I remember the first time I saw 127 hours.
And the second. And the fourteenth.
It’s dumbfounding how a movie like this can be so captivatingly entertaining when it is centered on a single dude, stuck in a canyon. I mean, the only interaction the protagonist has the whole time with other human beings is when they’re doing the whole character development thing and showing what an ego driven badass Aaron Ralston is. That, and during his daydreamy delusions when dehydration slowly sets in and cruelly makes the Franco character temporarily believe he’s escaped or that rain is on it’s way to relieve him of his parched torture and float him to safety.
Part of this movie was awesome because of the cinematography.
Part of it was (obviously) ‘cause Franco portrayed Aaron.
And I’m obsessed, so that counts as a factor.
But, namely, Danny Boyle’s dramatization of what would seem like “So the eff what?” events in your or my every day life (like dropping a tool) were perfect and appropriate – especially given that the dude’s arm was lodged in between rocks and he was running outta water double fast.
Inevitably, when I watch flicks like these, I can’t help but relate to the character. What would I do if I were in that situation? Pontificating on how we’d handle the sitch were it us is part of the fun of survival style films.
But it’s really just an exercise in frustration -and no better than shrieking at Jamie Lee Curtis to look behind her. We never truly can know what we’d do, can we? I mean, you n’ me – we’re just sitting here in a temp controlled home with our bodies full of water and synapses chattering like usual. There’s no brain fry to bar logic.
Thus, when I came across this Bear Grylls Discovery quiz about whether I’d survive in the desert or not, something bothered me about my surprisingly above average score…
Try it out, if you like.