Into The Wild...the movie!

“I admire his tenacity and vision. I despise his lack of regard for those who cared about him and his willful disregard for preparation.

Heroic? Not even close.”

“Heroic ? absolutely not. Chris took risks for no-one but himself, and even then with the hubris of youth, unimaginable that something could go wrong.

How many of us have taken a winter hike with similar thoughtlessness, or rock climbing, desert hiking, any wilderness activity.

It was probably that same thoughtlessness that caused such pain to his family, it just never occurred to him to send a postcard.

But I do wonder about the college fund. If Chris did not want it, was it really his to "give away"? If the fund came from his parents it could well have helped fund their retirement, or allow them a trip to Alaska.”

“I enjoyed the book, too (except for all the times Krakauer yapped about himself). I just don't think his story is heroic. I didn't say anything about his ability to survive in the wild, although his death wasn't so much as eating something bad as it was his inability to cross the rivers when they were flooded. If not for that he could have hiked out and found help when he started to weaken. Also, its likely that he ransacked nearby cabins for supplies.”

“It's not playing in a theater around here :(”

“Not here either.”

“http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809698364/video/4129684/20070917/71/4129684-300-flash-s.43932138-,4129684-700-wmv-s.43932131-,4129684-100-wmv-s.43932124-,4129684-1000-flash-s.43932150-,4129684-700-flash-s.43932142-,4129684-1000-wmv-s.43932135-,4129684-300-wmv-s.43932127-,4129684-100-flash-s.43932136-

man oh man, I miss the kayak rodeo!”

“damn, i think I've been in this spot. I kid you not.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809698364/video/4129684/20070917/71/4129684-300-flash-s.43932138-,4129684-700-wmv-s.43932131-,4129684-100-wmv-s.43932124-,4129684-1000-flash-s.43932150-,4129684-700-flash-s.43932142-,4129684-1000-wmv-s.43932135-,4129684-300-wmv-s.43932127-,4129684-100-flash-s.43932136-”

“There's not so much scenery as I expected in the movie. I was a little disappointed about that. The book tone is better than the movie's atmosphere - or whatever you call it. I think I would have enjoyed a sentimental documentary more than the drama portrayed in the finished film. Penn's interpretation seems a little more of the angry young man over that of the author's story. All in all,
o.k., but not great -- and because of the lack of panoramic landscape scenery you might as well wait for the DVD.

The theme of the movie: happiness is only worth anything when its shared.

Maybe that's the reason we hike together sometimes.”

“I did not think this. I think he did a fair job with the movie.

I agree the book is better, however books generally are. It helps that Krakauer wrote it. He is an exceptional author.

Go back and re-read the book, it may surprose you. I just did as well.”

“I went to see the movie "into the wild," and it was interesting. I had read the book, and also didn;t remember the kayaking the colorado r., nor the wheat combining, nor the :Slab City, nor the old man who worked leather.

I wonder how many kids experience something like that, but not quite so extreme? His adventures reminded me of my college years, but he thought he had outdoor skills but he really didn’t. I guess there was a bridge a mile from his camp over the river, which he could have walked across any time.

Makes one wonder what he would be doing had he lived? I did many of the same things as he did, but I never had an urge to live off the land by shooting game and foraging. I would have never gone to a place like that without a map and food, for instance. But other things were similar to things I and probably many college aged people experienced.

The books that gave him inspiration were the same ones I read: Thoreau, Edward Abbey, etc. My weekends in college were spent doing adventures, whereas his seemed to start when he was finished with college. When I was finished with college, I headed to Washington to backpack, climb peaks and explore, with an old Ford Falcom, $400 and a sack of soy beans. He had an old Datsun, which he abandoned, $21,000, which he gave away, and he went into the woods with a sack of rice.

He lived with hippies, I visited them at the barter fairs of the Northwest, but I always had a job. I lived cheap in college, and had almost no possessions. I wonder how he got out of college with $21,000 in the bank? Anyway, an interesting movie. I saw myself in his roaming years, and I was not quite so unprepared as he was, but I could be dead from some of the mistakes I made over the years.
last edited: 11/12/07 1:16:06 PM”

“anybody else see the movie?”

“Woohoo!!! The movie is fianlly playing here :) Seems a little odd on the timing since an article came out in the paper last week about Chris's mom being from the town I live in. The movie started playing the very next week. Mountainrunner and I can't wait to see it!”

“I think the book says he traveled the Colorado in a canoe, not a yak. The wheat combing in SD may be a bit inncorrect, however he did work for a grain co.

In the end, he did what he wanted, when he wanted. Sure his life was not glamourous to most, however a few of us actually might enjoy what he did.

I do regret not exploring more when I had the time. I wish I had met Crazy Mike about 5 years earlier.”

“holy crap this movie is long. Parts were good, parts were slow and boring...michelle cried for an hour afterwards. Thought it was kinda f-d up funny how they made him realize he screwed up at the end, and the book didn't give me that impression.”

“Word.”

“I haven't seen the movie yet, but I saw the previews and that is like what I have wanted to do since I was 15 or something. That dude is my hero!”

“Personally, I would prefer not dying after making a silly decision.”

“Finally saw the movie. I loved the book. Like I said before, I admire McCandless for living his life the way he wanted, but he is no hero. he's just a dude who made too many mistakes in a row.

The movie was much too long and the ending too drawn out. By the end I was wishing he would just die already and roll the credits. Supposedly the guy had mapped and wandered the entire area making these massive bridges across the streams, but he was surprised by the flooded river on the way out.

I liked the beginning, when he seemed to be on a real spiritual journey hiking in the woods a lot. After that it was just wandering around waiting for the right moment to go to Alaska.

I got my 14 yo daughter to watch it with me, and I fear that I should have gotten her to read the book first. The movie didn't impress her, but she was impressed by the things he did and the life he chose to lead.”

“I haven't read the book, but just watched the movie last night. Is the book better? In what way? Should I get the book?”

“I liked the book better. It had more info.
The movie ends when he dies. The book continues on for quite a while with the aftermath, and the family etc. If you want a story, the movie is great. If you want facts and info read the book.
IMHO”

“Isn't that pretty much the case with any "book made into movie"?”

“Pretty much. I thought the movie should have covered some of what happened to the family afterwords. Like them getting a helo into the bus etc...”

“Thanks. That's what I thought. Usually the book is always better.”

“I think it'd be worth the read even if you know the general story.”

“i agree... in general the book is much better. in this case they did a really good job with the book. they didn't write it to be the same as the movie, but that is what made it worth reading.”

“and if you read the book you get to find out all the ways that krakour is just as cool as Mccandless”

“I have this movie sitting on my desk from Blockbuster Online, waiting to watch it but gotta watch No Country for Old Men first.”

“"It was probably that same thoughtlessness that caused such pain to his family, it just never occurred to him to send a postcard."

No, it occured to him. He just really came to despise his parents. He made the decision to cut them out of his life.

I don't buy all this intelligent stuff either. If he was so smart, why was he so dumb. Why did he give all these famous authors a pass for their mistakes but not his parents?

I thought it was funny that one of Krakour's friends said "He went out and lived off the land...I have never done it. I don't know anyone who has."

Um...Chris didn't. He DIED trying to do it.

He was just a young, brash, narcissistic idiot.
last edited: 4/24/08 11:10:50 AM”

“i couldn't finish the movie. I hated it. Too depressing, yeah the kid got on my nerves...too idealistic and selfish for my taste....though I have thought of running away....”

“He's no hero.”

“at one time in our lives we all will be young, arrogant, inexperienced, lack common-sense and make plenty of mistakes... even when warned that we are about to make them. i found the story of chris' life as related by krakauer to be very humbling. i am not fit to be his judge and i suspect neither are any of you.

for the record i don't think chris wanted to die. park ranger peter christian said he basically committed suicide, which i think is total rubbish. i constantly wonder what would have happened had he safely made it back after enduring for 5 months. chris chose to walk out after finding something he was looking for. his mistakes killed him, as we all know, which is a tragedy for everyone. i'll always wonder what it was he learned about himself as a result of his ordeal.

yes, i do think it's a mistake to romanticize his ordeal. i also think it's a mistake to discount his story because he paid for his inexperience with his life. the tragic story of chris mccandless is a compelling one that has a lot to offer someone willing to listen with an open mind.
last edited: 4/24/08 7:28:07 PM”

“Nice cut-n-paste. ;-)”

“You wish.”

“I got this from Netflix recently and liked it more than I thought I would. As he was facing death, he came to his senses. That was the message - come to your senses and give people a break before you die.”

“He died? Thanks for ruining the end of the movie for me Yogisan.

;-)”

“actually, I think it ruins the beginning of the movie”

“After watching the movie, I decided to read the book. The book gives a little more insight to things. I personally think Chris’s biggest mistake was not having a good map with him. Had he had one, he would have been able to find his way. In the book, it says that Chris did most things “correctly” while living in Alaska. Even what he ate that ended up making him ill wasn’t the problem, so much as the fact that mold had grown on the seeds. They think that’s what got to him. However, had he had a good map, he could have seen alternative ways to cross the river and made it out when he had originally planned.
There are so many things we don’t know about Chris and what was going through his head. We all have demons we must deal with, and it seems like Chris had some of his own. I do think he was very intelligent, but lack common-sense. You don’t be accepted into law school without being intelligent. Book smarts doesn’t make one able to handle all the things that life throws at us, Chris didn’t learn that in time.”

“i am not fit to be his judge and i suspect neither are any of you.


Suspect again, pal. I am WAY qualified.”

“As he was facing death, he came to his senses.

i have not seen the movie but have read the book three times and listened to the unabridged audiobook twice. if this is the message the movie gives then the movie is dead wrong.

chris' writings prove he CHOSE to walk out well before he faced death.

there has been a lot of worthless speculation as to what his "big mistake" was... bottom line was that he crossed a stream in the winter not realizing that it would be impassible rapids come spring. he was inexperienced and as a result made a mistake that cost him his life. a young person making a mistake because of a lack of experience... what are the odds?

easily bypassing an obstacle only to find it impossible to cross a second time later in one's life... can't you see this irony reflected in his life and subsequent death?

this is a powerful message.

as i said, i found his story very humbling. i am for sure not going to be the one that casts the first stone.”

“His story isn't about making a single mistake and paying for it. Its about his many mistakes finally catching up to him. He danced with death many times in the book, any of which could have easily killed him if luck hadn't have saved him. From the day he left college Death was stalking him but chris moved to fast and erratic for the prince of Doom to catch him. He was never prepared for what he was doing, just pushed his way through with pure determination and the luck of the young and stupid. In Alaska he finally stayed in one place long enough for Death, and all his mistakes, to finally come to roost.”

“hyway - Very true! He did make many mistakes and got luckly. If finally caught up with him.

Yogisan - I agree, his story is very humbling.
I can see his mistakes being easy for anyone to make, myself included. There has been times where I have made a mistake and have either gotten lucky or have been with others with more experience to help me. For that I am grateful.”

“He was very selfish. It was all about him. Screw the people who were concerned for his well being. That is what stands out for me in this story.

Also, if you have good grades in your undergrad, it's not too tough to get accepted to law school. It's what you do once your there that is the real test.

Judging from what he did, I cannot say he was smart. The fact that he had plenty of people begging him to do or not do things and he ignored them is very telling.

A young person who decides to get drunk and get behind the wheel and dies...do we sit back and say "Well, he was young..he made a mistake..how many of us made mistakes when we were young?" OR do we use this as an example for our kids and point out how stupid this punk was? How utterly ignorant and selfish he was? How stupid it was to do what he did?”

“like i said, his story was about crossing a point in one's life that could not be crossed again at a later time. we will all have this experience at one point or another in our lives. chris crossed this point with his family, many of his friends, and in the end with a stream in the alaska backcountry. for most of us the experience generally only leaves us with regrets. with chris it cost him his life. i'll aways wonder what he would have done had he been able to go home with the perspective he gained in alaska.

he WAS a very intelligent person. many people that directly knew him have said this was the case so it doesn't matter what the hell an army of people that didn't know him think. i am totally convinced he was a highly dynamic person that constantly was growing and expanding... and was cut off well short of his prime.

frankly, i really wish i had the opportunity to have known him. as many people will tell you, he was a unique person and a lot of people's lives were diminished when he passed away.”

“A highly intelligent person doesn't do what he did. Only a fool does. And only a fool (such as Sean Penn) would make a movie that would put this foolishness on a pedestal.

He was selfish. There is NO doubt about that. None. Zero.

He was self-absorbed. There is NO doubt about that. None. Zero.

I wish I had had a chance to know him as well. To tell him what an idiot he was. To tell him how many people he will hurt, devestate and change (for the worse) because of the stupid decisions he made.

Chris was not "cut short". That implies that he was killed. No. Chris cut his own life short by the idiotic decisions he made.”

“wow, pretty harsh...he was a man doing what he wanted to do...sure he made some mistakes but those mistakes hurt him, not anyone else

i saw the movie this weekend and thought it was great”

“I don't have any problems with what he did, my problem, and its just a minor concern, is the glorification of what he did by Krakour and Penn.”

“penn, especially”

“krakour was worse. He wanted to be Chris so bad that his desire oozed out of the pages of the book and dripped onto the floor.”

“terrible”

“i dont know that he wanted to be mccandless, after all, krakauer has summited everest, and many more more dangerous and difficult mountains”