Into the Wild

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

For 10 years, Sean Penn has been obsessed with bringing to the screen Jon Krakauer's 1998 best-selling book about the two-year odyssey of Emerson graduate Chris McCandless, a societal dropout who eventually winds up spending 113 days in the Alaskan wilderness where the only blackberry around is the kind you eat. Penn has done his job well as writer/director/producer of an unforgettable cinematic experience, a singularly original film that takes us places few flicks go these days. It morphs into a mystic and mesmerizing journey of adventure and self-discovery, and it does what great movies are supposed to do—tap into our senses, effortlessly guiding us along its unpredictable and entirely fascinating path. Emile Hirsch, terrific as McCandless, plays a promising and affluent college grad who gets his diploma, immediately gives away his worldly possessions, and embarks on a road trip that takes him from Arizona to Alaska. He tells no one including his family of his plans, seemingly just disappearing in the atmosphere, complete with new name Alexander Supertramp. Along the way to his final destination, he meets a number of new friends and acquaintances (played by the likes of Vince Vaughn and Catherine Keener), but ultimately winds up alone searching for his true identity and place in the world. To tell this story Krakauer acted almost as detective, retracing McCanless' steps and interviewing those with whom he came in contact. Penn has remained faithful to the book, shooting in over 30 of the exact locations Chris crossed. Whether readers of the book will be satisfied is a question mark; but as a rich movie experience, there can be no question that Into the Wild is a trip worth savoring.

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