The Revenant Review (2016)

The Revenant

  It's official, Ladies and Gentlemen, Leonardo Dicaprio might be taking home the Oscar.

  Inspired by true events, The Revenant takes place in 1820's America. During a hunting expedition, Hugh Glass (Leonardo Dicaprio) is mauled by a bear and then left for dead by his own team of fur trappers. Glass must now survive the brutal elements and take revenge.

  Before I get into why I think Dicaprio should win best actor, let me first talk about the real star of the film, Alejandro González Iñárritu. I mean, talk about visionary directing. Shot with all natural lighting, Iñárritu demonstrates breathtaking visual storytelling that immerses us from the very first shot to the last. The Revenant is truly an achievement, somehow making a 2 hour and 36 minute film never feel overlong. 

  I must also mention Emmanuel Lubezki's stunningly brooding cinematography! Definitely up there with 2015's Macbeth in it's grand scale and epic landscapes.

  While The Revenant can be hard to watch, due to the brutal nature of it all, you simply can't look away. Most of Leonardo Dicaprio's emotions are conveyed strictly through his eyes, since he has hardly any dialogue. Still we are with him the whole time, feeling everything he feels. It's an impressive performance to which Dicaprio fully commits, even to the point of eating raw bison liver despite being a vegetarian. 

  On the subject of acting, I can't not mention my boy, Tom Hardy. In a role, very different from his usual roles, he completely shines! Definitely worthy of a Best Supporting Actor statue.  

  Will Poulter also hangs in there with his fellow cast mates, exhibiting bright potential and emotional range.

  In the end, The Revenant strips all of its actors of their glamour and really brings out the savage, gritty nature of what it might have been like to survive in uncharted American wilderness. It is an uncompromisingly, impactful experience, 10 out of 10 stars.