DVD Review: Into the Wild

Writer: Sean Penn
Director: Sean Penn
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Hal Holbrook
Rating: R
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: March 4, 2008

When I first put this film into my DVD player, I had no idea what it was about. By the title, I figured it had something to do with the wilderness, but for whatever reason I had never heard of Christopher McCandless or his alter ego, Alexander Supertramp. As a psychology student and a person, I would become mildly shocked by what I would see. Perhaps, shocked is the wrong word. It’s more that I was bewildered. I could not understand why anyone would shun traditional life to go live without a job, traveling with strangers, or on their own, going nowhere, with no real plans for survival except to survive. However, this is the simplified version of what Christopher McCandless did.

Some assume that he wanted to kill himself. Others believe that he was mentally ill, though this is not openly considered when it comes to Into the Wild. Whatever you believe, McCandless walked away from his life one day and spent the rest of his life wandering. Watching this is somewhat surreal because I know that I could never do anything like that. I would be in some serious trouble and wouldn’t make it a few months, much less a few years.

That being said, I would have no desire to do such a thing. The film was quite interesting to me nonetheless. I think my own desire to figure out McCandless, coupled with some excellent acting, made for a supreme movie that will come highly recommended, despite the somewhat bothersome foundations.

Release Information:
When Into the Wild was envisioned by Sean Penn, he first considered Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of Christopher. Insisting that the McCandless family approved of the film meant ten years of waiting for this film to become a reality. Emile Hirsch would end up becoming Christopher McCandless. Hirsch would end up losing 40 pounds to play the role and would do all of the stunts, including a scene with a bear and rafting down a river, all on his own. For these reasons, and a number of others, he would be the perfect choice for this film.

Into the Wild appeared at a variety of film festivals around the world and in theaters in the US in September 2007. The film was well received by critics who praised the acting and the direction of Sean Penn. The film would go on to receive a number of nominations including a Golden Globe win for Best Song. The film, which was released on DVD on March 4, 2008, is available at all major retailers, including Amazon where it costs $24.99 for the two disc collector’s edition.

The Into the Wild Plot
Into the Wild is a true story that is based on a book by Jon Krakauer. The film is directed by the amazingly talented Sean Penn, who hired Emile Hirsch to star as the lead character, Christopher McCandless. McCandless is a man in his 20s that decides to shun natural society and go live his life on the road, eventually making the decision to head into the wilds of Alaska. When he comes across a bus that has been abandoned for quite some time, he makes it his home.

The movie is narrated by McCandless’ twin sister, Carine, who is played by Jena Malone. In flashbacks, we learn that after Christopher graduates from Emory University his parents (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden) attempt to buy him a car and help him get into Harvard. This offering bothers him and before you know it, there are flashbacks that show a very volatile family relationship.

The parents often fought and would drag the children into it. Apparently, these problems got to Chris and when his family least expects it, he heads out on the road, gives his college fund to charity, and changes his life 100%. He even changes his name to Alexander Supertramp. His car is deliberately dumped and he ends up hitchhiking around the country.

While hitchhiking he meets a hippie couple and they all bond, offering each other information that is incredibly important for each of them. Excellent performances are put in by Catherine Keener and newcomer, Brian Dierker, who was actually only on set to help with the rafting scenes. Chris leaves the couple and moves on to a grain farm, where he works for Wayne (Vince Vaughn). Later he moves on to a gypsy camp where he meets back up with Jan and Rainey (the hippies). By this time, he has been on the road for over a year and has set his sights on the wild.

One of his final meetings is with Ron (Hal Holbrook), an older man who bonds quite a bit with Chris before he takes him closer to his goal. Like Keener and Dierker, Holbrook puts in an amazing performance that actually garnered an Academy Award nomination. While we watch these events we occasionally see his parents and how they are affected when they learn that their son abandoned his life and them to live free and alone.

The film is somewhat haunting as Chris makes it to his destination and we watch his final weeks. He seems to be fading away. His belt ends up becoming too big and he has to make his own notches. He is not prepared to kill large game, so he often goes without meat or without the protein and nutrients that make meat worth eating. Things take an even bigger turn for the worst when Chris eats some plants that make him sick and he continues to get weaker even when he has healed from the poisonous plant.

Hirsch was amazing in this, though when looking at the film, there really wasn’t a bad performance anywhere. The locations used for the film are visually stunning. It is hard to think of a movie that has every small detail taken care of in every way, like you see here. Considering the length, I was surprised to see the time roll by without ever becoming bored in any way. The nicest thing about the film was that any objectionable content (the idea that Chris had a mental illness) was left out and only his story was told.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen certainly makes it hard to complain about the film quality that has been presented here. In truth, everything looks magnificent. The film is sharp, the detail is stunning, and the picture is clearly visible. There are no compression problems and the picture quality is stellar. I imagine that this level of video quality is hard to come by.

The audio had a harder task in many ways, because the audience had to rely of the sounds of the road and the wild in many cases. The sound effects were birds chirping, bears growling, and the sounds on the open road. All of the sounds do a beautiful job at helping the audience to feel like they are in the wild with McCandless. The dialogue is as crisp as the nature sounds, making for an excellent offering.

No volume toggling was necessary. It’s rare that you end up with such amazing transfers for both audio and video in the same film, though this is one of those rare films where everything seems to be just the way it should.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There were not any special features on the first disc of this two disc set. The second DVD had a few features, though not many. There are two featurettes, “The Story, The Characters” and “The Experience”. These run for close to 40 minutes combined and offer some interesting insights into the movie and how hard parts of it were to maintain. Trailers are also offered. A one disc set that does not include these featurettes is also available. In the end, it will be your decision how necessary you feel these features are and whether they warrant the extra few dollars.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Into the Wild had a much stronger effect on me then I expected it would. This film was magnificent from start to finish. The quality was stunning and the acting was perfection. It truly could not have been a better movie. This is highly recommended all around. The only thing I would advise is to consider how important the special features are to you. This movie can stand on its own two feet without them with no problem. If you’re more interested in the movie you can save a couple of bucks by buying the one disc set. If you want the featurettes, pick up the two disc edition and you will love the added content.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Movie, Paramount, Hal Holbrook, True Story, Alaskan Wilderness, Tramp, Wanderer, DVD Review

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.