The Revenant - Review
This review of The Revenant is spoiler-free!
"John, why are you always doing late viewings of films?" Well, I'll tell you why random person! I used to have an irrational fear of seeing a film alone, and that prevented me from seeing a lot of very solid films. After breaking through that, I've been able to get out and see so many different films. Having had that breakthrough though last year, I missed out on many excellent movies. The Revenant is one such movie I had the misfortune of never catching. Seeing that it finally allowed Leonardo DiCaprio to finally get the Oscar he deserved, I felt it was definitely time to jump into this groundbreaking film.
It's safe to say that this film is DiCaprio's film to control and without his powerful performance this movie could have tanked. His Hugh Glass is the best character in the movie without question, the strife and pain experienced by him are shocking. Leo is a stud in roles of this kind that require raw emotion and subtlety that doesn't come from a lot of others. The absolutely commitment and time that he must have committed to the role paid off in so many ways and you can see with which he gives the character. I'm sure by now though you've heard everything there is to hear about his performance in this movie and there's one character that I felt didn't get the attention deserved in the run-up to the film. Tom Hardy's John Fitzgerald got him an Oscar nomination, but the media didn't seem to focus in on him. There's a true darkness to him and that is one of Tom's best assets as an actor. He brings an empowering and terrifying presence to his villains that many others do not. He absolutely deserved the nomination he received and despite limited screen time, he managed to make the character memorable.
The story of the Revenant, in my opinion, starts off rather simplistic. John Fitzgerald kills Glass' son and leaves him for dead after one of the most visceral and gore-filled scenes I've ever seen in a film. Glass' journey back to health, then through the wilderness is gripping and interesting. He's haunted by visions of the past, and often just when things seem to be going better for him they end up getting worse. I can't help but feel though that the movie could have been a few minutes shorter as at times I felt uninterested because although I was invested, seeing Leonardo DiCaprio power throughout the snow and forests got boring.
That brings me to another huge strength though with this film, the visuals and look of the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio's commitment to the rule extends to Glass' look and the look of all of the other characters. These hunters appear almost as savages and they impress me beyond belief. It's hard to believe this is what some people's lives were like at some point in time. Along with this, the environments presented are so beautiful you almost forget you're watching a story that's very emotionally pressuring. Seeing the snowy mountains and forests of the uncharted wilderness was great and I wish more films used this environment successfully.
I know I was late to the party on seeing this movie, but I am so happy I finally found the time to check out the film. For me, The Revenant was an excellent film with some of the best portrayals of that year and set the tone for some great media moving forward. Leonardo DiCaprio absolutely deserved his Oscar win for his role in this film, but I do understand why it didn't win the best picture over Spotlight. The seemingly overly long runtime dragged it down a bit, but not to a point where I wasn't enjoying the story and film as a whole. The Revenant is one of those films that makes you remember the best parts of cinema are characters and I believe any film lover should take the time to check it out.
