Review of 127 Hours (2010) by Jason V — 27 Jun 2012

I guess I have an issue with the original source material, a book written by Aron Ralston about his arm being caught between a literal rock and a hard place, more than the adapted screenplay or 127 Hours itself.

For the first half of the film, this is an engaging story. Beautiful landscapes, human characters and then the accident occurs. But even when confined to one small location, the movie doesn't waiver.

The issues come in during the second half, as Ralston begins to hallucinate about seeing his unborn child or his family or a massive storm. The movie bogs down terribly here. Quite simply, it's hard to know exactly what the character is looking at or how to place it on context.

The second half is especially saved by James Franco, here playing largely against himself. There's a human aspect to the character, despite the audience not knowing much about his background, we can latch onto.

The music and special visual shots quickly become tiresome, though, on reflection, the bombastic nature of the music fits in with Ralston's personality. Best Picture material? Not even close. Best Actor? That's more like it.