Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s. It was a particularly dangerous and desperate time as the nearly 300 year old tradition of fur trading was in its waning years. Europeans came to America hoping for gold and silver in the early 1500s. They were disappointed, but found their riches in fur, particularly beavers. By the 1800s, beavers were scarce as they were over-hunted, and they weren't fetching the prices they used to and many turned to logging and working in lumber mills. This particular expedition proved especially treacherous for Glass as he was mauled by a bear and left for dead by his team. Glass made his way home, fueled by anger and his thirst for revenge against John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), his former confidant and the man he blamed for his abandonment.
The Revenant was nominated for 12 Oscars and took home 3. Alejandro G. Iñárritu took home the Best Director award while the film also won for Best Cinematography. And, of course, DiCaprio finally got his Oscar for Best Actor that many felt was long overdue. It was his fifth nomination for acting as he was previously recognized for his performances in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, Blood Diamond, and The Wolf of Wallstreet.
The Revenant is just over 2 and a half hours long, so already there's concern about a lot of down time and dragging scenes. Of course, the preview gives no indication of that as each second is filled with action, intensity and some absolutely gorgeous cinematography that already makes me see why it won in that category. It was passed over for Best Picture along with The Martian, Room, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max and The Big Short as Spotlight took home the award. I didn't necessarily agree with Spotlight winning, but it gives me further pause that The Revenant fell short in the eyes of the Academy. At least it didn't go to Mad Max which swept the Oscars in every other category.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm not the biggest fan of DiCaprio. I think he's a really good actor, but I think he gets way more praise than he deserves. He is a really good actor that gets great roles in great movies and always has. But it seems people are putting him on the level of Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino. He may get there someday, but I don't think he's there just yet. I'm trying to keep an open mind, so I give The Revenant a hesitant 3.5 star prediction. I think I'll enjoy the movie, especially the breath-taking cinematography; however, I think it will drag and I think it's one of those movies that will be enough to see it once and will not make it to my home collection. Am I right? We shall see.
