Erämaan armoille

The audience gets closer to the protagonist by slowly uncovering his childhood in a dysfunctional family. At the beginning, they might feel cold towards him, especially for his overly radical outsider opinion and reluctance to accept anything from consumerist reality. As a viewer, however, I was able to overcome this coldness towards Chris and ended up with tears in my eyes. Into the Wild is a wise, psychologically complex film that boldly explores deep existential questions. Moreover, it is beautiful. And Sean Penn is a genius. I consider his feeling-based portrayal of Los Angeles to be the second best scene of the film (behind only the brilliantly edited ending). (29.04.2008)

“The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up.” A dream come true for every viewer with the soul of an adventurer and traveller. I had long since grown out of radical rebellion against the system (after all, even Christopher did not despise the achievements of civilization – an abandoned bus, where he stretched out on a dusty mattress with gusto), but due to his family circumstances, I understood his motivation and somewhat envied his unrestrained travel. Sean Penn filmed it very well, with beautiful cinematography, breathtaking scenery and the likeable hippies Christopher met on his journey. And there aren't many musicians whose songs would fit better than Pearl Jam’s frontman Eddie Vedder, also a free-thinker, so I had no problem believing the lyrics. The criticism of the light construction of the screenplay vanished at the very end, when it was revealed that the story was based on the diary of a real character. An almost out of the blue great performance by Emil Hirsch. (07.03.2008)

I understand that this story about a young guy embarking on his dream adventure (without thinking about the effect that will have on his family and the people he meets along the way) can have a strong impact and even inspire some people, but it didn’t affect me at all. Into the Wild is not the type of film that can captivate me immediately (or that could emotionally exhaust me), and whether it will leave me with something else, time will tell. Emile Hirsch handles de role well, but I couldn’t relate to the character due to his very nature, which prevented me from experiencing the film to the fullest. The strongest part for me wasn’t the ending, it was the cameo of Hal Holbrook, whom I found more sincere and believable than Chris’s pilgrimage. The songs that can be heard throughout the film are very fitting and generate a specific atmosphere. Edit: So, I thought about it overnight and I have to add the fourth star. (29.07.2008)

An absolutely divine film in perhaps all possible and even impossible details. After all, how many times has anyone thought about their life and considered escaping into nature and living in a completely non-consumerist way, like in a preserve? This film is about a boy who gave it its fullest and opened the door for other people. Until then, Sean Penn was basically a great, but a bit strange actor for me. Now I have to say that he is also a genius filmmaker, because what he did with the actors cannot be described with words. I could feel the emotions from everyone, and the music really added a lot to that. Finally, after a long time, a film where the running time was not a problem for me, quite the opposite. I liked that even though the film could have been practically without dialogues, there is still something going on in it and there are still different people and different characters that the boy who ventured into nature meets. A film that evoked so many joyful, sad, positive, but also negative emotions in me like no other in a long time. (04.01.2013)

“Entering the wilderness purposefully ill-prepared, and surviving a near-death experience does not make you a better human, it makes you damn lucky." A non-verbatim “novel" adaptation of an excellent documentary book. You don’t often see that sort of thing. Even though it’s true that the situation was that much easier for Penn due to the fact that he scratched all the stories of the people that McCandless meets, and a lot of chapters about similar adventurers and his declared devotion to unfettered freedom. And he was still left with enough material to write a short novel, which would be far too much for the running time. So he rewrote it in his own way - very loosely. And it works excellently, although personally I am bothered about how he changed the character motivations (e.g. Ron Franz) and about the very idealized perspective on Chris’ actions. The movie version of Krakauer’s “Into the Wild" may stand proud next to its book parent and they beautifully, and rarely, supplement each other. Plus, Penn finds firm support in the camera, Eddie Vedder’s music and of course Hirsch’s performance. And all the above may be enjoyed whether or not you takes Chris as a new-age hero discarding all worldly goods (the only perspective offered by the movie), an irresponsible poser rich-kid who got what he deserved or simply “just" a regular humanly erring naive dreamer who bit off more than he could chew. But still, the book is simply better and, with its many layers of perspective (although it’s obvious which opinions the author himself holds dearer), more powerful. And, rather surprisingly, the movie has awoken in me a desire to set off into the wild. (04.04.2008)

I wish it was freer and intellectually deeper. At times I felt that Penn actually says that living without anything in the wilderness like a homeless person is actually the best thing you can do, and that you will know what life is only if you do so, no matter the time, and that is something I cannot identify with. The emotions are fine, and there are quite a few of them, and it's interesting that the longer you look at it, the more you like the main character – or rather, it's entertaining to watch his mental development and transformation. It's a conscious film, I just would have preferred it to be in a slightly different direction – or maybe have the attributes rearranged differently, if you will. Dreamers and laid-back people will watch this over a beer and chuckle in delight. Pragmatists and realists would rather watch something like American Gangster, which is also a journey. (28.10.2014)

I didn't expect such boredom. The transformation of the protagonist was impressive and the music that accompanied him on his journey was nice, but what did it matter when I didn't believe a single one of his deep thoughts, which sounded only like godforsaken phrases in my ears, and when I was already very unpleasantly bored after an hour. The strangest thing of all, however, is that I like melancholic films with a similarly slow pace and pensive atmosphere. This one certainly won't be one of them. (06.09.2015)

Yeah, it’s nice to watch, with beautiful nature, beautiful music, and so forth. But otherwise it didn't appeal to me at all and I was rather bored. (26.02.2012)

Sean Penn is mainly known as an actor, although it is definitely worth getting to know his directing work as well. Even if not the whole film, "Into the Wild" is definitely a movie that can captivate. It's not so much because you will agree with the hero, I mean, I think a lot of us will just think that he is an idiot, but it is still worth considering what message is contained in the film. It is not an empty movie. Reflect on who you are. Returning to nature is a profound metaphor. But you will find something there, something deep inside you, something hidden. Perhaps each of us should go through a similar journey to realize what is important here. But who among us has the courage to do that? I should probably stop before I start philosophizing too much. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/jumper-babel-kung-fu-divocina-miami.html (17.02.2013)