a great film
A customer
from Princes Risborough
, 31/10/2008
I first saw this at the cinema and loved the visual aspect of Alaska on the big screen, it has that barren beauty that captivates, this wasn't filmed at the exact location but it was only around 50 miles away which isn't too far for Alaska! I had read the book and been really moved by this story before watching the film ,which I didn't feel let the book down at all.
A part of your enjoyment of this film will depend on how you take to 'Alex' and his life chioces, I know a lot of people just think he was selfish, short sighted, under-prepared and deserved to run into such problems. This is fair in some ways but we need to remeber that many young people act these things out in one way or another, most not to this extreme or to these consequences but along similar lines of thought.
There has always been a part of me that longs to just take off and live hand to mouth doing the kind of things Chris McCandless does in this story, to a lesser extent I have done and suppose this is why it strikes a cord with me, also why in many ways I cannot say I think anything he did was stupid or reckless, just an intelligent and passionate young man finding his way how he saw fit.
The film has a very ambient quality, an airyness to it, that some might find boring if not overly taken with the plight of Alex or the often stunning visuals, as said before if you don't identify with him you probably won't find this film is for you? If you do sometimes wonder how life could be if you just took off then maybe you will get more from this portrayal?
What is often forgotten about stories like this is that the tradgedy is the reason you hear of it at all, if Chris had made it out hungry but in one piece there is little chance any of us would ever hear about this, he would no doubt have a great story to tell but at some point settle into a more regular version of modern life with some of the things he wanted to prove to himself sorted, maybe some still acted out for the rest of his life?
The point is hundreds of people have a tale like this to tell but as the ending isn't so dramatic it never gets a wider audience than friends and family, if you see this and are leaning towards thinking he was just another idiot maybe this is worth bearing in mind, if he had made it out you wouldn't be reading this about a film based on his experiences?
Although he looks emaciated in the final self portrait that was found on his camera you can't help but see a certain sense of peace and oneness about him, I think it is a very powerful shot that validates many of his actions.
This is a wonderful film, there will be people who don't enjoy it I feel sure but give it a go, if it does move you as it has so many you'll be richer for it, if not you'll have a deeper opinion about living in a reckless way and why you shouldn't do it!
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