Return to the Wild: The Chris McCandless Story
November. 25,2014Twenty years ago, a young American hiker named Chris McCandless, the accomplished son of successful middle class parents, was found dead in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness and became the subject of the best-selling book and movie “Into the Wild.” Now, PBS retraces Chris McCandless’ steps to try to piece together why he severed all ties with his past, burnt or gave away all his money, changed his name and headed into the Denali Wilderness. McCandless' own letters, released for the first time, as well as new and surprising interviews, probe the mystery that still lies at the heart of a story that has become part of the American literary canon and compels so many to this day.
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Reviews
Informative documentary, giving a lot of backup info on Chris McCandless and the McCandless family. Tons of info I was never aware of that makes "Into the Wild" that much better. Some nice footage of the actual places Chris voyaged and people he met. I recommend definitely if you liked the book or film.
If you've seen the movie "Into the Wild" you owe it to yourself to watch this honest telling of what Chris McCandless was truly all about. You get both sides, but you will come away knowing the truth without the Hollywood hype I believe.The most annoying part of the movie is at the beginning, where a few loser types, try to identify with Chris. Typical millennials, a few guys in particular that visit the bus and pontificate their B.S. So very typical. You hear from the true victims of this story, the sisters and Chris' mom, who is still being victimized by the father still in denial.
I enjoyed Jon Krakauer's 1996 book, "Into The Wild," (itself an extension of a magazine article called, "Death Of An Innocent," that he wrote for Outside magazine). I enjoyed Sean Penn's film, based on Krakauer's book, and I have enjoyed other documentaries I have seen on the odyssey of Chris McCandless. This documentary, however, spends little time on Chris's adventures and instead seems more concerned with promoting the various books that the McCandless clan have written and giving us insight into their dysfunctional family. Given its brevity, it might have been better to place this vanity project as a DVD or Blu-ray "extra," rather than giving it a standalone release.
