I made the dreadful mistake of wasting 2.5 hours of my life watching the film Into the Wild. I didn’t realize it’s based on a true story. I thought I was renting a movie about an Alaskan adventure. No, no, no. If you’re interested in watching the film, you might first read the story of Christopher McCandless, on whose life the film is based.
This bit from Wiki should give you some idea of what you’re in for:
He was last seen alive by Jim Gallien, who gave him a ride from Fairbanks to the Stampede Trail. Gallien was concerned about “Alex”, who had little gear and no experience in the Alaskan bush. Gallien tried to persuade Alex to defer his trip, and even offered to drive him to Anchorage to buy suitable equipment. McCandless refused all assistance except for a pair of rubber boots, two tuna melts, and a bag of corn chips.
The outcome is predictable.
Wiki also notes that McCandless “dreamed about leaving society for a Thoreau-like period of solitary contemplation.” Well, he succeeded in leaving society, all right.
The movie is a contradiction. At one point, the film shows McCandless burning his money; the film cost around $15 million to make and cleared that amount at the U.S. box office. McCandless shuns technology, but the cinematography is fairly good.
I grant that the performances of Kristen Stewart and Hal Holbrook, who portray two of McCandless’s friends, are quite good.
But basically this is a movie about a guy who kills himself with self-induced stupidity masked by left-wing platitudes.