127 Hours – A Memorable Experience by: Ben Hayle, NMTV What would you do if you were trapped in a canyon in the middle of nowhere with no hope of being rescued, and to make matters worse your arm is pinned between a boulder and the side of the canyon and you only have one bottle of water. That was the situation that Aron Ralston faced and the story that followed is one of the most gut wrenching and inspirational in recent memory.
In 127 Hours from director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) the audience in taken into Ralston’s life on a deep level. With only one real character on the screen for the majority of this 90 minute film you become a part of this story. Through the way that Boyle decided to shoot the film it makes you feel that at times you are the one in the canyon and you are the one who is fighting to survive. You experience Ralston’s range of emotion from fright to hysteria to determination. Boyle’s brilliance is evident in how engaging this story is, it is very easy to become immersed in the story and it does feel as though you are experiencing a real life event and not a movie about a real life event. While Boyle deserves a lot of the credit for his direction, James Franco does an excellent job is becoming Aron Ralston. To see Franco become this character and to see the range of emotion that is required of him to carry this film is spectacular. While he is trapped Ralston begins to hallucinate at first it was merely about being free, but later the hallucinations tell that back story of this adventurer and finally his dreams from the future. It is at that point, once he realizes his dreams, that his determination to survive becomes something that everyone is ready to root for. While this film is very well done you need to be prepared for what you are walking into when you sit down in the theatre. With the real life story taking place in 2003 most people know that you are going to see a person cut off their own arm to survive. Even knowing that moment is coming, there is nothing you can really do to prepare yourself for the experience of watching it happen on the screen. At times this movie is hard to watch but the story is so good it is worth the intense moments. However, this film is only for an adult crowd period. While much of what Hollywood puts out today is not very memorable I will not soon forget the time I spent watching this film and I would suggest you find the time to experience it soon. Danny Boyle will rise again to the top of the Oscar field with 127 Hours as will James Franco. 4 out of 5 stars.