- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
- Rating: R
- Region: A (B? C?)
- Discs: 2 (1x Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Blu-ray Release Date: March 1, 2011
- List Price: $39.99
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Purchase 127 Hours on Blu-ray+ Digital Copy at CD Universe
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Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film
[Rating:5/5]
I recall hearing the unbelievable story of Aron Ralston on the news a while back, and when I first heard that they were going to make a film about it, I couldn’t see how a movie about a man trapped in a cave for days with no hope of being rescued could possibly hold anyone’s attention for an-hour-and-a-half. I guess that’s why I’m not a filmmaker.
127 Hours is a a grueling cinematic journey that, like the best man against nature films, such as Into the Wild, is captivating right from the beginning. James Franco takes on the task of playing the real life figure Aron Ralston, a nature lover from Colorado who lived for hiking the canyons of Utah alone. That freewheeling, independent spirit would one day get him in trouble when he decided to once again go at it alone and hike a canyon he’d never been through, telling no one where he was going. A boulder would shake loose, trapping his hand, making him stuck. Low on water and food supplies, Aron would have to struggle to stay stay alive for days, and resort to desperate measures.
After about the first twenty-minutes or so, 127 Hours really becomes a film with just one man, and James Franco is brilliant carrying the film on hos own effortlessly, as is Danny Boyle’s direction. Boyle knows that the audience can very quickly become restless, so he uses many techniques to avoid that – flashbacks, hallucinations, and great camera effects.
Mostly, however, what makes 127 Hours so involving, are the thoughts that it allows to creep into your head. What would you do to ensure your survival in a situation like that? The will to survive is a strong one, and 127 Hours captures it flawlessly.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
The film is filled with beautiful imagery of the canyons, sandy earth tones, crystal clear blue waters and cerulean skies. The detail in the AVC/MPEG-4 encodement is nearly flawless. The production apparently uses a mixture of HD and Super-35 sources plus special effects made to look like video cameras. There are no issues with edge enhancement or aliasing, shadow detail is strong and midtones are rich and natural.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
One wouldn’t think that a film that focuses on a single man trapped in a canyon would have an interesting soundtrack, but there are plenty of opportunities for the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack to shine. The soundtrack’s rock tunes open up the soundstage plenty and show off the subwoofer as do the the scenes of thunderstorms. There’s lots of ambience in Aron’s cave that echoes through the room as well.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
The supplements are a bit odd on this release. While you do get the usual audio commentary as well as some deleted scenes and a look at the real life Aron Ralston, there is also a completely unrelated short film by a filmmaker unconnected to 127 Hours, as far as I can tell.
The supplements provided with this release are:
- Feature Commentary with Danny Boyle, Christian Colson and Simon Beaufoy
- Deleted Scenes (1.85:1; 1080p/24)
- Search & Rescue (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:14.51) – Aron Ralston and his friends and family talk about the life threatening and life altering circumstances 127 Hours is based on.
- 127 Hours: An Extraordinary View (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:35.30) – Go behind the scenes with cast and crew to explore the making of this fascinating film based on true events.
- Short Film – God of Love by Luke Matheny (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:18.46)
- Live Extras
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4.5/5]
127 Hours is a profoundly moving film that touches on real human issues with a depth of grace and understanding. It is an ode to courage and determination. Highly recommended.
Additional Screen Captures:
[amazon-product align=”right”]B004L3AQFG[/amazon-product]
Purchase 127 Hours on Blu-ray+ Digital Copy at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
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