[Note: This review contains a few spoilers, though I tried to avoid spoiling the climax of the movie. The fact that it is based on an autobiographical book is something of a spoiler in itself, of course.]

127 Hours is the gripping, inspiring true story of a young man who is physically and spiritually reborn, as he undergoes what is almost a crucifixion-resurrection experience.

Mountaineer Aron Ralston sets out for what he thinks will be an easy day hike in the Utah desert. A freak accident leaves him pinned by a boulder to the wall of a narrow slot canyon, caught by the bones of his crushed right hand.

At the beginning of the movie, Aron is a happy-go-lucky adrenaline junkie, a bit of a selfish jerk, who ignores his mom's worried phone calls and doesn't tell anyone where he's going.

When he is first trapped, he tries everything he can think of to escape. He shouts for help, but the place is remote and there's no one around. He rigs a pulley system with his climbing equipment to try to move the boulder, and chips away at the stone with his cheap pocket knife. In desperation, he even tries to sever his arm, but the tough bones defeat his flimsy blade.

As he comes to realize that he's almost certainly going to die of thirst, he sets his camcorder on the boulder and begins recording his farewell to his parents, sister, and friends. He apologizes for putting them through grief, and for not appreciating them more while he was alive. Through the next grueling five days, as he becomes more and more dehydrated and continues recording, he comes to an understanding of the meaning and power of love. James Franco is amazing throughout the movie, but those video farewells are especially moving.

Some people have objected to a scene in which he looks at video footage on his camcorder of two girls he met earlier, and is clearly turned on by it, though nothing explicit happens. This apparently didn't happen to the real Aron, and some have questioned why it was added to the movie. I interpreted it as his longing for human connection in his loneliness, and found it sweet and moving.

When he's at his last gasp, Aron sees a vision that gives him the inspiration and courage he needs to make his escape.

Before seeing the movie I had read reports of people fainting in the theaters during the escape scene. I was worried, since I don't watch gory movies or horror movies; I have a very low tolerance for violence and gore.

But this is not a violent horror movie. I tried to analyze afterward why I didn't feel faint, despite the fact that it was very explicit. (OK, I did shut my eyes for a few seconds, but the sounds were kind of horrific too.) I think it was because the escape scene was like watching a man being born. There's blood in childbirth, but it doesn't make me woozy, because of the joy.

At the climax of this movie, Aron is laughing with triumph that he's finally solved the riddle (something the real Aron Ralston insisted on when the movie was made). It's a moment of pure eucatastrophe, to borrow Tolkien's term for the "sudden turn of joy" that brings tears to our eyes when it occurs in a story.

The moment he is free, Aron raises his eyes and whispers "Thank you." It's clear that he's grown and changed from the rather annoying young man we met at the beginning of the movie.

The last ten minutes of the movie are pure joy, raised to a sublime level by the swelling musical score. The very last shot is another special eucatastrophe, one that had me in tears as I was walking out of the theater.

I hope the reports of people fainting in the theaters don't keep viewers away from this movie. If you're worried, do what I did and read the book first, so you'll know exactly what to expect. The movie is very faithful to the book, except that it leaves out the previous mountaineering experiences, and focuses on the time in the canyon. There are visions and flashbacks that keep it from being too claustrophobic, but we never leave Aron's point of view once he's trapped.

This is very much a one-man show, and James Franco pulls it off beautifully. I should also mention the stunningly beautiful cinematography and the wonderful score, which add so much to what is already a very powerful story.