Movie Review: Into The Wild

This is almost in a way rather a music review than a movie review, but in this case, the two go hand in hand. Since I’ve been listening to a lot of Eddie Vedder lately, I thought this was appropriate.

The Film: Into The Wild, released in 2007

Now, we saw this film in theatres when it first came out, so this review isn’t exactly current. But I’ve been listening to the Vedder soundtrack a lot lately, and this snowy day has got me thinking about it (if you have seen the movie, you’ll probably guess what part I’m thinking of).

The video’s that can be found on YouTube are actually really decent – they show great footage from the film and are very well done.

This film is one of my favorites. My family is big into camping, exploring the wilderness and the outdoors, etc. I thought this film would be right up my Dad’s alley after I saw it, so I bought him the book for Christmas that winter. He was less than impressed for some reason.

The film is based on a book written by Jon Krakauer about a true story of a college graduate in the states who graduated top of his class, with a huge pile of money. One day he dumps his money and sets out with the goal of traveling up to Alaska. Obviously he has adventures along the way, some good, some bad, one terrible.

It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to drop everything, change your name to Alexander Supertramp, and head out to go wherever you’ve ever wanted to go – with not a word to anybody, no forwarding address, no promise of a travel blog along the way.

Apparently Christopher McCandless’s parents, the directors of his memorial foundation, are coming out with a new book, called Back to the Wild in 2011. I’ll be eager to see what direction that takes, as it comes from their perspective rather than Hollywood’s.

Check out the film if you get a chance – it’s shot beautifully, Eddie Vedder works his magic, and the story itself is heartwarming, inspiring, and tear/adventure-inducing.