Average Plot, Excellent Filmmaking

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2016)

The Revenant is a drama/thriller film based on the story by Michael Punke about a frontiersman named Hugh Glass. Glass sets out on a path of revenge after witnessing his son's death at the hands of the man who left him to die. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.
The excellent cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki really brought this film to life on almost all levels. It greatly enhanced the acting by creating an immense sense of realism throughout the entire film. However, The Revenant easily could have been a 2 hour and 15 minute film, as opposed to 2 hours and 36, and still send the same message. Lengthy shots of Glass' surroundings and very little dialogue made this film feel a little longer than it was. The direction, however, was on point by Mr. Iñárritu the entire way, and every other aspect of the film was too, except for the plot. Very one dimensionally, the Revenant's entire storyline is focused on revenge, and that's about it, sure there was more dialogue and some beautifully choreographed action scenes in the beginning, but the rest of the film was mainly just Glass dragging himself hundreds of miles across almost impossibly tricky terrain. DiCaprio, Hardy, and Gleeson's performances were very good, along with the direction and the cinematography. It is a shame that these three actors, plus Mr. Iñárritu, and Mr. Lubezki, all teamed up for a film with a weak screenplay with not much too it. It would be great too see a similar combo of actors, directors, and cinematographers team up for a much more well-rounded film.
Direction: 9/10 Cinematography: 10/10 Acting: 9/10 Music: 8/10 Screenplay: 4/10
Overall: 8/10