The Revenant
4.25 / 5
Intensely brilliant.
The frontrunner to win numerous awards at The Oscars (nominated for 12) in a few weeks time, The Revenant is an intensely brilliant film that will grip viewers in the opening sequence, and never let go. A thoroughly thrilling story of revenge and a father’s pursuit of delivering justice to the man responsible for taking the one thing that matters most to him. DiCaprio and Hardy are brilliant in their respective roles of this semi-autobiographical film, which will leave your jaw on the floor.
I won’t go into great detail about the film due to the plentiful reviews from fellow bloggers and critics that you may have already read. But I will touch on a few things which left a lasting impression; the cinematography, Leonardo DiCaprio and the overall experience of watching the film.
I will begin with the cinematography, which is perhaps the greatest strength of the film. Throughout the film, the astonishing lighting, framing and sounds created breathtaking scenes that sucked the viewer in, and made them feel as if they were personally involved. From the opening scene of trickling water to the final scene of bated breath, every single second of the film was perfectly captured, and in turn, produced a masterpiece which is sure to see Emmanuel Lubezki win an award at the Oscars.
Leonardo DiCaprio, as you well know endured A LOT in this film. But his performance, which is a shoe-in for Best Actor, is simply incredible. He fully deserves the accolades he has received/ will receive for his portrayal of the avenging father Glass, who has gone through hell in his journey to hunt down Hardy’s character Fitzgerald. DiCaprio has to battle the elements, evade being hunted and a bear attack, in his bid to make it back to the Fort Kiowa where the company have headed for.
I watched the film in the X Plus screening during the day and there were only 5 people in the whole place! I sat in the middle with a perfect view and it was incredible to be in there with practically the cinema to myself, and this only added to a brilliant cinema experience. As I have mentioned earlier, the intensity of the film is the most striking element of the film, and this leads to plenty of hear-pounding moments. These moments make you forget about anything else apart from what is happening on the cinema screen. There are some truly breathtaking moments.
For those of you that haven’t seen it and want to: go see it now! The Revenant is made to be seen at the cinema. If you are on the fence about watching the film, or the film isn’t your cup of tea, then wait till it is available to rent, buy or watch online, and turn all the lights off, turn your phone off and turn the volume up, as you’ll be utterly engrossed by the film in minutes.
If you have a review of The Revenant, let me know and I’ll include it in this post!
Purpleanais | The Wind Cannot Defeat A Tree With Strong Roots
I’ve still not seen this film yes but I want to so much. The film looks intense. Everything DiCaprio endured for the sake of his art is insane.
The lengths he goes to are just insane! The things he eats in this film made me gag, but the one thing that is unbelievable and actually true is concerning somewhere he slept during filming. I won’t say anymore 😉
oh yes I heard all about that sleeping arrangement. I must say if DiCaprio doesn’t get the best actor Oscar the world will probably riot haha. 😛
Excellently written review, I can see that this movie had a really big impact on you.
Thanks mate! Will surely win Best Picture.
It’s sure getting a lot of acclaim.
The film made me want to be a photographer and an actor 🙂
The opening scene with the trickling water was amazing, especially in X Plus, as the water started trickling in front of me, but as the action went further down, the trickling surrounded the whole cinema.
It reminded me of the opening of Saving Private Ryan in terms of so much happened in the opening 20 minutes.
It’s not a review, but I loved the film and was inspired to write a little something about it 🙂 http://arwenaragornstar.com/2016/02/02/the-wind-cannot-defeat-a-tree-with-strong-roots/
When is he going to finally get an Oscar? Loved this movie and the bear scene was so “grizzly”.
Haha! There was a bit of a hubbub about that scene, as some people were saying that the bear was trying to rape him.
Well, he’s the huge favourite to win Best Actor. If you’re familiar with betting odds, he is 1/40 to win, which is ridiculous!!
haha and here I thought the bear was just trying to kill him? silly me.
It’s a very intense and bleak movie, but it’s one that I couldn’t look away from. Nice review.
Thanks. 🙂
It definitely was! I can see it winning maybe 3 Oscars (Director, Actor, Cinematography).
Great review! I’d love to hear your thoughts on my review of this film. I am still in awe and I saw it back when it first came out! Visually insane. I’d really appreciate it if you could take the time to check out my blog and see what you think. I’m an overly passionate film student and really want this blogging thing to go somewhere! Thanks for sharing your rightful opinions.
https://reelviewsbysara.wordpress.com