Justin does Into the Wild

“Just be out there in it, you know? In the wild.”

The Scoop: 2007 R, directed by Sean Penn and starring Emile Hersch, Marcia Gay Harden and Catherine Keener

Tagline: Your great adventure on Alaska.

Summary: Young man disconnects from society and plunges himself into a series of wilderness adventures.

Justin’s Rating: Stupid!  You’re so stuuuupid!

Justin’s Review: The question is, was Christopher McCandless a stupid, stupid man… or a man of courageous nature who had the audacity to reject society in a very consumerist age?  Alaskans tend to say the first, but Into The Wild makes a strong case for the second.  No one disputes that he was willful and apparently fearless.  In any case, what’s done is done, and his unfortunate tragedy is a matter of public record.

But it still makes for fascinating viewing.

In 1992, McCandless (played here by Emile Hirsch) was dropped off in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness for a self-appointed “odyssey” away from it all.  He was woefully unprepared in both gear and knowledge for the trek, but that didn’t deter him from striking out into nature, with civilization receding far behind him.  He found a broken down bus to live in, some game to eat, and all the time in the world to think and write.  While he didn’t come back (I figure public accounts like this are the exception to the “no spoiler” policy, but I won’t go into details), he did leave behind a four-month journal of his thoughts, activities and dreams.  Enough for a movie, I suppose.

Backed by a kickin’ Eddie Vedder soundtrack, Into the Wild begins with McCandless’ first steps into the Alaskan bush, then flashes back to the past, to trace his steps from the last days of high school to this very moment.  It turns out that this wasn’t the first odyssey he undertook, as the restless man crossed the continent in search of something that wasn’t fulfilled by money, relationships or success.  Maybe he found it in the end.  Maybe he was just a stupid idiot, an example for what Boy Scouts should not be.

Like other semi-historical films where you know the ending, the journey is all you really have to look forward to.  Hirsch does a terrific job as the intense (but sometimes intensely askew) McCandless, especially when he is called on to do a one-man show, all alone in the wild.

While traveling Alaska is a dream of mine, I don’t think I’d ever consider going to such extremes as this guy, but it is a fascinating mind exercise to mull over.  What would it be like, really, to ditch everything, burn your wallet on the road, and simply fall off of civilization’s radar, even if only for a few months?  Dangerous, yes, and maybe the time of your life.

"Uh... hello? Anyone going to fix this bus? Give it wheels? Hello?"

Didja Notice?

• The role of Jim Gallien, the Alaskan who gave Chris the rubber boots in the opening scene, is played by the real Jim Gallien.

Intermission!

• Emile Hirsch lost 40 pounds to play this role.  He also didn’t use any stunt doubles.
• The production made four separate trips to Alaska in order to film during different seasons.

Groovy Quotes

Christopher McCandless: Some people feel like they don’t deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.

Christopher McCandless: Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don’t want one.

Christopher McCandless: No, man. Alaska, Alaska. I’m gonna be all the way out there, all the way fucking out there. Just on my own. You know, no f**king watch, no map, no axe, no nothing. No nothing. Just be out there. Just be out there in it. You know, big mountains, rivers, sky, game. Just be out there in it, you know? In the wild.

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• Without a Paddle