November 28 2007
Into the Wild
I’m aghast at the positive reviews this “film” is getting. Into the Wild valorizes the daft hippy myth of the frontier trek as the individual’s redemptive confrontation with nature. The characterization of Christopher McCandless suggests that it is ennobling to “drop out” of society, without any consideration of dropping out as an activity reserved for the overly privileged, the fact that dropping out is ultimately a selfish, egotistical response that does nothing to better the world around you, the human-centric idea that nature exists for our personal betterment, or the rather juvenile plot device that the “man” Christopher McCandless is rebelling against is his parents. Though this is based on real events, it’s simply irresponsible to turn McCandless’s hubris into hagiography. Easily the worst movie I’ve ever seen in a theatre.
