I've read two Jon Krakauer books for shameful reasons. Both titles start with the word 'into' and both detail harrowing and potentially fatal experiences of people facing Mother Nature in her extremes. Both books probably attracted many lookie-loos like myself, drawn to sensationalistic tales of human woe. Though in the reading the stories are subtly life-altering experiences, nothing beats cinema for splashing a bracing dose of 'wake up' in your face, which is the case with Sean Penn's assured dramatization of Krakauer's Into The Wild.

Staring into the setting sun over Pacific waves, Into The Wild subject Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) says something like; Some people feel like they don't deserve love, and they run away into lonely, empty spaces. And all through McCandless's wild journey, filled with bravado minus bluster, and an aching search for what he calls the truth, he never grasps his own truth.

Into The Wild, based on the true story of young McCandless, is a road movie stretched out over a too-brief 148-minute running time. It's a rare movie that leaves me staring in silence through the end of the credits, but that's just what this powerful saga necessitates. McCandless, disillusioned by the duplicity he sees in his parents, and the empty pursuit of money and accomplishments, graduates college and straight life simultaneously. Setting off in a roundabout fashion for Alaska, (where he winds up camping in a deserted bus in a deserted valley) he erases as many traces of Who He Is as possible, burning money, ditching his car and changing his name. Director Penn shifts time between McCandless's last stop in Alaska, his peripatetic wanderings and fragments of his life from before he was reborn as Alexander Supertramp, gracefully revealing McCandless's motivations and subtly concealing a denser, deeper truth until the final moments.

On his way McCandless of course meets a number of characters, in the creation of which Penn forcefully asserts his 'actor's director' credibility. Into The Wild is filled with unpretentious, unhurried turns from such as Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook among others. Penn even finds the talented character actor in Vince Vaughn, as opposed to the usual ultimately annoying party guy. Holbrook steals the show as a crotchety old war veteran, but only a pair of cartoon-like German Tourists, and some ill-advised looking directly at the camera threatens to break the spell of beautifully naive and languid idyll that of course can't last.

Hirsch's McCandless never casts judgment on those who lead lives he finds empty, a remarkable job of acting for a young relatively-unknown talent and an interesting choice, as the headstrong lad was likely riding on a bit of hubris and contempt for the sham from which he was escaping. It casts McCandless in a saintly light - likely a pretty big stretch - but necessarily makes him a sympathetic character and strongly underscores the powerful message we're meant to take from the movie. The sensationalism of subject that attracted me to Krakauer's excellent book is wholly and rightfully lacking from Penn's filmed version of Into The Wild. Through rollicking, real-life adventure, humor, pathos and a few stylistic tics, the consistently amazing work of Sean Penn, Cast, and Crew keeps an ultimately meditative and remarkably powerful movie entertaining and engrossing throughout.

The DVD

Video:
The widescreen, enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs transfer of Into The Wild looks awesome, with beautifully realistic colors and sharp, clear imagery. Shots lit only by a campfire look a little weird: while the lighting is an obvious stylistic choice, I'm not sure if the slightly ghosty way it translated to my monitor was a good or bad thing. Otherwise, the many dynamic sequences - whitewater rafting etc. - all look fluid and excellent.

Sound:
Dolby Digital English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround Sound Audio tracks will appeal to a linguistically-broad audience and highlight the (as revealed in the extras) mostly production-audio tracks. That is; trucks zooming by, seagulls screaming over the waves and rocks tumbling down mountainsides were all captured live with the dialog, for an exceedingly real and invigorating listening experience. English 2.0 Surround Sound is also offered.

Extras:
This 2-disc Collector's Edition of Into The Wild is mostly in the service of presenting a pristine transfer of the lengthy film. Extras on disc two consist of two featurettes and the original trailer. Featurette one, Into The Wild; The Story, The Characters is 21 minutes worth of interviews with actors, Penn, Krakauer, and varying bits of behind the scenes footage used mostly as a backdrop for the interviews, rather than for giving us a look at production methods. Focus is on the real story of McCandless, his character and possible motivations, as well as both Krakauer and Penn's respective journeys in bringing McCandless's story to the public. Additionally attention is given to how the people McCandless met are brought to life, from casting to direction. It's an engaging and too-short look. Next is Into The Wild: The Experience, 17 minutes of talk with the same individuals from the first feature, this time examining what goes into 8-months of filming over 30 different locations, and how that filming in practice mimicked McCandless's rough-and-tumble experiences - also enthralling subject matter, and also too short. English, French and Spanish Subtitles as well as the Original Trailer are the only additional extras. One would hope for more than about 40-minutes of featurettes in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition, one fears a double-dip on the horizon, or is it all about Blu-ray now, with us plebeians left to jealously clutch our outdated SD players in a vain attempt to save a few dollars?

Final Thoughts:
Into The Wild brings an ever-more necessary if seemingly more and more obsolete message to the screen in stunning fashion. Rare is the Road-Movie that resists formula and thoroughly engrosses, making us laugh, cry and philosophize over the course of two-and-a-half hours, before ultimately stunning us into silent submission. Penn and everyone involved have crafted a miraculous, modern and timeless tale from one brave and impetuous soul's exploration. In viewing, you'll find a totally engrossing story and reason to examine your life with eyes washed clean. A somewhat light load of extras is the only thing that holds the Into The Wild 2-Disc Collectors Edition in the realm of Recommended.

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