Movies

Frank Marshall's "Alive" is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, a tale of great courage and human ingenuity.Although the story was filmed previously (and cheaply) by Rene Cardona as "Survive", this retelling is superior in every department and resonates with me years after I first saw it at the cinema.James Newton Howard's score is truly beautiful and incredibly powerful for its ability to convey both the hopelessness of the situation (trying to survive in the Andes) and the awesome wonder of such a savage land. In fact, the score takes the film from very good to great.The rendering of Schubert's "Ave Maria" over the rousing climax, with its superbly lensed images by Peter Levy, is one of cinema's most emotional, transporting moments.Stunning!

The very concept that this film is based on a true story makes it great. When you watch it you can't help but wonder what you would do in their situation. You want to think that you wouldn't, but then you think of their situation. After watching this movie the whole cannibalism thing sticks in your head, but you really should look at the whole movie. It really is a great story and is uplifting. I know Roger Ebert doesn't think that this movie really shows, what it would be like to be stranded there for 70+ days, but I don't think any movie truly could. But Alive gets really close at doing that, they just keep getting in one bad situation after the other. It really shows how strong the human spirit is. I give it a 10/10!

ALIVE is a generally compelling rendition of the famous true disaster story from the 1970s in which a rugby team found themselves trapped in the snowy Andes after a plane crash and forced to resort to cannibalism to survive. It's a shocking story for sure, but this version is pure Hollywood, shorn of sensationalist content and instead delivering a character-based, occasionally sentimental piece of storytelling. Ethan Hawke headlines a dedicated cast of survivors fighting against the elements, although the characters do have an infuriating habit of acting in rather silly ways at times that hastens their death. It's a little overlong too, but generally watchable.