A fantastic thriller that makes the best out of simplicity.

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2016)

Alejandro González Iñárritu is a special kind of director. As a fan of Birdman, I expected the direction of this film visually would also be brilliant. My expectations were beyond met. As far as technicalities go, The Revenant is pretty much a masterpiece. The choice for natural lighting and nice blend of CGI and practical special effects make for an entertaining watch. Additionally, the close-up cinematography gets into the action most often for constant tension. The score variation is small and subtle, but tense whenever used. And to top it off, Iñárritu's obsession with nature shots make you enjoy staring at running water and cloudy skies.
As far as the plot goes, it's simple. A man left for dead has to hunt down the man who betrayed him. You'll see Glass get beat up by man and nature endlessly, redefining gritty in terms of modern cinema. Aside from Hardy's hard-but-audible mumble speech throughout the film, the acting is spot on and realistic. I'm sure half the dialogue is breathing honestly, but Revenant doesn't fall short in speech either. To be honest, my only pet peeve with this film is the drawn-out length and additional shots that could have easily been left out the film. It all looks so beautiful, but I'm sure at least 20 minutes or more could've been cut without changing the story or ruining pace. All in all, the length doesn't pose a huge issue considering Revenant succeeding on all other aspects.
The concept is so damn simple, yet the end product itself justifies its budget. The Revenant is no masterpiece or life-changing film but it's worth the watch.