Comments on: INTO THE WILD http://contour-at-the-movies.com/2007/11/30/into-the-wild/ What we're watching and how it measures up in Contour Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:15:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: William http://contour-at-the-movies.com/2007/11/30/into-the-wild/comment-page-1/#comment-31 William Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:17:34 +0000 http://totallywrite.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/into-the-wild/#comment-31 I think this movie is sort of a "Columbo" combined in an odd way with a Romeo and Juliet. We know who the murderer is, and we want to see Columbo catch him. We see in Romeo and Juliet that great love defies even death. Likewise, we know Chris makes it to Alaska, and yet we watch to see how me makes it, and in the end we see that his dream defies even death. The audience wants to see a person so driven by his dream that he is willing to die for it. It's how Chris's death comes about that we want to see. Whether or not Chris's dream was "worthwhile" is perhaps a theme the story explores. The movie started out annoying for me, because I didn't particularily like the views I thought Sean Pean was trying to endorse. Yet by the time the movie was well underway I began to see that there were deeper levels to the story. In the end I thought the movie deeply satisfying. Did Chris arc? Not sure. But perhaps the people around him did, in the sense they had to define or redefine commitments to their life views. I think this movie is sort of a “Columbo” combined in an odd way with a Romeo and Juliet. We know who the murderer is, and we want to see Columbo catch him. We see in Romeo and Juliet that great love defies even death. Likewise, we know Chris makes it to Alaska, and yet we watch to see how me makes it, and in the end we see that his dream defies even death. The audience wants to see a person so driven by his dream that he is willing to die for it. It’s how Chris’s death comes about that we want to see. Whether or not Chris’s dream was “worthwhile” is perhaps a theme the story explores. The movie started out annoying for me, because I didn’t particularily like the views I thought Sean Pean was trying to endorse. Yet by the time the movie was well underway I began to see that there were deeper levels to the story. In the end I thought the movie deeply satisfying. Did Chris arc? Not sure. But perhaps the people around him did, in the sense they had to define or redefine commitments to their life views.

]]> By: Bryan http://contour-at-the-movies.com/2007/11/30/into-the-wild/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Bryan Sun, 02 Dec 2007 23:45:34 +0000 http://totallywrite.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/into-the-wild/#comment-30 I agree with the analysis, but NOT with the effect. My hopes and expectations for this film were SMASHED by the non-linear, self-indulgent manner in which Sean Penn told this story. The story tension should all be based on whether of not he makes it to Alaska. But we discover in the first scene that he does. Why am I told then repeatedly that the big goal for the film is making it to Alaska? What am I given to root for? Another problem I had was with the confusion in narration. One minute we have on-screen postcards, another we get the sister in Voice Over. Huh? By scrambling the timeline, the film treats each stop on the journey like a vignette. I never know where we are supposed to be and where it fits into the trip. I'm in LA, I'm in Mexico, I'm being tossed on a train, I'm rafting down the Colorado River, I'm working on a farm -- but no individual stop adds any new critical piece of information. Nothing builds. It's just like, that was fun, now what? Lastly, the characters learn nothing. Nobody grows. There are no arcs, no payoff. I loved the story and I HATED HATED HATED this film! I agree with the analysis, but NOT with the effect. My hopes and expectations for this film were SMASHED by the non-linear, self-indulgent manner in which Sean Penn told this story.

The story tension should all be based on whether of not he makes it to Alaska. But we discover in the first scene that he does. Why am I told then repeatedly that the big goal for the film is making it to Alaska? What am I given to root for?

Another problem I had was with the confusion in narration. One minute we have on-screen postcards, another we get the sister in Voice Over. Huh?

By scrambling the timeline, the film treats each stop on the journey like a vignette. I never know where we are supposed to be and where it fits into the trip. I’m in LA, I’m in Mexico, I’m being tossed on a train, I’m rafting down the Colorado River, I’m working on a farm — but no individual stop adds any new critical piece of information. Nothing builds. It’s just like, that was fun, now what?

Lastly, the characters learn nothing. Nobody grows. There are no arcs, no payoff.

I loved the story and I HATED HATED HATED this film!

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