TCP#18: Into The Wild

Welcome to the December 8th edition of Tuesday Couch Potatoes, where we post about a movie each week. Last week, we had Superheroes Movies. Shydub of Worth's Road featured Spiderman. I guess the famous lines "With great power comes great responsibility" has never left most of us since watching the film.

This week's theme is Great Outdoor Adventure. If you love movies about the wild outdoors, treasure hunts, great mountain sceneries, and all the great adventures that go with it, then come share it with us.

My pick for this week's theme is Into The Wild, a 2007 film based on the book of the same title about the life of Christopher McCandless, an American wanderer who sought to live a life of solitude in the wilderness of Alaska. It tells of the story of Christopher who, after graduating from the University, decided to leave everything behind: his family, his savings (which he donated to charity), his identity (destroyed all his credit cards), all his material possessions, and embarked on a journey to the wilds of Alaska. He hitchhikes when his trusty old car got caught in a flashflood. It was during these hitchhiking days where he encountered peoples from all walks of life who helped shape his life in a most profound way. Among these persons worth mentioning are the hippie couple Jan and Ray, farm owner Wayne Westerberg, a young hippie woman Tracy Tatro, and leather worker Ron Franz, who had offered to adopt McCandless to be his grandchild.

When he finally reaches Alaska after almost two years of leaving his family, he crossed a stream and sets up camp in an abandoned Fairbanks Transit bus, the same "magic bus" used by moose hunters. He was at first exhilarated by the experience of being isolated and being one with nature was wrote in his memoirs: "You don't need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us." and "The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up... "

But his supplies soon run out and although he managed to kill a moose, it was soon spoiled by maggots and flies. Exhilaration and thrill soon turned into anxiety as he realizes that nature can also be harsh and uncaring. His ultimate realization: Happiness can only be real when shared. The joy of that discovery sent him packing back to his friends and family.

However, it is too late. He can no longer cross the stream because of the torrential current. He is forced to head back to camp, to the "Magic Bus", feeling like a prisoner. As his supplies run out, he gathers roots and plants for food. He has a book of plants to guide him which are poisonous and which are safe to eat. He eventually ate the wrong plant and was poisoned, starving and slowly dying a painful death. In his final hours, he continues to document his self-realizations and "accepts his fate, as he imagines his friends and family for the last time." I could still remember the lines before he died, lying on his back and looking up the beautiful, clear blue sky: "What if I were smiling and running into your arms? Would you see then what I see now?"

It was a beautiful adventure of life that gave so many realizations. The movie soundtrack was great too! Here's a preview:

What's your Great Outdoor Adventure Movie? Come share it with us and add your TCP link to the MckLinky below:


Thank you for joining this week! I hope to see you all again next week for some great Musical Movie features. Happy TCP!

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