Into the Wild

[WMR]

Has anyone seen this movie or read the book?

It is one of the best films that I have seen in a LONG time.

Thoreau is one of my all-time favorite authors, and this movie really "spoke" to me. I got the book for christmas and have read a bit of it so far...

Sean Penn really did do an amazing job with this film. All the actors were brilliant in their roles as well.

McCandless' relationship with the old man was especially poignant to me.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_wild/

[westofyou]

Saw and read it, I like the book much better then the film.

I think the kid was whack. To me he seemed like the typical east coast navel gazer who went west and got eaten by nature.. not that I wouldn't have liked him etc... but he was pushing something pretty hard without a bunch of knowledge to boost him up through the tough times.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Saw and read it, I like the book much better then the film.

I think the kid was whack. To me he seemed like the typical east coast navel gazer who went west and got eaten by nature.. not that I wouldn't have liked him etc... but he was pushing something pretty hard without a bunch of knowledge to boost him up through the tough times.

I think the movie makes him a much more sympathetic character than the book.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

I think the movie makes him a much more sympathetic character than the book.

Yep, it's true, put a face on anybody and thrust them in an interesting to observe situation and chances are you can relate to them more, words have to bridge your preconceived notions about behavior and action, it slows the stories events down more in the eyes of the one being fed the story, and thus we tend to think that every decision made will be one executed with 100% rational.

Pretty much not like real life.

[WMR]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Yep, it's true, put a face on anybody and thrust them in an interesting to observe situation and chances are you can relate to them more, words have to bridge your preconceived notions about behavior and action, it slows the stories events down more in the eyes of the one being fed the story, and thus we tend to think that every decision made will be one executed with 100% rational.

Pretty much not like real life.

I think that can make a movie resonate more powerfully on a personal level for the exact reasons you bring up in this post.

[jmcclain19]

I honestly felt sorry for McCandless' family after reading the book.

After they gave him just about everything imaginable while he was growing up and he pretty much gave them the finger once he turned 18.

I also thought he was incredibly stupid. Almost as if he was committing suicide by nature and was reveling in the attention of it. If I taught a wilderness survival class (which I've taken before) I would use McCandless as an example of what not to do.

I haven't seen the movie yet but I'm sure I will when it hits DVD.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by jmcclain19

I honestly felt sorry for McCandless' family after reading the book.

After they gave him just about everything imaginable while he was growing up and he pretty much gave them the finger once he turned 18.

I also thought he was incredibly stupid. Almost as if he was committing suicide by nature and was reveling in the attention of it. If I taught a wilderness survival class (which I've taken before) I would use McCandless as an example of what not to do.

I haven't seen the movie yet but I'm sure I will when it hits DVD.

Sounds kind of like "Grizzly Man," only without the bears and the video camera.

[MWM]

I read the book several years ago, but haven't seen the movie. I'll probably get it on DVD at some point.

[Redsfaithful]

Originally Posted by jmcclain19

Almost as if he was committing suicide by nature and was reveling in the attention of it.

I've read the book, haven't seen the movie yet, but I disagree with this. I honestly don't think he intended to die. He made some pretty bad mistakes, probably not surprisingly, but I don't think he ever thought he was going to die (until it got to that point). A lot of people forget that he did manage to survive in Alaska for like four months.

Yachtzee I was just talking to my wife the other day about how a lot of people seem to put McCandless on the same level as the bear guy, and I think that's unfair. He made a bad mistake, and it's hard to understand what he was thinking in a lot of ways, but I don't think he was anywhere near as ignorant as the bear guy. He was living his life in a really unconventional way, which is not an entirely bad thing.

Like woy said, I think he was pretty whack too, but I'll bet he would have been an interesting guy to have a beer with, and it's a shame he didn't live.

[Redsfaithful]

Also the soundtrack by Eddie Vedder is really good. I bought that a week or two ago and have been listening to it quite a bit.

[bucksfan2]

Is it out on DVD yet? I read the book and it was a good read and really wanted to see the movie. I just have a hard time seing anything Sean Penn because I don't like some of his political actions.

I kind of admire McCandless. He did what he wanted to do. He spent quite a bit of time on the road doing what he loved to do. The whole family aspect no one really knows about and will never because all you are hearing is one side of the story.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Redsfaithful

I've read the book, haven't seen the movie yet, but I disagree with this. I honestly don't think he intended to die. He made some pretty bad mistakes, probably not surprisingly, but I don't think he ever thought he was going to die (until it got to that point). A lot of people forget that he did manage to survive in Alaska for like four months.

Yachtzee I was just talking to my wife the other day about how a lot of people seem to put McCandless on the same level as the bear guy, and I think that's unfair. He made a bad mistake, and it's hard to understand what he was thinking in a lot of ways, but I don't think he was anywhere near as ignorant as the bear guy. He was living his life in a really unconventional way, which is not an entirely bad thing.

Like woy said, I think he was pretty whack too, but I'll bet he would have been an interesting guy to have a beer with, and it's a shame he didn't live.

Well, I think Timothy Treadwell had a lot of good intentions too and he managed to make it through 13 or so seasons with the grizzly bears. I'm sure if we didn't have video of Treadwell acting foolish with the bears, people would have been praising him for his commitment to wildlife instead of mocking him for his ignorance.

I haven't read the book or seen the movie, but from what I've learned from internet research over the past few days, I think the criticisms of McCandless are valid. He was reckless and stupid in going off on his own without adequate provisions, a map and a compass. If he truly intended to survive in the Alaskan wilderness, he should have taken the time to learn about his surroundings and seek out advice from experienced guides before heading off on his own. While feel his intentions may have been admirable, I think it's important to understand how ignorant he was so that others who may be inspired by him do not share his fate.

[jmcclain19]

Originally Posted by Redsfaithful

I've read the book, haven't seen the movie yet, but I disagree with this. I honestly don't think he intended to die. He made some pretty bad mistakes, probably not surprisingly, but I don't think he ever thought he was going to die (until it got to that point). A lot of people forget that he did manage to survive in Alaska for like four months.

The only reason I say that was his repeated insistance on telling people that "he may not come back" or that he would die in Alaska.

I think my earlier post didn't convey that I did enjoy the book. I was impressed about his survival as essentially a vagabond in the west, and I really enjoyed his canoeing trip thru Mexico.

Another part of the book I thought was odd was Krakaer's weird insistince on talking about his climbing adventures mid-story. Not sure I understood the mixing of that into the novel. Maybe he needed more copy.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by jmcclain19

Another part of the book I thought was odd was Krakaer's weird insistince on talking about his climbing adventures mid-story. Not sure I understood the mixing of that into the novel. Maybe he needed more copy.

Come on Josh, you live in the west... you have to know a few climbers.

If you do you should be able to answer that question yourself.

It starts with an E ends with a O and has one letter in between.