It's funny, until I had stumbled across the trailer for the big-screen version of John Krakauer's Into The Wild, I had no idea the movie even existed. Ain't it Cool News is now posting some early test screening reviews of Sean Penn's latest directorial effort. Penn also adapted the screenplay from Krakauer's non-fiction bestseller about the life of Christopher McCandless; a young man with a desire to leave behind civilization to live in the wilds of Alaska. Reviews of the film popped up on AICN after some test screenings that took place over the weekend, and if you're not familiar with Krakauer's book, then don't worry, the reviews are relatively spoiler-free. If you go by AICN's sources, the word on the film isn't great, but there is also some good news to report -- mainly surrounding Penn's abilities behind the camera.The film stars Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandless, with William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden as his parents. Rounding out the cast is Catherine Keener and Vince Vaughn as some of the characters McCandless meets on the road. While I'm a big fan of Krakauer's books, Wild would definitely not be an easy one to adapt into a feature film. Especially since the story of what happens to McCandless during his travels is pieced together from diaries and interviews with family and friends. Wild is part of Paramount Vantage's slate of high profile movies set for the Fall, along with the Coen Brothers', No Country For Old Men and P.T. Anderson's, There Will be Blood; Into theWild will hit theaters September 21.
