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I’ve been wanting to see Into the Wild for a while now, and last week I finally got to and it was worth the wait. I’d have to say its one of the best movies of 2007 without a doubt.

It’s a beautiful story about a journey for truth and beauty in a world that lacks both. After graduating from college, Christopher abandons his upper class family, his possessions and identity in hopes of hitchhiking his way to Alaska. Along his journey he encounters a barrage of characters that he affects in different ways but he’s never detoured from his ultimate destination. He’s pursuing freedom and answers while discovering the world around him.

Into the Wild is a personal very film. It’s one to meditate on and allow it to soak in. Sean Penn did an amazing job of bringing the book to the big screen. He used some seriously crafty storytelling techniques that you don’t find in many films. It’s very obvious this is a labor of love for Penn, you can see it in every frame. To me, there’s a difference between a movie and a film. One is typically for popcorn and money making (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but the other is for art, story and message. This is definitely the latter.

I love characters, and this film in full of great ones that reveal a side of America rarely seen. Before this I didn’t really care for Emile Hirsch (Alpha Dog, The Girl Next Door), he’d never really jumped out at me, but wow what a great job he did in this. This type of film is riding on that leading man and he doesn’t disappoint one bit.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen it? What’d you think?