The Film
I don’t get caught up in a film the way I did with Into the Wild very often. It’s a rapturous experience – Sean Penn’s direction, Emile Hirsch’s intensely captivating performance, Eddie Vedder’s songs, the beautiful American countryside and the simultaneously cathartic and heartbreaking true story of Christopher McCandless make for one of the best American films of the decade.
Based on Jon Krakauer’s best-selling book of the same name, Into the Wild tells the story of McCandless, an Emory University grad who abandons his family, his material possessions and society, eventually winding up in the Alaskan wilderness, where he would die.
The subject matter is undeniably intriguing, and Penn has crafted a film that fires on all cylinders, with an intricate dual-time track structure and a revealing progression of chapters in McCandless’s life. Every one of the actors playing the supporting characters that he comes into contact with in these vignettes absolutely nails it – Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart and Hal Holbrook are all in top form. Hirsch himself is magnetic.
Read more in my original review of the film.
The Blu-ray Disc
Into the Wild is presented in 1080p high definition, and is an impressive addition to the high-def canon. Penn’s film often functions as a travelogue, and the already gorgeous shots of America look stunning in this presentation. Highly saturated colors and sharp picture clarity are in abundance.
Blu-ray enthusiasts often look to big-budget action films for the premiere high-def experience, but Into the Wild is a great example of a film that takes advantage of the format sans special effects.
The sound is presented in Dolby TrueHD, and strikes a nice balance between the dialogue and score tracks. Not much heavy lifting required here, but certainly a capable mix.
Special Features
Like the rest of this wave of Paramount Blu-ray releases, Into the Wild simply carries over the special features from the DVD version. Still, the two featurettes – “The Story, The Characters” and “The Experience” – were only available on the two-disc special edition of the DVD. The single disc edition was devoid of any features.
Although the featurettes are short at around 20 minutes each, both are full of fascinating information. “The Story, The Characters” features interviews from most of the principal cast, and is a nice snapshot of the rich tapestry of supporting characters that populate the film. “The Experience” explores the challenges of shooting the film in a myriad of desolate locations, and features interviews from many of the crew heads.
Both featurettes are presented in standard definition, but are acceptable in terms of technical quality. The theatrical trailer for the film in high-def rounds out the special features.
The Bottom Line
Into the Wild is a remarkable accomplishment, and a film that deserves repeated viewings. Its visual beauty just makes the Blu-ray upgrade all the more necessary.
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