I’ve been wanting to see Into the Wild since it came out since I read the book back when it came out in the mid-1990s.

In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

McCandless and I went to the same high school. He graduated a year behind me. I have vague memories of him - slender and quiet - although I don’t think we shared any classes. And after I read the book, I went through my yearbooks only to find no pictures of him at all. No class pictures, no club pictures. He was in a few clubs, too. And he ran cross country - there was one hazy photo of him running but his face isn’t visible. It’s like he was a ghost at the school, just a mere memory. If I remember correctly, his sister was in choir class with Jaynee.

Anyway, we watched the movie last night and I thought it was pretty good, if a bit long. From what I remember of the book, I think it was accurate, although the family background seemed more fleshed out in the movie. From the credits it looks like the family contributed to the film some, so maybe they shared more than they had with Krakauer when he wrote the book.

I think that Emile Hirsch played McCandless pretty well. He seemed young at times, but the real McCandless was young. And the shot of him by the Magic Bus that mirrored the actual shot of McCandless was spooky in its likeness.

It’s a sad story, from beginning to end. But it’s a well told story. ItW gets 4 stars out of 5.

[UPDATE]: More info here.

All viewpoints are welcome. Please keep your comments profanity free. Do not flame others. HTML links will not work. Please just post any links as is in your comment.

You must answer the captcha question in order for your comment to post. If you don't know the answer, let me know. I may or may not give it to you.

I reserve the right to delete and/or edit objectionable comments. Be nice and have fun!

<< Back to main