127 Hours: Blu-Ray with Digital Copy: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Review by JAM
What would you do while faced with a life and death situation? What would you be willing to give up if it was the only option and how hard would you be willing to fight for any chance to continue your life? 127 Hours deals with a man Aron Walston (played by James Franco) who literally had to leave a piece of himself behind to save his life and this movie follows the harrowing journey through these 127 Hours.
A daredevil outdoorsman, Aron’s day starts in a way that any man might desire as he heads out to the beautiful canyons in the Utah mountains meeting two beautiful young women (Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn) who he shares a fun adventure with before continuing on his way alone into the canyons. That is when tragedy strikes as a boulder shifts and traps his arm with no way to escape. The next 127 hours is a testament to the courage of a man who was willing to sacrifice to save himself, even as he was alternately comforted and tormented by dreams and hallucination during his time there.
JAMS Ink on 127 Hours
I often hate real movies. I will be completely honest that when I watch a movie I want to escape the reality that I am in and visit places where I have never been or may never see. This movie is set in reality and I had a bit of a prejudicial mindset when I started this. I was actually completely wrong this time. James Franco plays a character that completely held my attention throughout this movie, even with the reality and morbid realism it shared. I actually highly recommend this movie as watchable and a strong addition to any movie collection.
This movie awakened fears that all of us may hold deep within our psyche. The fear of being alone while facing death without anyone knowing where you are. The claustrophobic fear of the enclosed space between the canyon walls. The utter fear of helplessness and weakness in not being able to budge the rock that pinned Aron’s hand. The fear of losing his family both current and future. The fear of losing your mind in the hallucinations and fever dreams. The fear of needing to do an extreme act in order to survive. And yet this movie, though full of weaknesses, is a true testament to strength in the actions that Aron had to truly undertake in order to survive.
The Blu-ray aspect of this movie is good and bad in some ways. The beauty of the canyons looked amazing in the high definition with the Blu-ray colors. The problem with the Blu-ray aspect is it makes even the gruesome visions look even more real.
EXTRAS
Commentary with the director, writer, and producer is an interesting listen for any one interested in the movie-making ideas as a whole, but also this time for the discussion of how to take a real story yet dramatize it in a way that adds, yet does not detract from the realism of it. The Search and Rescue featurette looks at the people that were actually involved in the real-life story, discussing the behind the scenes actions of those that ended up completing the final rescue of Aron after he completed his initial escape from his entrapment. There are a number of deleted scenes included as well as an outstanding featurette that offers an extraordinary view at the give and take between James Franco and Danny Boyle as well as being able to see where certain scenes were actually filmed. Oh yeah, and for your traveling enjoyment, we have a digital copy of the movie as well so you can take this harrowing adventure anywhere you go, as it should be.
127 Hours makes its way onto DVD and Blu-ray on March 1, 2011. Grab a copy and see true strength, and a man who learns from his mistakes after he gets a second chance in life.
127 HOURS Blu-Ray:
Street Date: March 1, 2011
Screen Format: Widescreen
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD-MA
French Dolby Digital
Spanish Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English and Spanish
U.S. Rating: R
Total Run Time: 223 minutes
Closed Captioned: Yes
Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.
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