already mentioned the style of course, but the pace of the film is another thing. For a road/documentary movie, it takes off in places and drags in others. So the film doesn't move all the time.

Not that it really needs to be like a locomotive all the time, but I felt like the editing could use a few tweaks to keep it flowing a little more smoothly. The sheer emotion of the film will have most viewers captivated.

The film's central character is an inspiration in a lot of ways, making this movie somewhat of a testament unto itself. Whatever flaws it may contain, the film is still not one to overlook.