An excellent cinematic experience but not without its flaws.

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2016)

You cannot deny this film's beautiful cinematography and excellent direction. You also can't deny there are a few excellent performances with Tom Hardy and Leonardo DiCaprio standing out. However, for me it doesn't quite deliver as much as I expected it too. This could be due to me having high expectations for this movie, as there has been a lot of hype surrounding it, not to mention the 12 Oscar nominations. Although, I found the overall experience enjoyable I couldn't help but think that it could have been better. The film never seemed to deliver what it promised after the brutal and enthralling Native American attack at the start of the film. Some of the following hour and a half is at times a little boring. This scene was a highlight along with the bear attack, the murder of Glass' son and the finale. This is not to say that the rest of the film is all boring and unnecessary but some of it I feel is. I get it, we're watching this mans brutal struggle to survive in this vast wilderness against all the odds. We're watching him suffer from injuries and fight to survive at every turn, all in the name of revenge. But there is a period where we see Leonardo do little more than grunt and grimace which I understand is what the character would be doing, it just grows a little tiresome after a while. If it weren't for the picturesque setting and beautiful shots captured there are times when you could nod off. For me, despite a tremendous performance from Leonardo (you really do believe he's going through hell mentally and physically) I'm unsure it's Oscar worthy. So many of his previous roles certainly have been, but for him to pick it up for this I think is unlikely. I can't think of many actors who've won the best actor in a leading role award whilst having about 20 lines over 2.5 hours. Tom Hardy on the other hand is one I could see picking up an award and deservingly so as he puts in a sensationally convincing performance from start to finish. To conclude this film is worth a watch and at times extremely gripping whilst at other times it seems to drift of course and lose you throughout its long running time. If it weren't for some excellent individual performances, beautiful cinematography and outstanding direction I would have given this film a much lower score, as the story and character development are a little off par. Can't help but think it had the potential to be a masterpiece. 8/10 stars