Review of The Revenant (2015) by Christopher Y — 18 Jun 2017

Surprisingly, I hadn't been interested in seeing Leo's Oscar-winning role as Hugh Glass. Historical/Semi-biographical fiction has never been an interest of mine, but the movie does feature one of the better actors of my time. That was enough to get me to watch The Revenant, albeit over a year after it's release. I can't say if it is good or bad, but I can say that the movie is interestingly complex. For a few different reasons.

Leo VS Wild begins with a bloody onslaught by the Arikara on Andrew Henry's camp (as Glass and his half-Pawnee son, Hawk, are hunting) which sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The scene is great, as it is one of those scenes with something happening on every inch of the screen. Essentially, it's the cause to everything that follows as the crew has to escape the tribe using Glass' skills as a navigator. We're introduced to Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald early on, right before the attack. His blunt, fast-talking character immediately plays polar opposite to DiCaprio's slow, deliberate speech. The best moments are the interactions involving Fitzgerald, which are mostly just intense, but sometimes darkly comical.

The bulk of the movie revolves around survival, but they don't exactly DO much. They're on a boat. They're not on a boat. The elements get out of hand. And then it happens. While searching the woods, Glass wonders a bit too close to a few cubs and OH MY GOD, WHAT A SPEAR! The attack by the bear lived up to the hype. The encounter was legitimately horrifying, and I am still convinced that he was truly mauled by the bear due to its realism. DiCaprio sells it to a point that makes it memorable.

From there, Fitzgerald wholly takes on the role of antagonist. He has his own stories and reasons for his actions, which are explained in a couple really good anecdotes. The middle section of The Revenant moves slowly, and there is more time spent on scenes requiring little to no dialogue. It takes the form of more of a visual experience, as we see beautiful, snow-covered landscapes, a brief hallucination sequence, and another attack which leads to somewhat of a Luke Skywalker/Tauntaun situation.

As with most movies based on true events, the ending is never really in question. The climax is fulfilling, but not once was Glass' retribution doubted. I think the acting among the main characters, including Domhnall Gleeson's Andrew Henry, was good but I feel Hardy's performance was better than DiCaprio's. I think it rightfully won Best Cinematography. That's what pulls you into the wilderness with them. It takes you there. There's a lot of work in taking something from the page and putting it on the screen, though, and The Revenant definitely added a few components to the story in order to do so.