Into the Wild...

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by OrlandoEastwood

I thought Penn made a good movie. Granted, in my opinion, there was no need for Kristen Stewart. Don't like her, she adds white trash persona to a film which brings it down in my opinion. Other than that, I liked it.

P.S: Avatar is better.

Well, I think the term "white trash" is a bit offensive. I don't think her appearance (being in the film, not how she looked) brought down the film at all. I don't really think the mini love story was needed, I agree. It wasn't in the book. However, it did provide two things which could be considered important:

[Show spoiler] 1) Chris turns her down for sex. In the book, there was speculation that Chris was actually gay. 2) It shows the affect that Chris had on everyone he met. The old man, whose name escapes me, got out of the house after Chris died. He spent the rest of his life, as per Chris's recommendation, traveling the country alone in memory of Chris.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by JLant19

Man I'm glad you finally watched this! I agree with you totally. Emile does a great job in it and should have got a nom for his role. People tell me the book is better, maybe I should read it but then I dont want to think less of the film, so I'll stick with the movie.

Read the book, trust me. I read it after seeing the film and it did not detract from the film at all. Surfdude and I had this conversation the other day. I think sometimes reading a book after viewing a film will make one or the other less good than it would have been (book version of Tell No One, being a recent example--even though it was a good book, the movie was better and I already knew the twists), but that's not the case here or for most non-fiction books imo.

I actually think reading the book after the film really enhanced it for me. It fleshed out some things a lot better, making Chris's story more understandable. The only negative of the book was that there was too much time spent on stories of other people. However, these stories are always interesting.

Highly recommended.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

I watched this film for the first time this morning, for some reason I had skipped over it, but let me say that this is one of my favorite movies of the decade. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and was curious to hear other peoples feelings/thought on this film, and please keep the "I hate Sean Penn" BS out

Its in my nextflix queue as I have not seen it either.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by mikejet

If he really wanted to ditch everything he should have gone to Kauai and the Kalalau Valley. At least he wouldn't have DIED.

wow should there be a spolier alert?

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by Elvis

wow should there be a spolier alert?

It's based on a TRUE STORY. Should I put a spoiler tag for PEARL HARBOR?

[Show spoiler]The JAPANESE ATTACK THE HARBOR.

[Elvis]

Originally Posted by mikejet

It's based on a TRUE STORY. Should I put a spoiler tag for PEARL HARBOR?

[Show spoiler]The JAPANESE ATTACK THE HARBOR.

No but seeing how I dont even know anything about the story....dont think I would equte it to Pearl Habor or the sinking of Titanic.

[Porkchop Express]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Its in my nextflix queue as I have not seen it either.

I think you'll like it Elvis. I actually watched it on a plane ride home from Peru after 2 weeks of hiking. So I could kind of relate to his character. It made me appreciate the skills one needs to survive in the wilderness. Anyways, I won't give away any spoilers, I hope you enjoy it!

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Well, yes and no. It depends on how you look at it. There is no question that Chris was a rich kid who gave it all away for his idealistic views. Whether that is seen as a waste and "stupid" is up to the person interpreting it. It's not as simple as that.

It's as simple as that to me. Here are some spoiler tags just in case.

[Show spoiler]He was stupid because he ate the wrong food and died. He was stupid because the way out was pretty close (generally speaking) to where he was staying. He was stupid because he waited too long to cross the river.

(And hopefully no one throws the whole "but he went to Emory!" thing in my face. I grew up there, and I know plenty of common sense dummies that went there. )

All that said, I read the book more than a decade ago on one of my own cross-country treks and found it riveting. As I stated before, something was lost in Penn's movie. Sort of felt empty, and I don't think it was intentional.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by repete66211

Despite the good press I haven't been able to make myself watch this movie yet. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because I don't really care about some naive, silver spoon kid who pissed it all away at Walden Pond, dying of his own stupidity. Maybe that's not what the movie's about, but it's the impression I got from the buzz when the movie was out. I'm sure I'll watch it eventually, prodded by positive reviews like yours RockChalk.

P.S. Will you be watching the game tomorrow?

He didnt fit the silver spoon mold, at all. He was born into a comfortable middle class, but his soul was that of an adventurerer/explorer/rebel. He wanted to break free from the shackles of "normal" society. He is FAR from a brat type.

As viewers, we share some great adventures with him. He is good, and does good. There are some ginourmously fantastic performances.

There could not have been a more perfect choice than Vedder for the music.

Count me in the camp that LOVED this film.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

That's exactly what the movie (and book) are about. People here might try to sugarcoat it, but when you boil it all down, that's what it was.

I just dont see that. Deep inside he knew that he didnt belong in a "traditional" chase the $ lifestyle. It just wasnt who he was. Was he a brat? No. He conducted his life with dignity. Was he whiney? Not at all, he just went about his affairs. Look at how he treated each and every person he crossed paths with, especially Hal Holbrooks character. He was willing to work hard and never expected a handout. He was honorable.

Naive? Perhaps. Does that make a very young person bad? Did he make mistakes? Sure. Did he try to do it right? Yes. Did he ultimately fail? Yes. Thats the beautiful/sad/irony to the tale.

My .2 cents anyway.

[casablanca3]

Loved this movie! Need to watch it again, been awhile.

[Grubert]

I enjoyed the movie a lot. It was very well made, and I heard that Penn shot this with only a skeleton crew, so it makes me appreciate it even more.

WRT the kid, it is the classical story of the idealist that gets crushed by the harsh realities of the world. If you've seen Grizzly Man or Che you know what I mean. All of those men refused to accept the worldview that had been given to them, chose their own path, and paid with their lives. Of course, they were all overconfident.

Of course, McCandless' heroic failure is made a little less heroic because he didn't need to die. Going into the Alaska wilderness so ill-equipped into the wild (with only a bag of rice as food reserve) was beyond foolish.

Scott of the Antarctic he ain't.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by repete66211

Ah yes, "men leading lives of quiet desperation". I hear you surfdude, but death is a pretty strong indication you're not doing something right. I have no problem with this kid rejecting civilization--I've thought about doing the same thing myself--but to do so in such a naive way, by also rejecting the need for basic survival skills, is the stupid part. It reeks of the freshman philosophy major, full of pie in the sky theory but possessing zero practical experience for said theory's implementation.

Rejecting? He sought an education on butchering, prepping and storing meat. He had the foresight to aquire a book showing which herbs, nut, berries were safe to consume. Granted he made an error when picking those berries, but it wasnt for lack of trying. And IMO it certainly wasnt rejecting basic survival skills. He was ill prepared, but its not like he threw all caution to the wind.

Edit:Naivety led to his demise, not conscious reckless abandon.

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I just dont see that. Deep inside he knew that he didnt belong in a "traditional" chase the $ lifestyle. It just wasnt who he was. Was he a brat? No. He conducted his life with dignity. Was he whiney? Not at all, he just went about his affairs. Look at how he treated each and every person he crossed paths with, especially Hal Holbrooks character. He was willing to work hard and never expected a handout. He was honorable.

Naive? Perhaps. Does that make a very young person bad? Did he make mistakes? Sure. Did he try to do it right? Yes. Did he ultimately fail? Yes. Thats the beautiful/sad/irony to the tale.

My .2 cents anyway.

Oh I don't think he was a "bad" guy (except for the way he treated his parents and sister and left them behind with not even a call or letter). I just think he overestimated his abilities and intelligence, and that's why I think he was stupid. (I agree he wasn't super rich. But he wasn't poor, either).

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

It's as simple as that to me. Here are some spoiler tags just in case.

[Show spoiler]He was stupid because he ate the wrong food and died. He was stupid because the way out was pretty close (generally speaking) to where he was staying. He was stupid because he waited too long to cross the river.

(And hopefully no one throws the whole "but he went to Emory!" thing in my face. I grew up there, and I know plenty of common sense dummies that went there. )

All that said, I read the book more than a decade ago on one of my own cross-country treks and found it riveting. As I stated before, something was lost in Penn's movie. Sort of felt empty, and I don't think it was intentional.

hindsight 20-20? any decision can be painted as "dumb", when looked back from the future, with all the facts.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

Oh I don't think he was a "bad" guy (except for the way he treated his parents and sister and left them behind with not even a call or letter). I just think he overestimated his abilities and intelligence, and that's why I think he was stupid. (I agree he wasn't super rich. But he wasn't poor, either).

I wasnt a big fan of his parents.

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

hindsight 20-20? any decision can be painted as "dumb", when looked back from the future, with all the facts.

No I think he could have known it was "dumb" just like any one of us would know it is "dumb" to be so ill-prepared to survive the harsh Alaskan wilderness (in winter...without much food...etc.)

Just my opinion fellas.

I feel the responses are more out of frustration that I don't love the movie.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by ;2843204

repete wrote:
but I think it's because I don't really care about some naive, silver spoon kid who pissed it all away at Walden Pond, dying of his own stupidity. Maybe that's not what the movie's about

O V N wrote
That's exactly what the movie (and book) are about. People here might try to sugarcoat it, but when you boil it all down, that's what it was.

Depend on what level you are viewing it.Sure:He died of ignorance,but to me that was not what this movie was about.I interpreted it to be about alternative way of life.Daring the dream to use a cliche.

I thought it was ok at first viewing,but nothing special.It was at the secong viewing I saw it's brilliance.This movie demands multiple viewings

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by O_V_N

No I think he could have known it was "dumb" just like any one of us would know it is "dumb" to be so ill-prepared to survive the harsh Alaskan wilderness (in winter...without much food...etc.)

Just my opinion fellas.

I feel the responses are more out of frustration that I don't love the movie.

DUDE!!

He had a parka and a school bus. What else do you need?

Yes he made dumb mistakes. Perhaps thats why I so easily relate to the character.

[Chordata]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

DUDE!!

He had a parka and a school bus. What else do you need?

Yes he made dumb mistakes. Perhaps thats why I so easily relate to the character.

LOL too true. Maybe I think he's smarter than me and that's why I can't relate...