Review of The Revenant (2015) by Nosecohn — 01 May 2016

*Minimal spoilers follow*.

I really disliked this movie.

Stylistically, the long sweeping shots of scenic vistas without dialog are aesthetically pleasing, but style cannot substitute for lack of story. By the 90-minute mark, I was done*Minimal spoilers follow*.

I really disliked this movie.

Stylistically, the long sweeping shots of scenic vistas without dialog are aesthetically pleasing, but style cannot substitute for lack of story. By the 90-minute mark, I was done with it. Sadly, it went on for another hour.

This flaw in pacing was not helped by the absolutely terrible score. It's clear there was a deliberate choice to go minimalistic, but it just didn't work. If you're going to make a two and-a-half hour movie that's anchored by long shots without dialog, the least you can do is help the audience feel like things are moving along by putting some excitement into the music.

The way it's directed and edited, every single character for whom the audience starts to feel sympathy soon gets killed, and always through no fault of their own. It's as if the director delights in repeated fatalistic displays of the world's moral failings. After the first hour, I was so depressed I wanted to shoot myself.

And in the end, what is it about? Getting from point A to point B without getting killed in order to exact revenge? The payoff was in no way worth the investment of time, emotion and boredom. If I had seen this in the theater, I would have walked out.

Also, if you're an animal lover, do yourself a favor and do *not* see this movie. No fewer than five large mammals are killed on screen, and none in self-defense.

Because I enjoyed some of the cinematography and performances, I'll give it a 2/10. Otherwise, it would have been a 1.