Into The Wild

Last night Brooke and I watched the Into The Wild DVD.  I thought I would mention it here and talk a little bit about everything Into The Wild because The Book, The Movie and The Soundtrack are all really good.  I know it's been a while since I reviewed a movie, but I really thought this was worth talking about. 

The Book:  I read the book in October, while on vacation in Hawaii, and I really enjoyed it.  For those who don't know, the book and film are about the life and mostly the travels of Chris McCandless.  The story came about because he was found dead in a bus in the middle of nowhere Alaska, he didn't have any identification or any money.  The author and the film makers then follow his trail and his life leading up to his death, his travels as a "LeatherTramp" and wanderer throughout the US and his relationships with those he came across, as well as his complicated relationship with his family.
I thought it was well written, very detailed and interesting.  I wasn't really sure what first interested me about the book, but I have read some of Jon Krakauer's other novels (Into Thin Air) and I thought the story sounded really interesting.  I also have a subscription to Outside magazine and that is really where the story of Chris McCandless originated.
I was intrigued by the book and Chris's story I found that it was very easy to read and it really sucked me into the story.  Everyone sort of has their own opinion of Chris McCandless, some think of him as a hero, some think of him as stupid.  I still haven't made up my mind yet, I know I don't think of him as a hero although I think a lot of positive things can come out of what he did, but I also don't think he was entirely stupid, he definitely made some mistakes.  I think the book is a good introduction to the story and I think that anyone who is interested should go ahead and read it, the book is short and it won't take long to read.  The film is a good adaptation of the novel and for those that don't like to read, I don't think you miss out on much by just seeing the film.  Obviously some details are left out, but the general ideas and themes are there.

The Film:  Directed by Sean Penn and staring Emile Hirsch.  I would rate Into The Wild a 4 star movie, the story is told very well and the acting is great, the music (as I will mention more about below) is very good and the landscapes and locations are also really well filmed. 
I saw the movie in theaters and was excited to see it again on DVD, the transfer is good and the film really looks good on DVD.  There isn't much along the line of special features or extra's, but that's probably how Chris would have wanted it, although I wish there were more.
I really think the story is intriguing, I don't know if I would say it's a good story, it's definitely a sad story, but it's thought provoking and interesting.  The story is told mostly through flashbacks, the film begins at the bus in Alaska and flashes back repeatedly to the adventure the lead up to Chris's time there.  I think it's well paced and there are definately times where you are hooked to the story waiting to see what happens next either in the flashbacks or the films current time line in Alaska. 
The acting is really good, after reading the book I had begun to characterize all of the people I had read about.  I think that as far as adapting the acting to the people written about in the book, it's done very well.  Of course as far as the acting based on the real life people, well only those close to the story can judge that.  Either way there are some performances that stand out, Emile Hirsch does a really good job, not only as looking like Chris but really making the audience believe in the themes and ideals that they are trying to portray.  I thought that Catherine Keener was good and made you really feel that she cared about Chris and of course Hal Holbrook's Oscar Nominated performance was excellent and was enough to make Brooke cry, so that's good.
One of the things I really enjoyed about the film was seeing the amazing cinematography and photography of the film.  Not since Lord of The Rings have I seen such amazing landscape shots.  The scenery will make anyone want to explore the Alaskan territory, it's very well done and many of the scenes are artistic and interesting in their composition. 
I do recommend this movie and I think that most people would enjoy it, although there are many things that conservative movie goers should be aware of.  The movie is rated R for language and nudity, so be aware and judge accordingly if you should see the film.

The Soundtrack:  The soundtrack for this film is excellent.  I was interested in the music because I enjoyed the movie and the music in the film just fits really well, but I was also interested because it's Eddie Vedder (For those who don't know, Eddie Vedder is a member of Pearl Jam).  The music is quite different from what I normally listen to, the style is also much more folk music than what we are used to hearing from Eddie Vedder.  I just really thought the music fit the earthy and sort of natural themes in the movie, it's also intertwined really well into the film.  The lyrics are also very close to the themes and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the lyrics were words that Chris would have spoken himself.  It's a great album and every song is good, I even enjoy a lot of the instrumental tracks on the CD.  So really I think that anyone and everyone should give the soundtrack a listen, I think that most people with varying musical tastes will enjoy it.

The Themes:  One of the major things to take away from this book or this film is the many different themes that can be derived from the story and the life of Chris McCandless.  I think a lot of times in books, and films especially we forget to draw those themes out and think about them.  (Or maybe Hollywood forgets to put them in there, I think this is the case more and more) There can be positive themes and negative themes but we can use either one to learn and or to change our lives for the better.  In fact both books and films were initially created as an art medium to tell a story and express a theme. 
There are many things to draw out of Into The Wild, but I just wanted to focus on what in my opinion is the major theme.
I think the theme all comes down to the fact that the relationships in our lives are one of the most important things in life.  Chris McCandless spent years searching and trying to find himself through his adventures and when it really came down to it, when he was on the brink of death he wrote "Happiness Is Only Real When Shared"  I think that alludes to the fact that Chris was in search of happiness and he realized that it's being with those close to us in our lives and sharing our experiences with others that truly brings happiness.  This story is marketed as an adventure story, but it's really not, it's really about relationships. 
I just thought that was a good message and I thought it was the major theme and a major part of the character transformation in this story.

It's been a good outlet for me to throw up some of my opinions on the blog and it's been a while since I had done so about a movie I liked, so it's been fun for me to write this.
I know there are other fans of either the book, film or soundtrack so please leave me some comments about your opinions and ideas.