There is no doubt that James Franco is an amazing actor. And he proves to be one of the most capable ones of our time in 127 Hours, playing real-life adventurer Aron Ralton. He is a character all too real, dynamic, dramatic, alive. The best takeaway from this movie is that Franco's career is just starting.

The movie itself, as a script, is fairly well done. There are aspects of it that feel hollow. Clear ploys to distract and entertain from an otherwise bleak position. These scenes are jumpy, ridiculous, entirely detached. It is hard to know how else the script could be kept going, how else to incorporate a wider cast. And yet, without being able to offer alternatives, I walked away from this film somewhat disappointed in the script itself. I would have liked to see more of Franco, actually, despite the fact he is 99% of the film. The rest was that shadowy and confusing.

Still, 127 manages to capture a moment in this man's life that is truly remarkable, and truly worth seeing. Franco's performance is mesmerizing. And the end product isn't nausea from what everyone knows about the story by now, but rather renewed hope and even pride in what humans are capable of doing to survive, even in the darkest circumstances.