Obviously I was quite excited to see this film since it has been receiving great reviews and multiple award nominations. The story of the film follows Hugh Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who was abandoned by his crew which killed his son and it is his revenge story. Before I continue I just want to say that this review is my own opinion and if you feel like I do not give the film justice then comment what you think!
Overall I would say the film is good but has been incredibly over-hyped by news outlets, social media and fans of Leonardo DiCaprio who believe he deserve an Oscar. The film starts out quite fast in comparison to the remainder of the film. We are introduced to the story slowly and not until around fifteen minutes in. The film, for most part anyway, follows Glass and how he deals with his surroundings, obviously as he is the main character. However the story becomes repetitive and quite frankly bored me. Without a doubt there were moments that were moments that entertained me but they did not balance out the entertainment of the film. I did not like the entirety of the film but the parts that were good, made the film good.
The settings of the film were incredible however. The film displays beautiful scenery and amazing shots. At times it felt as though I was watching a nature documentary on the discovery channel and the small amount of talking in the play made the sounds of surrounding nature more noticeable. The film is dark and gritty, which is usually the kind of films that I like, the special effects were incredible and there was a surprising amount of gore.
The acting was fantastic. The actor which stood out most for me was Tom Hardy, which ironically, I did not even recognise until I was told after the film. Tom Hardy plays the antagonist of the play and I hated his character so much! Which is what you want from your antagonists. The most surprising actor would have to be Will Poulter, who I would honestly almost nominate for best supporting actor. I loved his character from the beginning, he is a genuinely good, honest character and I do not see how anyone could dislike his character. Finally, Leonardo DiCaprio. It's common knowledge that DiCaprio is an incredible actor and has deserved oscars in previous years and he brings his expertise to this role. Going to extreme lengths to act in this film I can understand why he was nominated for an oscar. However I feel as if the role, regardless of the actor, would have been difficult to do well, and although he has been nominated for best actor I believe it was not one one of his best performances. DiCaprio deserved oscars for other roles in which he was much better and I would feel slightly annoyed if he won this year despite his acting abilities.
Overall I would recommend people to see this film if you enjoy films which are gritty, dark and have beautifully directed scenes, but be prepared for breaks in talking and a long film, and try enjoy it regardless!
Have you seen 'The Revenant'? What do you think? Feedback is greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoyed reading this too, until next time!
