I know I’m a little late as the film has been out for a little while now. I found this film so rewarding despite the hype and potential of a big let down.Ok, so as most know the film centres around James Franco as Aron Rolston, and his amazing true-life tale endurance and self-discovery when he gets trapped in a crevice in the middle nowhere in an area of Utah he calls “canyon country.”
Film Summary
A seemingly lonely and rather eccentric character, Aron has a love for off road biking and climbing. As the film opens he sets off for a routine hike across rugged terrain.
On his Journey he meets two hikers, Kristi (Kate Mara) and Megan (Amber Tamblyn) and helps them along to their destination.
As he continues on his hike alone, Aron becomes trapped as a boulder crushes his arm and traps him inside a small canyon. Whilst so isolated Aron begins a test of endurance that will enable him to assess his life and see his future to some excruciating ends.
Pros
Another massive accomplishment from Danny Boyle, one of my favourite directors. Ill try not to get too "Fan Girl" and keep my film student head on.
Feel
The initial set up in the opening scenes claustrophobically kinetic,
setting Aron in a busy bustling world where nothing ever stops, people move and live on mass in groups with no individual identity. This gave a wonderful stark contrast to the freedom and escape Aron makes to the Canyons, both physically with the dark empty night stretching out before him and the emotional, almost primal release from the character himself, relishing in removing himself from the monotony of the city.Sound and Music
Music throughout was interesting, actual songs used gave an enhancement to the setting and characters feelings or situation, as any good soundtrack should. It was advantageous to steer away from well known releases as in the case with Boyle’s previous movie Slumdog millionaire. I felt that the “Jia Ho” track detracted from the tense emotional situations and lent almost cheapness to the story. This could have been improved by removing western US acts from the song and retained the cultural validity of the song. However I digress, the “unknown” music element kept the soundtrack fresh and unpredictable.
The sound effects and instrumental elements of the film were perfect. Certain key moments of were punctuated with unsettling high-pitched screeches, giving the viewer a heightened involvement with how the character feels. Moments of surreal hallucinations and comedic narrative delivered by James Franco perfectly, were framed with snippets of equally altered audio used to great effect. Additionally the musical score was spot on emphasising the tension or heartbreak of a situation without being distracting.
Filming / Lighting
As with the sound, the shooting and lighting of each scene are wonderfully evocative, from the baron, sun bleached ground to the flashbacks of comforting intimate moments the lighting as well as shot placing worked hand in hand to put you in Aron’s shoes and feel his loss for a life that may be slipping through his fingers.
Cons
I was immediately concerned with the sensationalist remarks from those that have seen this film and raved, “oh the gore” “totally unnecessary”. I reserved all judgment as this could easily be yet another “shocker” movie without substance, yet hoped I would be proved wrong. Obviously I was and the emotional, introspective ride you are taken on far outweighs the moment that Aron takes a drastic decision. It’s all about the context, let’s remember this is based on a true story, I’m not sure I could cope as Aron did, but it’s good for us to be reminded sometimes in our comfy cosy lives that one day we might need to have the survival instinct to simply continue living.
Characters – Love them or hate them?
All the characters were well played. By not involving itself with the rest of the cast, the storyline enables you to see things from the Protagonist's side and relate only to his feelings of anguish. One highlight would be the Hikers Megan and Kristi. Partly due to the ambiguity of their character, there was a clever way of inducing the intrigue that perhaps Aron had about them. I am grateful that the trap of stereotypes of nerdy hikers or lesbian life partners was not fallen into. It resulted in empathy for them as much as the centre character.
To end…
To sum up, 127 Hours was a wonderful movie. With breathtaking scenery and a tense situation that, along with well written characters takes you along on the journey with Aron. I didn’t expect this movie to touch me as much as it did, to see the outcome after such an awakening in a character. Beautifully shot, and emotionally scored, I left the cinema with a feeling I haven’t in a long time, that I had seen not a sensationalist piece of film but a sensitively shot portrayal of a real man's fight for his future.
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