The Bottom Line
Pros
- Earnest, heartfelt film based on the real-life story of a young man's spiritual quest
- Scenic shots of the American West and interesting depictions of alternative lifestyles
- Fine performances by Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden
Cons
- Movie is long, slow-moving and episodic
- Some people feel the protagonist is overly romanticized
- DVD extras are skimpy and run-of-the-mill
Description
- Two-disc DVD set containing biographical drama Into the Wild (2007)
- Story is adapted from the nonfiction best-selling book by Jon Krakauer
- Movie written and directed by Sean Penn and stars Emile Hirsch
- Film nominated for two Oscars: Editing and Best Supporting Actor (Hal Holbrook)
- DVD set contains a 39-minute making-of documentary, broken into two parts
- Feature film runtime: 2 hours 28 minutes
- MPAA rating: R for language and some nudity
- DVD release date: March 4, 2008
Guide Review - Into the Wild DVD Review
Written and directed by Sean Penn, Into the Wild is an earnest, heartfelt drama adapted from the nonfiction best-selling book by Jon Krakauer. It's the story of a young man named Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch) who goes on a two-year spiritual quest. Hirsch is surrounded by a fine supporting cast that includes Hal Holbrook (in an Oscar-nominated performance), Catherine Keener, William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden.
Chris becomes estranged from his affluent parents (Hurt and Harden) and after graduating college, he sets off on an odyssey that takes him from South Dakota wheat fields to the California desert and from northern Mexico to the Alaskan wilderness. The film contains a lot of scenic footage and has Chris meeting a series of offbeat characters, including a middle-aged hippie couple (Keener and newcomer Brian Dierker) and a retired military man (Holbrook). But ultimately Chris' quest ends in tragedy.
The movie is episodic, and at a length of two-and-a-half hours, moves slowly. There's validity to the criticism that Penn makes his protagonist into too much of a saint and doesn't sufficiently explore his self-destructiveness. Still, Into the Wild is one of the best films about a young man trying to be self-reliant and lead an ascetic life while he goes on a journey of self-discovery.
The only bonus material of any consequence provided by the Into the Wild 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD set is an occasionally engaging 39-minute making-of documentary. It's broken into two parts, the first focusing on Penn and the cast, the second on the crew. Perhaps the most interesting thing here is that the already slender Emile Hirsch lost 41 pounds to be more convincing in the role of Chris McCandless.
