The Book Was Better discussion

What I loved about this book to movie translation is that the book is not a fiction story or a first person narrative, but rather a journalist piecing together the life of a boy who's body was found at his Alaskan campsite.
I have to say, one thing that bothered me was the added love interest. I think the movie did not need it. The great thing about Christopher/Alex was that he was just doing it all for the fun and the journey. He was looking for adventure, not love. He found some people he got along with along the way, but not love. His love was the adventure, and that was enough!

I just finished reading the book. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars:

"Now I walk into the wild!" Into the Wild is a more in depth look of Christopher McCandless, the young man who decided to abandon society and live off the land after graduating college in the 1990s. Originally, an article in Outdoor magazine, John Krakauer was able to write more in depth and analyze what happened to Christopher McCandless. A boy who named himself as Alexander Supertramp with a bright future ahead of him would die so tragically by human error, and by the one thing he despised in the world...starvation. I would say Into the Wild is a cautionary tale as Krakauer describes a few more wild and brave men who decided to live off the land as well. Slow, yet interesting at times, I can see how this book inspired a movie.

From what I took away from the book was that Chris was a charismatic, and very likable individual. Yes, he is a genuis and should have been provided some help along the way, but I feel he is one of those people who was born at the wrong time. His spirit was more about living off the land, and discovering unknown land. I feel he would have loved living during the Gold Rush time.

I just finished reading the book. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars:

"Now I walk into the wild!" Into the Wild is a more in depth look of Christopher McCandless, the young man who decided to abandon society and live off the land after graduating college in the 1990s. Originally, an article in Outdoor magazine, John Krakauer was able to write more in depth and analyze what happened to Christopher McCandless. A boy who named himself as Alexander Supertramp with a bright future ahead of him would die so tragically by human error, and by the one thing he despised in the world...starvation. I would say Into the Wild is a cautionary tale as Krakauer describes a few more wild and brave men who decided to live off the land as well. Slow, yet interesting at times, I can see how this book inspired a movie.

From what I took away from the book was that Chris was a charismatic, and very likable individual. Yes, he is a genuis and should have been provided some help along the way, but I feel he is one of those people who was born at the wrong time. His spirit was more about living off the land, and discovering unknown land. I feel he would have loved living during the Gold Rush time.

I liked what you said about him being born in the wrong time! I agree with that for sure! He had such a desire to wonder, and without any real guidance just went to do it! If he had been born in a time when people were more likely to live the way he did, I think he would have been alive to write the book himself. It is hard reading this book the whole time knowing he will not make it out alive..... Really sad, and I think the movie did a good job of that, I just wish they would have stuck a little more to the book....

You guys are right the movie was really god but the unneeded love interest three me off. There was no need for it, but I guess that is what sells these days right? It also bugged me that in the movie Chris was not as passionate about things as in the book. In the movie he was actually kind of a quiet individual not at all like in the book.

Hmmmm....I did not notice him lack of passion. Means I will just have to re-read the book! haha I really liked how the book gave background into on other "wild men" and stuff like that. It made me want to go read about all these other people who were living in the woods and just doing their own thing. I think it would have been weird to have them in the movie, but really helped to fill out the book! Since I live in Washington State I might need to add it to my fall reading list and find a good hiking trail to read a few chapters a week! ;)

I felt like the movie was pretty fair with the book. Didn´t even remember he had a love interest there... who knows, maybe I was not that passionate at that time. But what I really love it was the way Sean Penn pictured the whole thing, it was as if he was there, again, alive, just the way I imagined when I read the book, which I loved from the beginning until the end (well, not the part that he dies, unfortunately so.)

There was not love story in the book at all! So it made me mad in he movie! The biggest relationship talked about was him and the guy who helped him out a bunch. It was a friendship/almost father son relationship that was really endearing, and made the end more heartbreaking to hear that the man was just wrecked after hearing that Alex had died....

Man...I really want to re-watch the movie again, since as you said the imagery was just amazing!

The movie was really well done, aside from the adding love line, but at the same time it was missing so much of the book. I loved that the book gave the info about other hikers and people who braved the wild. Also, it showed us the back story in a way that could NEVER work on the big screen. Bits of info here and there would not make for an easy to watch movie. I also don't think they highlighted just how close he was to safety, with the wire crossing thingy not too far from where he was at the river. I think that was important to know, but at the same time was another rather heavy realization when reading the book....

Book was okay, but not stellar to me. The movie I haven't seen yet, but will add it to my list.

I haven't read it. Should I?

I really loved it since it gave info about not just the main character, but also outdoors and other famous "mountain men" and stuff. I kind of want to reread it!