Into the Wild

“The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up.” A dream come true for every viewer with the soul of an adventurer and traveller. I had long since grown out of radical rebellion against the system (after all, even Christopher did not despise the achievements of civilization – an abandoned bus, where he stretched out on a dusty mattress with gusto), but due to his family circumstances, I understood his motivation and somewhat envied his unrestrained travel. Sean Penn filmed it very well, with beautiful cinematography, breathtaking scenery and the likeable hippies Christopher met on his journey. And there aren't many musicians whose songs would fit better than Pearl Jam’s frontman Eddie Vedder, also a free-thinker, so I had no problem believing the lyrics. The criticism of the light construction of the screenplay vanished at the very end, when it was revealed that the story was based on the diary of a real character. An almost out of the blue great performance by Emil Hirsch. (07/03/2008)

The audience gets closer to the protagonist by slowly uncovering his childhood in a dysfunctional family. At the beginning, they might feel cold towards him, especially for his overly radical outsider opinion and reluctance to accept anything from consumerist reality. As a viewer, however, I was able to overcome this coldness towards Chris and ended up with tears in my eyes. Into the Wild is a wise, psychologically complex film that boldly explores deep existential questions. Moreover, it is beautiful. And Sean Penn is a genius. I consider his feeling-based portrayal of Los Angeles to be the second best scene of the film (behind only the brilliantly edited ending). (29/04/2008)

I wish it was freer and intellectually deeper. At times I felt that Penn actually says that living without anything in the wilderness like a homeless person is actually the best thing you can do, and that you will know what life is only if you do so, no matter the time, and that is something I cannot identify with. The emotions are fine, and there are quite a few of them, and it's interesting that the longer you look at it, the more you like the main character – or rather, it's entertaining to watch his mental development and transformation. It's a conscious film, I just would have preferred it to be in a slightly different direction – or maybe have the attributes rearranged differently, if you will. Dreamers and laid-back people will watch this over a beer and chuckle in delight. Pragmatists and realists would rather watch something like American Gangster, which is also a journey. (27/10/2014)

I didn't expect such boredom. The transformation of the protagonist was impressive and the music that accompanied him on his journey was nice, but what did it matter when I didn't believe a single one of his deep thoughts, which sounded only like godforsaken phrases in my ears, and when I was already very unpleasantly bored after an hour. The strangest thing of all, however, is that I like melancholic films with a similarly slow pace and pensive atmosphere. This one certainly won't be one of them. (05/09/2015)

I understand that this story about a young guy embarking on his dream adventure (without thinking about the effect that will have on his family and the people he meets along the way) can have a strong impact and even inspire some people, but it didn’t affect me at all. Into the Wild is not the type of film that can captivate me immediately (or that could emotionally exhaust me), and whether it will leave me with something else, time will tell. Emile Hirsch handles de role well, but I couldn’t relate to the character due to his very nature, which prevented me from experiencing the film to the fullest. The strongest part for me wasn’t the ending, it was the cameo of Hal Holbrook, whom I found more sincere and believable than Chris’s pilgrimage. The songs that can be heard throughout the film are very fitting and generate a specific atmosphere. Edit: So, I thought about it overnight and I have to add the fourth star. (28/07/2008)