Wild (2014)
1:44 PM
1,100 Miles in less than 115 Minutes
Directed by the Oscar Nominated (2014) Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club) and stars academy award winner (2006) Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde) and multi-Oscar nominee Laura Dern (The Fault in Our Stars) - Wild is incredibly Oscar-friendly and has so much potential. The film tells the story of a woman's 1,100 mile solo hike to overcome a dramatic and emotional catastrophe. Is Wild a smooth journey? or is it bumpy and slow?
It is a very smooth and enjoyable journey. I wanted to see this film but wasn't sure what to think as the trailer didn't give much of the plot away. Yes, the film is about a woman walking for just under 2 hours but the things that are revealed along the way keep you entertained. Who says a film needs to be a big blockbuster to be entertaining? Wild really proves that minimalism can win - It is such a simple film but that makes it fantastic! Wild is a really emotional journey - I think Cheryl (Witherspoon) has a really justified reason for carrying out the hike which is really key - if she didn't, the whole story would seem a little stupid. The film was funny, emotional, touching, dramatic and uplifting. A really enjoyable journey to embark on!
Reese Witherspoon is amazingly talented. She holds this film really strongly. 80% of the film is just her walking and her acting is really captivating and enjoyable to watch. I am routing for Witherspoon to win the Oscar she is nominated for this year as she really deserves it (in my opinion). Cheryl is a really likeable character and that has to be down to Witherspoon's excellent portrayal. This is a redefining role for Witherspoon. Also, it is lovely to see a film with a female protagonist where the character is doing something about her troubles with men and other situations. This movie can be seen in many feminist ways and I think that is great!
The other acting in the film is brilliant. Laura Dern is fantastic! I really connected with her character and I really felt emotion for her character! She also deserves her academy award nomination for this film - whether she wins or not is another story.
How great it is to see 2 female actresses who lead this film both be nominated for Oscars this year. Go Wild!
The editing is also really clever. I really enjoyed how there were flashbacks into Cheryl's past that revealed more about her character - character development certainly wasn't an issue here! I also liked how certain every day elements/objects reminded Cheryl of memories from the past which lead to great editing also. The sound mixing was also done very well. I don't usually notice this type of element in films so for me to notice it in Wild really shows how great the mixing was done!
Wild is a breathtaking watch - it is unique and really well done. The story and characters have depth which is unusual for such a simplistic movie. However, even though some moments of the film dragged, as a whole, Wild is a really interesting and exciting watch! I am going to end this film with one of my (new) favourite end-of-movie quotes:
'How Wild it was, to let it be'. Wild is (generally) a very smooth journey.
4 STARS
So I believe Wild is a great watch! Have you seen it yet? What did you think? What should I review next? - COMMENT BELOW
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