Author: Andy Labis

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:34 Long
A Blu-ray Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

If you’re like me, sometimes you like your “alone” time. What if that “alone” time stretched out a little longer, say, 5ish days? Sure, that might be nice if the version was “Alone at a resort where a cute dudette (or dude as might be your case) was serving drinks.” But what if that “alone” time also included limited food and water? “Great, I need a cleanse!” Nope, sorry, not that kind of limited food and water, we’re talking a thermos of water, and that’s pretty much it for the 5ish days, and hey, why not toss in your arm being trapped between a giant boulder and rock wall? Doesn’t sound like that much fun anymore, does it? Well, “127 Hours” gives us the story of Aron Ralston, a dude who, if you remember the story, had that happen to him, and instead of being “easily” rescued, well, it pretty much came down to cutting off his forearm or dying. He’s alive and well, less one forearm and hand.

Now you might also be saying something like “Why in God’s green earth would I want to watch a movie about some dude trapped in the mountains, where he has to cut off his arm? And is it really graphic when he cuts off his arm, or do we just know it happens? Tell me dude!” Well, I’m telling you that “127 Hours” is a great film – of a story of part stupidity, part inspiration, and part of it might have you reflect a bit on your life and the things you might wish you could do, regret things you did, or maybe inspire you, if you had 5 days with just yourself and a small bottle of water to process your mortality.

Look, the movie’s pretty deep, but there is some fun at the beginning where Aron (in the movie played fabulously by James Franco) sets out on his journey and runs into a couple of girls on the hiking trails, so don’t be too freaked out by the subject matter and yes, although not the most pleasant of scenes, I think most people can get through the point where Aron has to cut off his arm, albeit you might have to watch between your fingers because your hands are covering your eyes. James Franco does great, the reflective, and sometimes losing his mind scenes are very well done, and damn, this movie looks beautiful, even if a lot of it takes place in a crevice.

As a movie it’s 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for “127 Hours.” But what about the Blu-ray? Well, I’ll tell you.

It’s got deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Personally I suggest skipping them, and I’m glad they went with the theatrical ending because the alternate one just dragged on and on and would have killed my getting weepy, even though I knew the dude was going to be rescued, because my thoughts would have shifted to “I get it, already.” There’s also a commentary track with the Director, which is normal fare, but I found fascinating the little feature called “Search & Rescue,” sort of a little documentary about that actual things that were going on to get Aron rescued. There is, also, a very detailed look at the making of the movie (damn, that crevice looks real even though it was fake for the movie), which was nice, but I’m still sticking with the “Search and Rescue” as the must-see extra on the Blu-ray.

So yes, even if the subject matter sounds weird, bland, or lousy, I’m telling you that it’s not the case. Put the movie on your widescreen, turn the volume a little, and get weepy at the end even though you know the dude is getting rescued and will be alright.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!