I read Aron Ralston's book, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, on which 127 Hours is based, about three years ago. A coworker loaned it to me and did me the favor of not telling me anything about it. Not having heard Ralston's story previously, I was completely shocked by how it turns out. Having said that, if you do not know the story and wish to keep it that way, you should not read the review to follow.

I was really excited to see this movie, not because I thought it would be fun to see James Franco stuck in a canyon and have to saw off his own arm, but because I was curious to see how the story would be told on screen. I was really surprised by some of the choices Boyle made.

For example, one of the things I loved about the book that was completely left out of the movie was Ralston's back story. I mean, you can hardly spend an entire book stuck in that canyon, so Ralston shared all sorts of stories about his experiences skiing, rock climbing, etc. And through those stories, we got to know this guy who was so full of himself that he thought nothing of putting himself in dangerous situations without so much as leaving word to anyone of what he was doing.

By leaving out these stories and giving us very sparse flashbacks of Ralston's life prior to the incident, Boyle achieves bringing to screen the terrific sense of fear and helplessness that was Ralston's situation in Blue John canyon. Franco's portrayal perfectly depicts the spirit of Ralston and his telling of the story from his book. He somehow manages to keep his cool as he tries every maneuver he can think of to extricate himself from the boulder. He may have been a cocky young man to get himself into the situation in the first place, but his confidence helps carry him through the ordeal and ultimately saves his life.

While I thought the film was an excellent adaptation of the book, I'm still scratching my head over its rise to Oscar's Best Picture nomination. Then again, Inception made it, and I hated that movie with every fiber of my being. I doubt they'll ever invite me to judge the Oscars! Nevertheless, well done, Danny Boyle and James Franco. This was an excellent telling of a harrowing experience.

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