Its slow, but I liked it. My wife did not.

Long drawn out character study (and true story) about a troubled person who decides to leave society and all its problems behind and live off the land in Alaska alone with his thoughts and a few books. No surprise, he bites it.

It would have been better at about a half hour shorter. That could have been easily achieved if there was not a long dramatic pause after EVERY line uttered in the movie, but that is director Shaun Penn's self important fault.

I think it is intended that you are supposed to have empathy for the main character thoughout the movie, but I did not feel anything for him until the very end during his painful death. The kid was kind of a douche. He was a loner and trying to get away from people but it is not until the end where he pens with his dying hand "Happiness is only real when shared."

I would compare it to the very similar documentary "Grizzly Man" about Timothy Treadwell, a self proclaimed warrior for the protection of grizzly bears in Alaska who was eventually eaten by one. However I found Grizzly Man to be a far better movie because most of it was footage shot by Timothy himself standing in front of his own video camera. He is a much more likeable but troubled person who confesses all of his personal demons to the camera and you see him self destruct before he and his girlfreind are tragically attacked by a hungry bear.

If "Into the Wild" interests you, you might enjoy "Grizzly Man" more.

 

Great review. Plus he passed on the cute 16YO hippie chick, definite mental issues there.