Thursday, February 25, 2016

Revenant (2015)

If I wanted to summarize Revenant in a few words, I'd use the following: bear, revenge, another incomprehensible accent by Tom Hardy, natural light, too long.

Let me elaborate a little bit: assuming that you've seen the trailer, you know of that crazy, yet beautiful fight with the bear. I've also read about how how meticulous Alejandro González Iñárritu (the director) was about shooting the movie using film (rather than digital cameras) under natural light. The result is a cinematography that is top-notch.

Leonardo DiCaprio also does an amazing job portraying the protagonist. The story and writing demanded a character that is one-note - more specifically, a hero hellbent on revenge. No one could have done a better job than Leo, but in my opinion, Aviator and Wolf of Wallstreet are better showcases of his acting range and prowess. Tom Hardy also makes interesting choices, like growling instead of talking like a normal person (see Bane in Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max, Legends).

For the record, I'm writing this review a few days before the Oscars ceremony. I hope and predict wins for Leo and Emmanuel Lubezki - the film's cinematographer who has won 2014 and 2015 Oscars as well. I think the movie has a good chance for best picture and best director as well, but I hope it goes to others; I'll present my predictions and hopes in the next post.

All in all, The Revenant has great acting, spectacular cinematography, and a good story. At 156 minutes, I think it is 45 minutes too long. Also the last scene of the movie was a little too "artsy" for my taste.

My score: 7/10

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