For a movie to be even better than a good book is no small feat. Yet, that's how I felt after watching this film. It really impressed me. One of the reasons is the fantastic cinematography. Man, this is a beautifully filmed and, at 142 minutes, there are a lot of great scenes to admire.

Sean Penn directed and Eddie Gautier was the Director Of Photography. I can't stand Penn as a person but fair-is-fair and I think he's great as a director, having seen his work in "The Pledge" and "The Crossing Guard." The main actor, Emile Hirsch, who plays "Chris McCandless" (a.k.a. "Alexander Supertramp" reminded me of Leonardo DiCaprio with his looks, build and voice inflection. He is very credible as the young guy who wants nothing to do with materialistic society and dreams of living in the wilds of Alaska. The problem was that he was unprepared and underestimated what he was up against.

Two people who fascinated me the most in here were two extremes, age-wise - Hal Holbrook and Kristen Stewart. It was really great to see the veteran Holbrook ("Ron France") again. He was about 82 when he made this film and hadn't acted in a film in a few years. He was terrific, too. He had some of the most memorable scenes in the story. Meanwhile, teenager Stewart was captivating as "Tracy Tatro," who had a crush on "Alex." This young woman is on her way to stardom.

Brian Dierker and Catherine Keener also were really, really interesting as the aging hippie couple, "Rainey" and "Jan." I kept thinking, I know this guy when listening to Dierker's voice, finally guessing it was Jeff Bridges underneath all the beard....but it Dierker, a guy who rarely acts in films.

Knowing the book, the only part of the film that caught be off-guard was the young Swedish couple. I don't remember them in the book but I'll never forget this in this film!! One could debate the pros and cons of Chris McCandless for hours, so no sense going into that here. I thought the film was pretty kind to him. You read more in the book about how he hurt a lot of people with his silence. Either way, it's a a fascinating story and a beautiful film.

There is a certain irony to the story from "Into the Wild", as Hollywood, the land of excess, does a film about a man who got rid of all his possessions in order to live simply off the land. It would be like me (at 250 pounds) writing a diet book! Now I am not attacking Sean Penn or the film or any of the ones who made the film...but in general I just cannot associate Hollywood with the life of Christopher McCandless!

The story begins with Chris graduating from Emory University, a prestigious school in Georgia. Now you'd think he would be on the fast track to financial success...but instead he gives away nearly everything he has and heads into the wilderness to live a bit like a nomad. It seems Chris was tired of a life of acquiring things and wanted to live simply...and mostly alone. He also seemed to be running away from himself....or at least who he and his family were. Ultimately his life would take him from the American Southwest all the way to the wilds of Alaska. This tale is based on a true story, as told by Chris' sister in the film.

I think this is a movie where I enjoyed the style more than the story itself. I liked the simple style, the simple music and the mostly lesser-named stars in the picture. I also respect how much Emile Hirsch put himself out for the role...his weight loss throughout the movie was dramatic. As a trained therapist, however, I couldn't help but think the Chris would have benefited a lot from therapy before taking such a huge leap in his life. He was clearly, in an odd way, suicidal and I was concerned how the film seemed to romanticize this. Overall, an interesting but often unpleasant and overlong movie...worth seeing once but not a film I'd rush to recommend.

Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) abandoned his life, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to Oxfam International and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness after graduating from Emory University. He has always been uncomfortable with material things, and decide to leave that life completely behind. He has some profound experiences along the way to his bus in the Alaskan wilderness.

Director Sean Penn adapts Jon Krakauer's novel. This movie is based on the true story of Christopher McCandless. This is a beautiful performance from Emile Hirsch. He embodies the role so completely. Sean Penn is able to infuse this movie with the same wanderlust that the real Christopher must have had. And Kristen Stewart has a great minor role. We really have a profound into the wild experience.