Into the Wild Blu-ray
By Gary Frisch -- Video Business, 12/15/2008
PARAMOUNT
Street: Dec. 16
Prebook: now
> Beautifully shot film looks even better on Blu-ray.
The confluence of talent on display in the based-on-fact Into the Wild made it one of the most intriguing and thought-provoking films of 2007. From Sean Penn’s script (based on Jon Krakauer’s book) and deft direction to the astonishing performances by Emile Hirsch and Hal Holbrook, the film is even better on high-def, which offers lush detail to the deserts of the American West and the Alaskan wilderness that Chris McCandless (Hirsch) called home in the last stages of his short life. In fact, the vistas that are so vital to the story become panoramic eye candy as rendered on Blu-ray, giving the story much more power. The supplements, two standard-definition featurettes, are carried over from the previous two-disc release, with the addition of the theatrical trailer in high-def.
Shelf Talk: Up-and-coming but still relatively unknown, Hirsch became a slightly hotter commodity after this year’s Speed Racer, and he is currently generating good reviews for his appearance in the current Milk. This release is a good opportunity for early-adopting fans to revisit the actor’s earlier work or for those who missed the film to give it a look in its best possible incarnation.
Drama, color, R (mature themes, language, nudity), 148 min., BD $39.99, reviewed on Samsung BD-P1500 on Samsung 63-inch DLP with HDMI connection
Extras: featurettes, high-def trailer
Director: Sean Penn
First Run: W, Sept. 2007, $18.4 mil.