DVD Review: Into the Wild (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

By Jeff Swindoll Mar 3, 2008, 14:56 GMT

"Into The Wild" is inspired by a true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a young man who abandons his life of comfort to pursue the freedom of life on the road, a quest that leads him to the Alaskan wilderness and the ultimate challenge of his life. Screenplay and directed by Sean Penn and featuring an all-star cast including William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener and ...more

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” – Henry David Thoreau

The truth of the matter is that Christopher McCandless was a man unprepared for the harshness of nature.  He goes “into the wild” but his quest for truth turns up the truth that if you go without the proper preparation that you’ll not come back out again.  

Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) seems like the normal child of privilege.  His parents Billie (Marcia Gay Harden) and Ray (William Hurt) and sister Carine (Jena Malone) seem to want for nothing. 

Chris has just graduated from Emory University and has his whole life pretty much set.  Instead of going into business Chris sends his life savings of $24,000 to OXFAM (an international relief charity), re-christens himself “Alexander Supertramp,” and sets off to live off the grid. 

Living off the grid involves getting rid of all his credit cards, social security card, and other identifiers and hiking across the land.  Chris has a vision of going to Alaska and living off the land. 

Along the way he encounters hippy couple Rainey (Brian Dierker) and Jan (Catherine Keener), Wayne Westerberg (Vince Vaughn), Tracy (Kristen Stewart), and retiree Ron Franz (Hal Holbrook).  Although Chris seems to impart some wisdom to each person he encounters and does appear positively Christ-like on occasion, he still goes very unprepared into the wilderness and discovers that will be a fatal flaw in his quest for survival.  

The film is based on a true story.  Director Sean Penn read the book by Jon Krakauer’s book about the tragedy or misadventure of young Chris McCandless.  This charismatic youth sets off the naiveté that only youth can muster and dreams of going to the wilds of Alaska to find himself. 

The problem is that Chris is entirely unprepared for the harsh change in conditions that Alaska is prone to.  Hitchhiking across the United States is one matter (and he’s not entirely prepared for that), but the unknown and ever-changing conditions of the Alaskan wild is another, more dangerous, thing. 

It’s pretty obvious that Chris made an impression on those who met him during his treks, but I don’t think we can discount the end of his tale and hope that some might learn the dangers of going off into the wild without knowing what you should do to survive and making sure you’re extremely prepared for the conditions. 

Even with that warning, Sean Penn has crafted a lyrical film that is easy to become engrossed in.  I had to temper my admiration for the freedom that Chris was able to find with my knowledge that his tale had an ending that could’ve been prevented if he had the knowledge of the wild - which he longed to experience. 

The performances are top notch and Hal Holbrook received an Oscar nomination, losing out to Javier Bordem, for best supporting actor.  He only shows up in the last act of the film but his presence and role makes you see whey the academy decided to honor him with the nod.  

Into the Wild is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Disc one contains the film with the remainder of the supplements shifted to disc two. 

Disc two contains the 22 minute “The Story, The Characters” which goes a bit more into the real people on which the film is based.  The 17-minute “The Experience” delves more into the production and how they really visited the places that Alex Supertramp had gone to.  Finally, there’s the 2-minute theatrical trailer.  A commentary from director Sean Penn would’ve been most welcome but sadly it doesn’t materialize.  

Into the Wild is oddly appealing and uplifting, even if the subject of the film seems to have been running in search of himself.  The performances are excellent and the directing as well (sadly, no nomination for Penn).  Into the Wild is an excellent film, but an ultimately sad journey. 

Into the Wild (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a March 10th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.