The number one thing I noticed in the movie that was different in the book is that Carine (his sister) tells the entire story. During the book though, the narrator position changes between interviewers and people he met. I think that by having Carine tell the story, the movie was a little more understandable. The book was a little complex because it is hard to determine who is telling the story.
One thing the director did that really stood out to me was where he set the theme. Along the journey McCandless goes to a handful of places. Instead of filming in one place, the director traveled all over the US and filmed everywhere McCandless went.
My favorite thing that the director changed was how he added captions. The director also divided the movie into chapters. I enjoyed how he displayed quotes that McCandless would read or write on the screen. For example, when they would read one of McCandless’s journal entries they would display it on the screen for you to read along.
In the film I am glad that the director made sure to include the adventures