Yo, this be Reuben. Ayyy, a film review! I recently had a lot of exchange in CEX so I decided it would be a good idea to get 127 Hours on DVD for a quid. And, I can safely say that it was. This film is much more than just a bloke cutting off his arm.
I mean, I wasn’t expecting a thrill a minute when I knew what this film was about. This adrenaline-junky fell down a ravine and got stuck there with one of his arms trapped quite literally between a rock and a hard place, as a boulder fell down with him and trapped it, and he survived down there for 127 hours and got through it alive. If it was badly executed, this film could have just been a boring and mildly disgusting couple of hours of him being stuck there. However, it was well executed, and actually ends up a really entertaining film.
It manages this as aspects like its cinematography, soundtrack, screenplay and James Franco’s performance all come together into a surprisingly uplifting whole. The cinematography is always changing between shots and it’s always quick and interesting in that, to give the film a flowing motion. Second, the score is made up of fun pop and rock tunage that really compliment that flowing visual motion and give it a good rhythm. The screenplay and script, too, are light-hearted and entertaining, with a good handful of amusing quips in the dialogue, in particular. Finally, James Franco, who plays the lead performance as Aron Ralston, for me gifts his best performance that I’ve seen from him, bringing the story to life and delivering that fun script really well.
Chaboi Ralston comin’ atcha.
It’s not all fun though, of course. The tension is built well throughout the time he spends stuck there, with well placed dream sequences and some brooding scenes particularly adding to that. There is a lot of false hope, a lot of hardship and through all of it you really find yourself connecting to Aron as a character, especially when it gets really intense towards the end. Franco does a fantastic job at making it all feel as real as it should seeing as its a true story, and the character of Aron is built brilliantly as the film progresses.
But alas, it isn’t perfect. Sometimes it feels a little too ambitious for its own good and as a result some moments are a bit too flashy or maybe just a bit forced or out of place. It’s thoughtful and that’s a great aspect of the film, but sometimes this just goes a bit too far or a bit too artsy without much meaning. And, the first 20 minutes or so feel a liiiittle like either a mix-matched weird music video or an expensive advert for a Fitbit.
In conclusion, 127 Hours is a surprisingly entertaining film for its subject matter, which mixes optimism and humour with toil and desperation to create a unique and well considered tone. Some moments are a bit off, and the first part of the film is a bit weird, but, other than that, it was a pleasant surprise and a pretty impressive film overall.
79/100
Bringing redundant opinions for scrollers everywhere,
Reuben.
Stuff and That. 
Nice write-up! I also enjoyed the film, even though I realise its defects. Your rating and conclusion are spot-on. Have you watched other similarly-themed films, such as Into the Wild? I highly recommend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! Honestly I haven’t, but I really want to see Into the Wild. I’ve heard some of Eddie Vedder’s soundtrack for it and love it.
LikeLiked by 1 person