Into the Wild Critic Reviews

Though the film’s structure may be tragic, its spirit is anything but.Read the full review

Sean Penn sings a powerful and poetic hymn to America with Into the Wild, his sweeping, sensitive and deeply affecting adaptation of Jon Krakauer's best-selling book.Read the full review

Captivating and multifaceted.Read the full review

It's hard not to feel that Penn is stacking the deck heavily in his favor and losing out on the chance for a more sober meditation on the ambiguity of McCandless' quest.Read the full review

Sean Penn delivers a compelling, ambitious work that will satisfy most admirers of the book.Read the full review

Into the Wild is a beautifully made motion picture and some of the segments (especially those with Hal Holbrook and those that transpire around "the magic bus" in Alaska) are powerful.Read the full review

From seductive start to shattering finish, the film is as stirring, entertaining and steadfastly thrilling as it is beautiful.Read the full review

Though Penn's fierce identification with the protagonist is a key source for the film's accomplishments, Into the Wild succeeds on screen because Hirsch ("Alpha Dog," "The Lords of Dogtown") throws himself into the part without reservation, projecting an appealing openness and life force that brings a special poignancy to his fate.Read the full review

A big leap forward for Penn as a director and deserves to be one of the most talked about films of the season.Read the full review