The Revenant Review

2.5 Stars

 

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), the man who left him for dead. 

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.

At first, John Fitzgerald is just a business man.  He wants to stay the course and get as many pelts to take home to get as much money as they can.  His decision to abandon Glass after the bear mauling was initially just a logical one taking into account Glass' chances of survival versus how much it would hinder their trek home trying to save him.  That logic quickly turned vicious as Fitzgerald's greed and desperation turned murderous.  

I thought there were some great cinematic scenes, but most of them were shown in the brief preview.  Of course the big scene is Glass being mauled by a bear which looked mostly realistic.  As for the Oscar for Best Actor, I feel this was done out of the same sentiment that kept Tom Hanks from being nominated for Saving Mr. Banks or Captain Philips.  Most speculated he was omitted because he's already won and he'll probably win again, so let someone else have a shot.  This was the opposite.  DiCaprio has been nominated and many feel he should have won already, so they gave it to him.  I don't doubt he would have won an Oscar some day, but I don't think this should have been the one that got him there.  Hardy was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and, had Mark Rylance not been nominated for his performance in Bridge of Spies (rightly nominated and won as I speculated immediately after seeing the movie), he surely would have won for his performance in The Revenant.

I gave The Revenant a hesitant 3.5 star prediction.  It dragged and didn't have much of a plot and the cinematography was played out in the preview.  I give the movie 2.0 stars but bump it up to 2.5 because of Hardy's performance.  It's a renter at best, but wait to catch it on cable and you'll be fine.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.

The Revenant Preview

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.