Into The Wild (2007)

Into the Wild is based on a true story in which a young man, Christopher McCandless, with a bright future after graduating university, decides instead to donate all his money to charity, rid himself of possessions and journey to Alaska. Although not perfect, this movie has stellar acting, great cinematography and a strong plot to go along with it.

To begin with, the cinematography is gorgeous and for the most part, shot on location. The cinematographer utilized landscape shots to truly highlight the beauty of the environment. The result is an authentic feeling movie that allows the viewer to see the world through the lens of our protagonist. There were many instances where I was blown away by the sheer beauty of the landscape and there were so many shots to choose from that it was difficult to choose a favorite shot let alone runner-ups. It was a movie that allowed me to sit back and relax, allowing the viewer to take in all the natural splendor in front of them.

The acting was also amazing with stellar performances from the entire cast, yet it was Hal Holbrook's performance that moved me. He only had around 20 minutes of screen-time but the effect he had on the viewer was incredible. His role truly moved me and others as he was nominated for the best supporting actor in the Oscars.

As mentioned in the first paragraph, Into the Wild is based on the true story of Christoper's journey to Alaska. My biggest gripe with this movie was its inability to cast Christoper in any means of negative light. Christopher is almost shown as a divine being, without flaw at times. In the movie, he is shown as a selfless individual who cares deeply about his sister and touches the lives of all those he meets. In reality, he may have been selfless but he kept to himself and didn't go out of his way to bother many people. He cut off all ties with his sister once he left. I am of the mentality that a protagonist should almost always have flaws as flaws are what make characters interesting. They bring a sense of depth to otherwise 2-dimensional rendering. The movie also doesn't shy away from cliches as it manifests scenarios for Christopher that had no documentation of occurring. If you're willing to accept this movie as a cinematic exaggeration then a play by play account then you will thoroughly enjoy this movie. I give this movie an 7 out of 10.
- GL

7 / 10



(Above) My favourite shot:


 (Below) Three runner-ups:





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