"My heart bleeds. But revenge is in the creator's hands".
The Revenant is set in the 1820s, in the uncharted wilderness of America, Hugh Glass set out with a hunting party on an expedition. Glass was mauled by a bear and left for dead but through sheer will and to get back to his family, Glass survived - but that wasn't the only thing on his mind as he set out to payback the men who left him behind.
I remember last year around January time when I saw the two images for The Revenant, with Leo holding a Kentucky Flintlock Rifle looking like he's not playing around. Those two images straight away caught my interest. I then found out it was directed by the magnificent Alejandro González Iñárritu who did the Oscar wining "Birdman" (a movie that I personally loved). The Revenant quickly became my most anticipated movie of 2015, as I was looking forward to this movie more than Star Wars, and yes I said it. And after finally seeing the movie myself, I can safely say that I was not disappointed. The Revenant is one of the most stunning, brutal, intense, grizzly movie experience I've ever had. The movie isn't for everyone, but I loved it.
Alejandro González Iñárritu is starting to become my 3rd favorite director working today, because he's such an old school director when it comes to storytelling by the use of art. There's been a lot of drama happening behind the scenes of this movie, with the weather stopping the production or if someone made a mistake while filming, the crew must stop for the day and wait until tomorrow, because one mistake could lose a lot of day light for a scene (It was shot in natural lighting). One of the studios suggested that the movie should be shot using computer generated to make things much easier, but luckily Iñárritu said no to the idea by stating, "If we ended up in greenscreen with coffee and everybody having a good time, everybody will be happy, but most likely the film would be a piece of shit." And after seeing the movie I gotta say that it was the perfect decision, because it's very rare for a director today to take that risk and avoid what the studio says. Yes there are some CGI scenes, but the way that the animated effect's blended together with the practical effect's is handled incredibly well. This is one of the best directed movies I've seen in 2015 and I know Iñárritu already won an Oscar already, but I hope he wins another one for this, because never before have I seen a revenge tale presented so unique and utterly magnificent.
I respect Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor, but in this movie, he sleeps inside of a dead horse naked and eats raw food from animals, now if this doesn't get him an Oscar, nothing will. He's performance in this movie is what a call 'a silent performance', because Leo barley has that much lines in the movie and the only time he dose get to talk is in a different language (which Leo has said it was tricky to learn the language). DiCaprio has proven time and time again that he's more than a pretty face, but in this movie I only saw Hugh Glass, not DiCaprio. That's my biggest praise I have to give to Leo, as he had to deliver all the emotions, the pain and the tortured soul that Hugh Glass. All of that was all through his face and eyes and trust me when I say this, but it's not easy as you think. We are so use to seeing Leo as the angry, pretty boy billionaire in every movie he's in, but in this movie I thought he was fantastic. He played the man who lost everything. With very little lines he had, he still manages to make a powerful performance that's so far his best. I really hope Leo gets an Oscar for this.
Tom Hardy also gave an Oscar worthy performance in this movie. I've heard that some people had trouble understanding him in this movie (or just in everything that he's in really). Sometimes I didn't understand what he said but for the most part I did. But all that a side, I still think he was fantastic in the movie. He really added a lot to his character, because sometimes you understand the things that he dose in movie and yes the things he dose in the movie are wrong, but in a rough environment that these people are in, you would likely do the same. I'm not sure if he would get in for best supporting actor, but I hope he dose.
I'm running out of things to say about Emmanuel Lubezki breathtaking cinematography. The camera work and how he makes the camera feel like a character of it's own is seriously impressive. Lubezki captures nature on film, that shows it's beauty and it's unpredictable surprises. The people running the Oscars should just give Lubezki his third Oscar right now, because he's going to take that third trophy home.
For flaws I had with the film it that some of the character logic towards the end of the movie didn't make that much senses to me. And that's it.
Overall rating: "The Revenant" is one of most intense and stunning movies I've seen in 2015. The score is haunting, the editing was top notch and that bear attack scene was just terrifying. I mean how the hell did they do that? I don't know about you, but I honestly can't stop thinking about this movie. It's one of those movies that sticks with you after it's over and it isn't going away anytime soon.
LO BELLO DE LA VIOLENCIA.
Lo que a muchos pueda parecer improcesable, infumable, inevolucionable, a mí me ha parecido un espectáculo. Es que es justo lo inevolucionable de los personajes (que mantienen el mismo carácter hasta el último minuto de sus actos), lo que me ha dejado queriéndole como “obra maestra hipster”. Una historia tan simple, que para los 20 minutos iniciales te la sabes. Pero no es éste el elemento que deba arrebatarle el atractivo bien merecido que va más allá de los notables aspectos técnicos. Hablando de estos: ¡LUBEZKI, ERES PRODIGIO! Este hombre te arranca el corazón desde el primer fotograma. Increíble, tanto en lo estático como en las abundantes escenas de acción, ejecutadas con una brillantez inigualable. Tomas panorámicas que nos hacen testigos presenciales, desde el centro de la acción y también los detalles que la rodean. La cámara se mueve por donde quiere y se mancha de sangre, agua o vaho. Paisajismo, todo perfectamente ambientado y con unas localizaciones preciosas.
Hugh Glass, un personaje de pocas palabras que obliga al ya varias veces maltratado por la Academia –y por el oso-, Leonardo DiCaprio, a sacar a flote su estupenda faceta actoral. La mugre, los trozos de carne desgarrada, la sangre, todo le sienta bien a DiCaprio. Quién lo diría… una interpretación física era lo que se debía pagar por ese óscar (casi seguro) tan anhelado. En este punto no me encuentro en disposición de deliberar si el “ecce homo” que aquí compone será mejor o peor papel que otros por los que ha sido sistemáticamente ninguneado, pero un merecido descanso, con estatuilla en mano o no, debe concedérsele al pobre Leíto.
Amigos míos, nos encontramos ante un wéstern gore donde no hay blancos buenos e indios malos, ni hay indios buenos y blancos malos… es sólo gente intentando sobrevivir en un ambiente inhóspito, carente de honor y justicia, preñado de represalia, supervivencia y sed de sangre por lo que la humanidad misma acarrea con sus actos. Eso sí, innecesariamente larga (guión casi inexistente que pudo contarse en menos tiempo) para los que perseguimos el desenlace aun cuando no se ha llegado siguiera al acmé.
Alejandro, otra vez a un paso de la perfección.
¿Sobrevalorada? Le invito a darse un buen baño.
After watching "The Revenant" I can definitely say it's fantastic. I've enjoyed every single other one of Alejandro González Iñárritu's films, so this one came as no surprise. What was surprising however was how brutal this film is. Now, most of his films have a certain degree of emotional brutality, however, the physical brutality in this film goes far beyond what you could prepare for.
What wound up selling all of this carnage is just how meticulously crafted it is from a directing standpoint. The action sequences in this film are so incredibly layered and complicated that it's amazing they pulled it off as well as they did. The scenery shown in this film is absolutely breathtaking and made all the more awe-inspiring by the film's amazing cinematography. All of the performances were pretty fantastic with no real complaints there even Leo who didn't have very many lines managed to show a lot of emotion.
The computer animated effects were used with the practical effects made it blend together so incredibly well helping Iñárritu prove that he is one of the most talented directors working today. I only had a couple small issues with the film, some of the character logic near the end didn't make the most sense and some of the dialogue didn't match up with certain characters lips, but these small issues are nothing in comparison to how amazingly everything else is presented.
This film is a great example that it's not necessarily the sequence of events that makes a great film, it's how those sequence of events are presented that makes a great film. The same story under a different director probably would not have turned out to be this great but thankfully we've got a lot of talent behind this one so I can't wait to see it again. Go see this one as soon as you can because it is pretty fantastic.
Utterly riveting.
It's no surprise this one got/gets rave reviews - it's outstanding! 'The Revenant' isn't necessarily edge-of-your-seat viewing, though it's still a massively impactful watch as you feel every hit of Hugh Glass' journey. It's rather gruesome and bloody, while it also has a few top notch action sequences.
Leonardo DiCaprio is easily one of my favourite actors of all-time, the man is simply a sensational actor - I'm yet to see an anything less than tremendous film involving him. I wouldn't even say this is his greatest performance, and that's saying something as DiCaprio is absolutely superb here.
Away from the main man, Tom Hardy is also part of this film. He is great, as I always expect from him. He and DiCaprio are fantastic actors. Hardy portrays John Fitzgerald, brilliantly. However, his character isn't written perfectly - not poorly by any stretch, he's just a bit flip-floppy at the beginning. The way the story creates itself involving Fitzgerald being where he is isn't as amazing as it could've been - very minor criticism, mind.
Another small complaint is the ending, there's nothing truly wrong with it at all but I, personally, would've concluded things about 10-15 minutes prior - there's a quality, almost Quentin Tarantino-esque, scene involving horses that would've made for a more thrilling end shot.
To finish, everything's beautifully crafted together visually, from a filmmaker's viewpoint, too. A marvellous film no doubt, certainly a must-watch!
I can’t believe it, but my aunt passed away yesterday due to this horrible virus.
At the moment I'm struggling with words and I can't believe what just happened. After the news broke, I tried to collect my thoughts of the reality of the situation, because it was something I hoped wasn’t true. I’m not heartbroken, just soul crushed. My aunt was a brilliant woman in every sense of the word, and a wonderful mother to her sons.
I will miss her warm and loving presence whenever I see her, which lights the room up every time. She contributed so much to our family during the 16 years. I will never forget the parties she and my Uncle will throw at their house for special occasions to bring us altogether.
What I loved about her is that she always likes a good laugh. She loved the theatre. She loved going to shows. She liked watching shows with other people. The last show she saw was ‘The Wizard of Oz‘ back in December last year. And on Christmas day of last year was the last time I saw her. After this nightmare is over, we should all see each other more often, friends and family, because you never know.
Lots of love to my uncle Chris and to Liz's sons.
She will be forever missed.
RIP
P.S. I haven't actually re-watched the movie, but the reason why am logging this movie in is because grief, just like winter, is cold and numb. Reminds me of Hugh Glass loss for whatever reason. What they don't tell you is that you start to reflect more through silence.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-01-22T18:47:51Z
3.75/5. I walked out of this one saying to my friends, "that was pretty good for a 10 hour film." It was a long film that wanted you to feel the length. At times, that made it feel appropriately epic, but at others that made it feel like it was alternatively being indulgent or spinning its wheels. The Revenant started strong and ended fairly strong, but had a lot of fat in the middle.
But if there's one thing it deserves credit for, it's the cinematography and production. There are so many beautiful images throughout the film, whether it be a swooping shot of a snow-covered vista, or the slow lurch of the camera as it follows Glass crawling across the ground, or the Saving Private Ryan-esque battle sequence near the beginning of the film. It was visually arresting from the word go, even if the story and pacing couldn't always keep up.
Oddly enough, the film I found myself thinking about while watching The Revenant was Mad Max: Fury Road. Both feature a fairly straightforward narrative intended to impart broad themes, but make their bones with their visual storytelling and sensibilities, bolstered by strong individual performances that vary from the depictions of quiet strength to bombast. To that end, both films eschew exposition and narrative complexity in a bid to allow the images and the performances to convey the story.
There are certainly parallels between DiCaprio in The Revenant and Hardy in Mad Max, both playing largely silent, wounded animals who are haunted by their pasts. And the key feature in each is the aesthetic choices made by the folks behind the films, where both Miller and Inarritu communicate their themes most forcefully in the visuals they craft rather than dialogue, despite notable moments in both films where the characters' lines hit the major ideas of the film in a less-than-subtle manner. There are obviously significant distinctions between the two films in areas like tone and pacing, and Inarritu and Miller have different goals and styles, but they go about accomplishing and employing them in a strikingly similar fashion.
That said, I wasn't particularly blown away by DiCaprio's performance here. It was good, there's no question, but I've more or less had my fill of DiCaprio playing these intense, perpetually perturbed men with something in their past gnawing on them. He knows how to play those notes well, but I'm just kind of inured to it at this point. By the same token, the film includes too many vignettes of Glass's survival, with many of them being too long as well. Many did little to advance the narrative or the character (the big exception being Glass and his Pawnee companion catching snowflakes in one of the film's most endearing moment), which is fine in small doses. Giving the audience a chance to just spend time with a character can work toward making them invested in his fate when the time for the narrative fireworks come. But a lot of those scenes in The Revenant felt like indulgence or even just fumfering around. They were a part of the film that cried out for a montage that never came.
Hardy, on the other hand, does a fantastic job at Fitzgerald, who sells the character's attitude and role in the story almost from the minute he's on the screen, and makes Fitzgerald's nigh-heartless, mercenary pragmatism and his open racism feel lived-in and true to the character from the getgo.
Inarrito spends a lot of time seizing on a fairly simple theme, represented with his wind and tree metaphor, and building up an elaborate, somewhat pretentious infrastructure around it. There's value in simplicity in story and theme at times, but it feels like he's trying to take something straightforward and telescope it out to unsupportable complexity and weight here, and the film suffers for it.
Overall it's a generally good, but rarely great movie, with some serious and stultifying missteps in its lengthy, middle act. It's consistently a feast for the eyes, and the visual storytelling is close to impeccable, but the ideas involved are fairly shallow and trumped up, and the performances can only do so much to make up for its flaws.