The Movie
Don't blame co-host James Franco for one of the most painful Oscar telecasts in history. The young actor has undergone a major transformation since his thankless role of Harry Osborne in the Spider-Man Trilogy, and come out the other side more engaging, more versatile and more talented than ever. It takes a certain creativity and emotional depth to anchor a movie like 127 Hours, the true story of climber Aron Ralston, and Franco nailed it.
One wrong move during a weekend expedition and Aron is suddenly trapped at the bottom of a gorge, his hand immovably pinned beneath a giant boulder. The next five days reveal who he really is, full of life and hope despite relentless adversity. And here in this isolation, memory, imagination and hallucination intersect with a dark, entertaining wit that only director Danny Boyle could conjure. I won't lie and say that there aren't some scenes that are difficult to watch, and not just the notorious self-surgery that ultimately saved him. But it's about survival, and it's damned inspiring.
While you're here, spend some time with Joe Lozito's review of 127 Hours.
The Picture
127 Hours was shot on a combination of film and digital formats, but it's the video portions that tend to stand out, with brights that run a little hot, streaking/strobing and noise. The problems are quite evident in certain close-ups, and also some long shots wherein faces in the distance can look artificial. In the plus column however, we really can't go wrong with the beautiful desert scenery, magnificently photographed at 1.85:1, and many scenes are indeed sharp and detailed, with deep blacks.
The Sound
Another wonderful A.R. Rahman score drifts through the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, interspersed with a variety of pre-existing songs by various artists, all mixed and edited with definite panache. There are fairly obvious sonic bits like multiple splashes into a deep underground pool, in contrast to delicate echoes, as well as bold, ear-tickling concepts that play with our minds as sound cuts in and out and all around us.
The Extras
"Search & Rescue" (15 minutes) introduces us to the real people from the story, their very real efforts to find and save Aron, and the aftermath. There are six deleted scenes plus a 22-minute alternate ending sequence. "127 Hours: An Extraordinary View" (35-and-a-half minutes) is a "making of" with a focus on the close collaboration between the star and director. And the 19-minute film "God of Love" is pretty good, I'm just not sure why it's here. Perhaps writer/director/star Luke Matheny is a chum of James Franco's from NYU?
All of these extras are in HD.
We are also treated to an audio commentary by director/co-writer Boyle, producer Christian Colson and co-writer Simon Beaufoy. Disc One is BD-Live-enabled. Disc Two is a DVD-ROM with a Digital Copy of the movie for iTunes and Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
The facts of Aron Ralston's story combined with brilliant execution by the filmmakers make 127 Hours utterly riveting and profoundly moving, deservedly hailed as one of the best films of last year. The Blu-ray, while not necessarily a must-own, is certainly worth exploring as well.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
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