The Revenant

SPOILER-FREE MOVIE REVIEW

This movie was one of the most intense cinematic experiences of my life.

Coming from the same man who wrote and directed the magnificent Birdman two years ago, Alejandro G. Iñárritu cements his status as one of the finest and most talented directors today.

The film opens at a very slow pace, and that slow pace maintains throughout the film as it progresses.

The narrative is focused on in-depth and sometimes excessive exposition, with Tom Hardy's character of John Fitzgerald in particular doing the most talking.

There are times where I couldn't even decipher what some characters were saying due to the accents in which they spoke in, but the fact that I could understand the gist of it or of the message of their dialogue through the actors' body language or gestures shows that these set of actors mean business.

By these actors, I mean THE Leonardo DiCaprio and the increasingly impressive Tom Hardy.

Is there anything Leo can't do? I mean, seriously. There was some death-defying shit he did in this movie that I'm sure not many other actors would have dared to even attempt.

It's not so much Leo showing how much he wants that Oscar, cos that's just an insulting way to put it.

The way I'd put is that Leo just shows how versatile an actor he is.

We've seen him in so many dramas which are set in the modern world, where things are more refined and sophisticated.

Seeing him in a film set in the 1800s, however, in the blistering cold and having to survive in the wilderness after being left for dead, is mindblowing.

What an incredible performance by Leo, and to see how humble he was in accepting the Oscar that has so painfully eluded him five previous times just made it even better.

His performance in The Revenant is a statement of his never-say-die attitude and sheer persistence and courage. A truly amazing actor.

As for Tom Hardy, he's another one who can't do no wrong.

Hardy plays an antagonist really really well, and it's no easy feat to do that.

He's not that tall, and he's got a relatively small build (excluding THAT performance as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises).

He's menacing and deadly, a brute.

The Oscar for best supporting actor should have rightfully gone to either Hardy or Sylvester Stallone for Creed.

Sure, Mark Rylance was good in Bridge of Spies but definitely miles away from how good Hardy and Stallone were. Big letdown there.

As for the supporting cast, I was really impressed with Will Poulter who has finally broken that stereotype which I can't help but view him with due to his retarded character in We're The Millers.

He gave a very mature and deep performance as Jim Bridger, same with Domhnall Gleeson's Andrew Henry.

The film also portrayed some very deep and interesting themes, such as revenge/seeking vengeance, religion and the meaning of life.

These themes kept harking throughout the movie, and it gave the movie some extra depth which is always welcome, especially in such a deep movie like this.

As for the intensity that I speak of, it came from some seriously breathtaking scenes which left me on the edge of my seat.

Those scenes were extremely violent and brutal, not to mention very realistic as well.

There were a number of instances where I questioned how on earth they managed to capture some scenes or shots on film. It was truly astounding.

Speaking of "how they managed to film that?", I was gobsmacked by Emmanuel Lubezski's lush and stunning cinematography.

Given the conditions they had to film in, as well as director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's insistence on using only natural lighting for the shots, it was amazing as to how beautiful the film looked.

I'm glad he insisted on natural lighting too, cos it really shows on the big screen.

It gives an unrivalled authenticity to the overall picture, with no artificial colour tones or filters needed to enhance anything. Just pure, natural lighting. Gorgeous stuff.

That authenticity also managed to capture the eerie and mysterious feel of the wilderness, especially when it was one man (DiCaprio) just soldiering on all on his own in those surroundings.

That mysteriousness was aided by a lovely haunting and creepy score by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.

Qualms with the film? Well, admittedly, there were one or two.

I felt that at 156 minutes, the movie was a tad bit too long.

It was draggy at times due to the use of slow takes of scenery which, although beautiful to look at, played for a little too long.

The pacing is very slow, but there is enough in the story to keep the audience intrigued and interested... if you're not sleepy or if you watch the movie at a good timing.

All in all, The Revenant was groundbreaking in terms of cinematography, direction and acting, and was intense, brutal and unforgiving.

Sure, I may have been a bit restless from time to time due to the slow pacing and slightly draggy nature of the film, but that was made up for with some excellent set pieces and ferocious action sequences.

Probably the most well-deserved Best Actor Oscar win in quite a long time. Well done, Leo. Well done, The Revenant.

8.5/10.