The Revanent (2015) - Review
Originally published January 2016This is supposed to be Leonardo DiCaprio's year for an Oscar after being snubbed for The Wolf of Wall Street. He's already won a Golden Globe for the role in The Revenant, so chances are high. Too bad that, if he does win, it will be for a much less-involved performance. Though, that isn't to say that The Revenant is a bad movie.
If you don't know what the definition of "Revenant " is, I suggest you do not look it up before seeing this movie. The Revenant is a very simple movie with a simple storyline that is completely summed up by its title and definition. In some ways, the title is a spoiler because it prepares you for moments that can be truly shocking and tense. I looked up the definition beforehand, and knowing it made me aware that there was a specific series of events that would take place by the time the movie was done, so for those who like surprises, perhaps keep your dictionary closed.
Image: 20th Century Fox
Pros
Great cinematography during both the peaceful and action-filled moments
Beautiful wilderness shots
Tom Hardy's performance
Surprising and visceral moments in action sequences
Grizzly animal attack scene
Convincingly cruel and dangerous world of the early 1800s in America
Cons
The movie drags a lot
Characters and groups of characters serve little purpose
Did I mention the movie drags?
CGI animals still don't look that good
Some accents too thick to understand in a whisper
Plot & Thoughts
The Revenant is a good, but not great movie. I'd say that I enjoyed watching it a hell of a lot more than Wolf of Wall Street, but I know that if Leo gets the Academy Award this year, it will be for that performance and not the one in The Revenant. He's certainly not bad in this, but there's not a whole lot for him to say or do in the movie. I think the total number of speaking lines he has in this film can fit on two 8.5" x 11" pieces of paper. The rest of the time he has to grunt, scream, act like he's in pain or sleep; he does a lot of sleeping.
Image: 20th Century Fox
Tom Hardy, however, steals the show as the primary antagonist of the film. I'm not sure where he keeps pulling these different accents from, but it feels like it's been forever since I heard him speak normally after he's been Bane and Mad Max. Regardless of how you think he handled those characters, Hardy does a commendable job playing the role of a sociopathic, racist, Appalachian white man from the early 1800s. His accent, though sometimes hard to understand, helps cement his character more in this world and you hear it a lot because he's probably the most talkative character in the movie. He's not a complex character, but considering the lack of complexity of the movie, he fits pretty well.
As for the movie itself, outside of its main performances, it's good but would be better if some of it had been trimmed down. The Revenant is a film that was clearly made by someone who wanted to showcase the beauty of the wilderness, as there are countless still-shots of the landscape. This is fine, as it serves as a peaceful juxtaposition to the violence or cruelty that occurs when the men of this world occupy the shots. The problem I have is how the movie tries to drag things out by using frequent flashbacks or having us watch Leonardo DiCaprio's character sleep or walk somewhere with no signs of getting closer to his objective. The movie is trying to establish how long it takes for him to catch up with his goal, but we could have gotten that with fewer days passing within the film. In the moments when he's sleeping or sitting in silence, there's usually a dream sequence or a memory that occurs. However, I didn't feel like those did much to establish anything or enhance his character after the first time I saw them. Once you see the first memory/dream, you've seen 'em all. As a result, the movie itself feels too long and I was wondering when we were finally going to get to the point.
Image: 20th Century Fox
There is also a small subplot about the Native American tribe that is hunting Leo and his party, and how the natives are interacting with the French trappers of the area. The subplot is developed and has a conclusion, but it feels like nothing more than a shallow attempt at diversifying the story of the movie, as though it were trying to give us something else to look at besides DiCaprio's or Hardy's dirty, bearded faces. The French trappers serve little purpose other than characters to move along arbitrary plot points that could be entirely removed. If you took out the French characters or the motivations of the Indian tribes, you would still have the same movie.
TL;DR (Conclusion)
The Revenant does several things really well and some things not so well. It showcases the beauty of the wilderness and the cruelty of men in a very clear and graphic fashion. The action sequences are exciting, tense, and brutal to watch. The scenery of the wilderness is a spectacle to take in and it helps fuel the tone of the film. It just takes a while to get to the inevitable conclusion of a simple story that has very little happening in the downtime.