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With just a pack on his back, a man heads into the wild to discover himself.

The Truth :

After graduating from University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.

Christopher McCandless is a spoiled, depressed, manic young man. His story is unique because it ends with adventure, love and tragedy. Regardless of whether or not your support Christopher’s choices and personal struggles, it takes enormous guts to give away every posession you have and venture to the brutal elements of Alaska.

I make claim to McCandless being spoiled and manic, and I do so in the hopes I don’t offend anyone close to him. I mean, when you lay your life story out there for the public t see and judge, you have to take the good with the bad.

Into the Wild lets us follow Chris on his journey to Alaska, where he believes he’ll find his happyness and answers. For a brilliant young man, its shocking to witness how unprepared he is for one of the harshest environments on the planet.

Emile Hirsch plays the role on McCandless to perfection and Catherine Keener is wonderful as well.

Favorite Scenes :

The film moves along rather slowly, with no real intent on delivering action. I suppose my most memorable scene was when Chris discovers what he needs to and decides to go back home. When he discovers his only path back to civilization is now blocked by a raging river, reality sets in.

The Verdict :

A decent movie, with a little bit to offer for everyone. I was confused as to why the director {Sean Penn} focused so much time and attention to Chris’s interaction with some of the uninteresting characters in the movie. The film was very long at 2hr 40 min, and got a little dull at times.

I recommend renting it, if nothing else for the ending to Chris’s journey. Maybe we can all take a little something from this story and apply it to our materialistic journey on this planet.

Things I learned from this movie :

• Alaska sucks and is unpredictable
• Kayaking introduces you to topless women
• Don’t hitch rides in empty train cars
• Datsun’s run forever
• Learn how to skin a moose before heading into the wild
• If you have a book on poisonous plants, read it before eating plants
• Stockpile food, you may never know when you’ll need it
• If alone in this world, look for hippies. They are usually topless and horny.