Review of The Revenant (2015) by Whompy17 — 17 Feb 2016

The Revenant isn't a very complicated film by any stretch of the mind. It's a revenge story focused on survival and overcoming the worst possible situations imaginable. We'll start with the best thing about this film.

The cinematography. WOW does this film look AMAZING. Every shot is done with natural lighting and it really shows in the film. This movie is brutally realistic, from the bear attack to the final showdown between Hugh Glass and John Fitzgerald.

This film is violent and dark and it's realism and amazing cinematography make the film a true delight to watch even if some of the scenes are very brutal. Now to the story, while good, isn't complicated at all and is very easy to follow.

The characters are simple, you have the strong leader, Hugh Glass who is very looked up to by most in his group, Tom Hardy who plays the antagonist that leaves Hugh Glass for dead and murders his son right in front of him.

While simple, these characters are portrayed very well by Leo and Tom Hardy and both men deserve a nod for their performances in this movie and while everyone screams for an Oscar for Leo, Tom Hardy did an amazing job in this film as well.

What more is there to say about the story? Long story short, Glass is mauled by a bear, left for dead by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) who murders his son and now Glass must rise above the elements and survive a harsh and unforgiving environment with some aboriginal tribes thrown in as well along the way.

It drags on way too long and made the film feel much longer than it really was and by the last 10-15 minutes it was feeling like it was never going to end. As a movie, The Revenant would receive maybe a 5 or 6.

It's simple, drags on a little too long, but the characters are interesting enough to keep it going strong. As a film, The Revenant really shines. To the atmosphere, cinematography, and how realistic it is, it's one you have to see.

It'll leave you thinking "how did they do that? how could they get that shot?". The bear attack in particular gave me chills and it tried to do that and it succeeded in doing so. It's one of those movies you can watch maybe once or twice a year, but it is an amazing film even with a long run time.