Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

Into the Wild (2007)

Directed by Sean Penn

Starring Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden

Author

Well-shot, fitting music, great cast, and many wonderful supporting performances, but not emotional enough to carry it’s length or win the boy an Oscar.

Chris is mildly interesting, but is he really a hero? Someone to be admired? Sure, he hates society. But what’s his real message? That you’re better off getting away from material things? He hates money but uses a broken down bus for shelter. He hates cars but he relies on passing trains to get around. That you’re better off getting away from people? He relies on hitchhiking and homeless people. He is lacking a clear philosophy and that leaves him full of contradictions, which in turn limits how attached to his character we can get. I agree with a lot of NPS rangers and Alaskan natives who think that he committed suicide and that his story only paves the way for others to do the same.

The moment when he looks at the camera while eating an apple almost blew it for me.

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