Movie Review: '127 Hours'

I usually tend to avoid movies that feature the severing of limbs. 127 HOURS is an extreme exception, though. Not only was I dying to see it, but one can’t deny that part of the curiosity is because of the scene when Franco must cut off his own arm in order to survive. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (ha ha, get it?), you should know what I’m talking about. Starring James Franco, 127 HOURS is the remarkable true story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who, after an 800-pound boulder falls on him, finds himself trapped, with his arm pinned against the wall in an isolated canyon in Utah. The movie spans the course of five days…until he resorts to drastic measures to survive.

I know it sounds like just yet another movie that confines the protagonist to one location during the entire film… but 127 HOURS is a true original. Instead of focusing on the trauma and panic that would accompany such an instance for an hour and a half, the film brilliantly focuses on something different: what’s going on in Ralston’s head. And because of this, 127 HOURS is filled with more humor and laughs than you could possibly imagine in a film of this nature. In my favorite scene, Ralston is playing with his video camera and creates a sort of makeshift talk show, where he switches between being the guest and the host, even adding on a fake laugh track after the jokes. Later on when he’s thirsty, he sees an energy drink commercial playing in his head. Directed by Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle, there is no lack of style when it comes to 127 HOURS. Filled with color, gorgeous scenery and heaps of energy, there were moments while watching the film that I felt like I was having an adrenaline rush.

And after all that, the film still manages to bring out the emotion and regrets of Ralston: will he never see his family again? Why didn’t he tell anyone where he was going? Franco is my frontrunner for Best Actor this year. He demonstrates such a range of emotions in the films short running time, going from making us laugh to making your heart ache as you yearn for nothing more than for him to find a way to free himself… but of course, you’re simultaneously dreading that scene as well. Each second that goes by brings you closer and closer to the horror you know is coming, and waiting for it is quite a ride… one that is so thrilling and memorable, that it makes 127 HOURS one of the best films of the year so far.

Rating: A