Tries a little too hard, but it's damn impressive nonetheless.

Rating: 9/10 (15 April 2016)

Revenant is a movie that almost everyone interested in it has already seen. So here's a useless review. I'll try to summarize my impressions in short, compact sentences.
There's an eerie feeling of "being there" when watching Revenant. The cinematography is majestic, and I would recommend seeing this movie for its visual excellence alone, because you don't have to be a film snob to appreciate the craft of cinema being displayed in a masterful manner like this. The setting - ruthless nature - is made to be hauntingly wide and cramped at the same time. It feels so impressive, so huge that it's about to swallow you. This is a good thing, and I loved the unnerving respect I felt towards it all.
Leonardo Dicaprio won the Oscar for his performance. It's certainly not a bad performance, but Tom Hardy delivers the best acting of the bunch. Hardy is so good that I developed a newfound respect for the guy. I already liked him, but I didn't know he was capable of something like this. It's a shame he didn't get the academy award. He stole the show performance-wise, and it was most likely my favorite performance of the whole year. If you have seen this film, you know what I'm talking about.
Dicaprio acts with his face and his groans. Throughout the movie, his character is suffering and surviving. I like how he's used here, because when he tries to do the accent (in the beginning of the movie), it's noticeable. I'm looking at the actor, not the character, and it takes me away from the movie. Because of that, it's a good thing to have Leo in a physical role for that reason alone. He does a fine job, and nobody can blame him for the lack of effort. However, it feels a bit forced at times. I shouldn't feel bored when I watch a character suffering, but at times I was. I know the movie is about suffering and overcoming extremely hopeless situations, but I could see the "Oscar push" at times. Parts of this movie that included Dicaprio's character overstayed their welcome. That said, his performance is memorable.
This isn't a deep movie story-wise. It's about surviving against all odds. It's about willpower and vengeance. We have seen this story many times in many forms, and while that's not a bad thing in itself, the story doesn't really grip you. If someone complains about a hollow story, I can't really disagree. Of course there are some cool things to spice things up: an interesting time period along with some (not really subtle) racial politics.
There are a few artsy dream sequences which try to inform us about our main character and also give us some breathing room, because there's only so much we can handle constant suffering. They succeed in what they try to do - and they are also gorgeous to look at - but they don't fit seamlessly to the rest of the film. Revenant is a long movie, and it also feels like a long movie. I would have removed the dream sequences along with 10+ minutes of groaning, but then again, there is something impressive in every minute of it.
This is a very violent movie. It's inherently brutal. It dances the fine line of being disturbingly violent without shocking the audience too much or throwing in gore just for the sake of gore. But If you are very sensitive to realistic violence, be warned. There is a scene involving a bear which is as stunning as it is horrifying. Yes, it's the scene you have probably heard about. I heard about it beforehand too, but nothing could prepare me for it. It was so well done, and I can't remember the last time I was genuinely shocked and awed in a movie theater like this.
In the end, Revenant is impressive. It's a little hollow, it can be boring at times and it tries a bit too hard, but this is a movie about the details. It's about the craft of cinema, the art of film-making and what people still can do with it. Hauntingly beautiful cinematography, quality acting (especially from Tom Hardy), great camera-work and a few memorable, stunning scenes. When the details of a movie are handled like this, it's easy to forgive its faults.
Recommended for everyone, except for small children and people with bear-related, traumatic psychological issues.