Real Review - Into the Wild HD DVD

As with other “thinking-man” type films, the key to replay value of a film is whether the plot, or the acting, or the inspiring camera work and cinematography intrigues the viewer enough to revisit that film. As with Into the Wild, which mingles many different philosophic elements, emotional underpinnings, and literary references, the question becomes: do we care enough about our hero to submerge ourselves into his world and mind in order to better understand ourselves?

Into the Wild is that rare film that not only entertains, but does so while also teaching us about human relationships, the world, and ultimately, ourselves. It is an extremely difficult task to effectively make a film that succeeds on so many different levels, but Into the Wild does so brilliantly.

Succinctly, the plot is drawn from the real events in the life of Chris McCandless, a young college grad who casts aside his money, his future career, his friends, and his family in the pursuit of finding himself. Like so many idealistic young men and women, Chris draws his inspiration from the writings of literary beacons, such as Jack London and Leo Tolstoy. In search of meaning, beauty, and truth, Chris sets out for the Western United States and ultimately for Alaska, the last great frontier.

The film, directed by Sean Penn, is faithful to the book, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. Penn produced the screenplay and has undoubtedly created his greatest film with Into the Wild. There are many instances of his masterful eye with beautiful scenes of the Alaskan frozen tundra, amazing spiraling top-down views, and a cornucopia of film stocks and hand-held camera shots.

I’m really impressed with the cast of Into the Wild. Emile Hirsch should have garnered an Oscar nomination for his performance as Chris McCandless. Hirsch threw himself into the role, and his devotion to his part shines in every scene. Hal Holbrook has a minor role near the end of the film, but he is so convincing as the lonely senior who takes a shine to Chris that Holbrook did indeed earn a nomination for best supporting actor. But, the real surprise for me was the aging hippies who befriend Chris. Rainey is played by first-timer, Brian Dierker, and he is remarkably good in the role. Catherine Keener, who plays Jan, Rainey’s wife, also stands out with her performance. It isn’t far-fetched to say that this ensemble was simply terrific.

Lastly, a mention for the soft and moody soundtrack by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam: it fits the film like a glove. As the themes of simplicity and understatement wind through the film, those same themes are underscored by the simple acoustic guitar strums and soulful croons of the music score. It is a happy day when all the elements come together and everything just seems to work. Everything just works in Into the Wild.

I watched Into the Wild on HD DVD and I thought the PQ was magnificent, clean, and detailed. There is a certain film-like quality to the picture that lends itself to not being overly contrasted or sharp. In other words, the picture looks great without seeming unreal. The audio track was the ubiquitous Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 that seems to be the norm with most HD DVD discs, and it sounds great. The film is mostly dialog driven, but the sound design is well-realized with this mostly quiet film.

The disc also includes two short making-of documentaries and the original trailer. I would have loved to have seen a photo gallery of the real Chris McCandless or maybe an interview with his parents and friends. Nevertheless, despite the bare-bone extras on the disc, the film itself more than compensates.

Rating: 9

Source Chuck’s Movie Reviews

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