Into the Wild Reviewed by an Autist

Last updated on:

I sat down to watch Into the Wild, and I must say I felt emotional revisiting one of my favorite adventure movies I've ever seen. Into the Wild is an adventure/biography film based on the book of the same title by Jon Krakauer about the true story of Christopher McCandless abandoning society and his material possessions like money. He then hitchhiked off the land and eventually ventured into the Alaskan bush to pursue ultimate solitude, freedom, and self-discovery from his spiritual revolution. The movie was nominated for 2 Oscars: for best supporting actor and achievement in film editing. I want to express why I hold dear to this film's story. 

Christopher was living his earlier life with his wealthy family that seemed to be very stable on the outside. But behind closed doors, his family life was chaos. Chris was graduating from high school when he discovered a family secret that made him disillusioned enough to give up on society and live off the grid. He begins his lone adventure after graduating college with an easy start, his Datsun traveling westward until it becomes inoperable, and starts hitchhiking across America and Mexico after burning his money. Along his journey, he went by Alexander Supertramp and encountered some new people who became his friends, ranging from fellow trampers to his small-time farmer boss paying him a bit of money and a lonely old man taking a liking to him. He had hitchhiked with his favorite books as well as the books that informed him of flora he could eat. 

After two years of hitchhiking around mainland America, he was ready to live off the grid in Alaska to find his true self. He arrived at the bush, confident he could live off the land with little preparation. One heartbreaking scene of the movie occurs when Chris hunted a moose and failed to preserve the meat, just to consider it one of his greatest life tragedies. Chris faced increasingly difficult challenges while surviving in the bush, which became fatal, particularly due to the seasonal changes affecting the environment, the disappearance of animals available for hunting, and the river, being his only way out, having violent currents fast enough to sweep him away. 

Chris met his demise and died of starvation as a result. His death was the saddest real-life and movie death I've ever seen, in my opinion; that was enough to make me cry out tears for him. I loved the emotional aspect of this movie, as it represents a coming-of-age moment for Chris, finding himself when he detached from society to live in ultimate freedom. The movie's message compelled me into believing in ultimate freedom and solitude. Into the Wild showed the most beautiful depiction of loneliness ending in tragedy. If Chris had survived his ordeal to tell everyone his story, he would have further inspired those who read his tale. I want to commend Emile Hirsch for playing Chris McCandless; he deserved an Oscar for his acting.

All in all, any viewer would be inspired by Into the Wild to search for their freedom but still be prepared for the risks coming with it. I also want to mention that happiness is indeed more real when shared with others than your own. The movie may seem boring, but the captivating depiction of Chris McCandless makes up for that. My regret is not watching this life-changing movie when I was eighteen. That would've made a bigger impact for me to find my happiness that much sooner and apply it to learning to be quieter and more reserved growing up. I give this movie a 9.6 out of 10.