Captures it all pretty well in under two hours for '127 hours'....

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2011)

This film in the first five minutes almost feels like it could be potentially be a promo for a Tony Hawk skateboarding short film. What you pretty much sense is that the protagonist seems a bit of a free spirit, plays by his own rules and does things on his own.
127 Hours is a film about survival. That's what you obviously get from the trailer. But it is also a film about the choices we have made in life and how they lead us to a certain situation. When you really look back at all the things you have done, no matter how small, does it lead you to a destined path?
There are those people who end up in drastic situations and near death experiences which make them think about life from a different perspective. Then you have those who are given that chance to think about life while playing the waiting game, or if you would rather call it, the holding onto hope game. I'd say 127 Hours is a bit of both. James Franco plays Aaron who gets stuck down below a crevasse with a hard rock and a difficult spot. The focus of the film is on him and once he gets himself into the situation, you know what is going to happen after; getting out. But it is not that simple. You feel the experience he is in, the hopelessness yet determination to not give up. With his trusty camera with him, psychologically he stays alert through filming himself, playing scenarios that almost serve as a light comedy, while also remembering memories of his parents and his ex girlfriend.
Danny Boyle made a terrific and moving film with Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours brings us into the fear of being trapped in the middle of nowhere. If any of us was in this situation, would you have the guts to do what Aaron does? Would you give up and admit defeat or is your willingness to live strong enough so that you might appreciate life more afterwards? These are questions only you can answer.
The isolation and loneliness are captured perfectly through the eerie yet beautiful cinematography of the landscape in Roobers Roost, Utah. The scene which everyone talks about is of course the cutting off the arm scene. Now, if this scene had absolutely no music, it would not have been a huge ordeal and I could have easily sat through it while sipping a cup of tea. But the music really gives it an edge and it is like it is making you feel the pain at the same time, and while it doesn't last long, it stings, so I can see how audiences have been reacting to this. Seeing the images of Aaron's face with blood and a horrific look on his face was enough to make me feel chills.
This is a simple tale of survival, but it is one in which it is real because Aaron is not made out to be a hero or anything; he is simply just a normal man who has a will to live and to fix up the mistakes he has made in his life. The thing I liked about it is that you discover who this man is and it wastes no time in building his character up – the first twenty minutes pretty much gets to the point of where the plot should go. While Aaron is thinking about his life while trapped down there, you contemplate his life with him. You understand that he feels that he got himself down there through his choices in life – it will make sense when you watch it in how he comes to the conclusion that it is his fault due to the fact that he chose to be alone in life. You also understand why he has to cut his arm off, because when given little alternative besides death, there is no choice.
It makes you wonder about the people you take for granted in life. Small things such as letting them know we are alright and telling them where we are. Because you never know when there is a time in your life when telling someone what you are doing can change everything for you. It just makes you think about that a little harder, and in this day of age when it is so easy to let people know via a text where we are, why not use it so people can have a peace of mind?