If you think you'll be warmer inside the cinema watching 'The Revenant' this winter... You're wrong!

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2016)

'Birdman' introduced Alejandro G. Iñárritu into the limelight last award season, virtually stealing the Oscars with 9 nominations and 4 wins including Best picture and Directing. Now a year later and it's the same story with 'The Revenant' being nominated for 12 this time round. The academy aside... Can it really be as good as everyone is saying?
No. Good would be an understatement.
'The Revenant' is and will always be one of those very rare films that weren't just a trip to the cinema, but an experience. With the film being a lengthy 2 hours 36 minutes I was pleasantly surprised that I never had the urge to check my watch, because of how well the film pulled me in. We are thrown into an intense, brisk, frozen adventure of pure revenge but with far more depth and meaning than you may think. Iñárritu uses his seemingly signature long takes to completely submerged the viewer in the freezing temperatures, along with using natural light and wide angle lenses to show the vast landscapes and real settings that the characters are trying to survive in.
Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Hugh Glass' as the desperate protagonist abandoned by his fellow hunters after a brutal encounter with a bear, serves up one of his best ever performances. Showing that he is more than capable of expressing deep emotions with minimal dialogue. Tom Hardy's 'John Fitzgerald' is an amazing antagonist who is being hunted by Glass to seek revenge for leaving him for Dead. Hardy was great in the role, adding yet another outstanding performance to his near flawless track record of films and performances. Domhnall Gleeson is also in the film as the hunting group's leader who does a decent job, further cementing his status as an actor to watch out for with cinema-goers.
Whilst the plot may sound relatively simple for a 2 and a half hour film, you will never even think about the time as you'll be so immersed in the dramatic, adventure thrill ride that you'll start to shiver from the frozen environment.
A must see for everyone!