Review of The Revenant (2015) by Michael L — 26 Jan 2017

When I saw the trailer for The Revenant, I knew I wanted to read the book first. I have a bad habit of reading a book after I've seen the movie. As it turns out for this film, it wouldn't have mattered because the book and the movie are pretty much two totally separate entities. Because I read the book first, I had high hopes for this film. Even though the film was fantastic, it was a major disappointment for me because the book was as gripping as it was epic.

The acting is flawless, and Tom Hardy had his best role as an actor because he stole the show. Leonardo DiCaprio earned his Oscar as Hugh Glass, as his performance was utterly mesmerizing.

The Cinematography was perfect, and to think I only live about 7 hours from where 90% of this movie was shot so now because of the scenery in the film I have a need to go on a road trip and check out these locales a little closer than I've done before.

Overall a great film, but I feel that they really missed an opportunity, because the book was rich with story and characters that run much deeper than the characters in the movie (aside from the aforementioned DiCaprio and Hardy).

So, if you've read the book and were curious about the movie, it isn't the same thing. Not even remotely close. If you haven't read the book, don't after watching the film, because if you read it you will wonder why they didn't follow the storyline of the book.

Great film, but I had hopes of seeing the book on the screen and it didn't happen.