Image source: http://moviehole.net/201699850the-revenant
Ok so it should be obvious but I'm definitely not talking about that pile of shite of a 2009 vampire movie that also happens to be called The Revenant but am instead talking about a current, harrowing and relatable movie of survival and revenge revolving around the story of legendary early-1800s US frontiersman Hugh Glass played amicably by Leonardo DiCaprio. I suppose that goes really without saying but despite how niche the 2009 film was I found out while researching for this review that it has something of a following that reviews it quite positively and I just couldn't figure out why considering how shite it is.
Fortunately, this current Alejandro González Iñárritu tour de force should make you realise that an action/adventure film can not only be thoughtful and delve into human emotions but also have a highly-relatable and sympathetic main character without too much dialogue. Now there is a common theme in a lot of modern action and revenge films I hear about that many of them have too much discussion and generally not enough 'show don't tell'. This I can certainly see being prevalent in a lot of modern films such as Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) or anything Steven Segal has made since the early-2000s with exception to Half Past Dead (2002) or Machete (2010) (although the former was shit and the latter starred him as a bit-part villain). However, there is a time when some action, adventure and yes, even revenge films have to take just a short moment to talk back and fortunately The Revenant finds a good balance between speaking and action for the most part.
As for the plot; for those of you who may not know, Hugh Glass was a noted US frontiersman in the 1820s hunting for animal pelts while fighting for survival against the harshness of the US frontier, the American forestall winter, avenging bands of native American warriors and even his own fellow frontiersmen. The events of The Revenant circle around the life-changing event in 1823 when Hugh Glass was savagely mauled by a grizzly bear near the forks of the Grand River in modern-day South Dakota and was subsequently patched up before being abandoned by fellow frontiersmen Fitzgerald and Bridger and subsequently hunting them down through hundreds of miles of tundra and an abandoned fort on the Yellowstone River.
Now the film does fictionalise some events of Glass' adventure such as portraying Fort Henry as being still occupied when he hunts down Fitzgerald or how the actual journey down the Yellowstone River itself takes less time in the film than it did in real life where Glass had to crawl for several weeks in a row after healing from being mauled by the bear. Admittedly, some of Glass' adventure is alleged and theorised but it is largely and for the most part based in reliable accounts which does make it a bit egregious to someone who actually studies history like myself that the film Hollywood's some of the real-life events and fictionalises some for thematic purposes. However, this is sometimes inevitable when making an entertaining film as seen with epics such as Kingdom of Heaven (2005) or Valkyrie (2008).
One thing that definitely alleviates many of the grievances I might have about this issue though is definitely DiCaprio's stellar performance as Glass with DiCaprio at this point in life being roughly near the same age as Glass was when he was mauled by that bear. This in part gives DiCaprio the extra weight needed in his performance to truly push home the feeling of desperation, determination, anger, revenge and survival wit that Glass was reputed for. Without a doubt this is one of my favourite if not my very favourite DiCaprio performance yet of his career so far which is even more incredible considering that he barely speaks for the majority of the film with his lines probably taking up half a sheet of A4. This relates back to the earlier point about 'show don't tell' in that most of the emotion and character development is conveyed through DiCaprio's acting and facial performance which considering how many big performances have been clangered by failing physical performances. DiCaprio has always been one of my favourite actors and his ability to convey emotion and character development through his facial emotions and performance cannot be understated. Every actor in this film does the same to the best of their abilities but DiCaprio easily blasts them out of the water with his rifle-musket and dominates the acting with probably his best performance yet.
This compliments the story which in turn is also somewhat minimal and focuses primarily on Glass' struggle for survival against all the odds. Like Deadpool the simplicity of the story in The Revenant is one of its main strengths and when applied to the powerful physical performance by DiCaprio is superb. I won't say too much about the story in this regard as doing so would likely spoil it for some of you out there but I can definitely point out where the story fails and that has to be when it tries to be deep and symbolic. There are a few moments throughout the film when the music and some really misplaced dream sequences where the film tries to sentimentalise you into feeling a certain way and really just doesn't work. Thankfully this doesn't happen but when we get cheesy visions of Glass' fictional dead wife it really jars against the mood of the scene that you're watching. For the most part though, this film conveys its themes and sense of emotion through the suffering of different characters which as mentioned before is done with great skill.
There really isn't much I can say aside from all that I've set out above other than Tom Hardy gives an equally stellar performance as the despicable Fitzgerald, the small bits of action are superbly well done and despite the shoddy symbolism, the cinematography throughout the film is truly superb. The film might be a bit of a drag for some it rewards the viewer with a truly rewarding ending and an overall superb story about survival and revenge. Yes, the historical inaccuracies are plentiful and for me personally that was a bit of a piss take but overall the film is well made enough and has enough creativity in the cinematography to outweigh most of the film's misgivings. I'd say don't see this if you don't like gruelling length-trips but even then I'd still give this an umbrella of recommendation because its easily one of the best historical films released in several years.
Until next time, have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do and go see The Revenant.
Cinematography/camerawork: 9/10
Acting: 9/10
Story/plot/writing: 6.5/10
Action/set-pieces/key moments: 8.5/10
Direction, lighting and sound: 8/10
OVERALL RATING: Like a hepatitis B jab, this film is a bit gruelling at first and is a bit hard to get through but is ultimately very rewarding and the end result is more than beneficial and enjoyable and you at least get a can of sprite and a chuppa chup afterwards.
Fortunately, this current Alejandro González Iñárritu tour de force should make you realise that an action/adventure film can not only be thoughtful and delve into human emotions but also have a highly-relatable and sympathetic main character without too much dialogue. Now there is a common theme in a lot of modern action and revenge films I hear about that many of them have too much discussion and generally not enough 'show don't tell'. This I can certainly see being prevalent in a lot of modern films such as Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) or anything Steven Segal has made since the early-2000s with exception to Half Past Dead (2002) or Machete (2010) (although the former was shit and the latter starred him as a bit-part villain). However, there is a time when some action, adventure and yes, even revenge films have to take just a short moment to talk back and fortunately The Revenant finds a good balance between speaking and action for the most part.
As for the plot; for those of you who may not know, Hugh Glass was a noted US frontiersman in the 1820s hunting for animal pelts while fighting for survival against the harshness of the US frontier, the American forestall winter, avenging bands of native American warriors and even his own fellow frontiersmen. The events of The Revenant circle around the life-changing event in 1823 when Hugh Glass was savagely mauled by a grizzly bear near the forks of the Grand River in modern-day South Dakota and was subsequently patched up before being abandoned by fellow frontiersmen Fitzgerald and Bridger and subsequently hunting them down through hundreds of miles of tundra and an abandoned fort on the Yellowstone River.
Image source: http://teaser-trailer.com/the-revenant-movie-clip/
Now the film does fictionalise some events of Glass' adventure such as portraying Fort Henry as being still occupied when he hunts down Fitzgerald or how the actual journey down the Yellowstone River itself takes less time in the film than it did in real life where Glass had to crawl for several weeks in a row after healing from being mauled by the bear. Admittedly, some of Glass' adventure is alleged and theorised but it is largely and for the most part based in reliable accounts which does make it a bit egregious to someone who actually studies history like myself that the film Hollywood's some of the real-life events and fictionalises some for thematic purposes. However, this is sometimes inevitable when making an entertaining film as seen with epics such as Kingdom of Heaven (2005) or Valkyrie (2008).
One thing that definitely alleviates many of the grievances I might have about this issue though is definitely DiCaprio's stellar performance as Glass with DiCaprio at this point in life being roughly near the same age as Glass was when he was mauled by that bear. This in part gives DiCaprio the extra weight needed in his performance to truly push home the feeling of desperation, determination, anger, revenge and survival wit that Glass was reputed for. Without a doubt this is one of my favourite if not my very favourite DiCaprio performance yet of his career so far which is even more incredible considering that he barely speaks for the majority of the film with his lines probably taking up half a sheet of A4. This relates back to the earlier point about 'show don't tell' in that most of the emotion and character development is conveyed through DiCaprio's acting and facial performance which considering how many big performances have been clangered by failing physical performances. DiCaprio has always been one of my favourite actors and his ability to convey emotion and character development through his facial emotions and performance cannot be understated. Every actor in this film does the same to the best of their abilities but DiCaprio easily blasts them out of the water with his rifle-musket and dominates the acting with probably his best performance yet.
This compliments the story which in turn is also somewhat minimal and focuses primarily on Glass' struggle for survival against all the odds. Like Deadpool the simplicity of the story in The Revenant is one of its main strengths and when applied to the powerful physical performance by DiCaprio is superb. I won't say too much about the story in this regard as doing so would likely spoil it for some of you out there but I can definitely point out where the story fails and that has to be when it tries to be deep and symbolic. There are a few moments throughout the film when the music and some really misplaced dream sequences where the film tries to sentimentalise you into feeling a certain way and really just doesn't work. Thankfully this doesn't happen but when we get cheesy visions of Glass' fictional dead wife it really jars against the mood of the scene that you're watching. For the most part though, this film conveys its themes and sense of emotion through the suffering of different characters which as mentioned before is done with great skill.
Image source: http://www.inquisitr.com/2646398/the-revenant-star-tom-hardy-talks-leaving-suicide-squad-i-hate-fking-losing-work/
There really isn't much I can say aside from all that I've set out above other than Tom Hardy gives an equally stellar performance as the despicable Fitzgerald, the small bits of action are superbly well done and despite the shoddy symbolism, the cinematography throughout the film is truly superb. The film might be a bit of a drag for some it rewards the viewer with a truly rewarding ending and an overall superb story about survival and revenge. Yes, the historical inaccuracies are plentiful and for me personally that was a bit of a piss take but overall the film is well made enough and has enough creativity in the cinematography to outweigh most of the film's misgivings. I'd say don't see this if you don't like gruelling length-trips but even then I'd still give this an umbrella of recommendation because its easily one of the best historical films released in several years.
Until next time, have fun, don't do anything I wouldn't do and go see The Revenant.
Cinematography/camerawork: 9/10
Acting: 9/10
Story/plot/writing: 6.5/10
Action/set-pieces/key moments: 8.5/10
Direction, lighting and sound: 8/10
OVERALL RATING: Like a hepatitis B jab, this film is a bit gruelling at first and is a bit hard to get through but is ultimately very rewarding and the end result is more than beneficial and enjoyable and you at least get a can of sprite and a chuppa chup afterwards.
