The Will to Survive

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2016)

The Revenant, the movie that will give Leonardo DiCaprio his first Oscar. For the second time in the last two years we have been blessed by the extraordinary vision and direction of director Alejandro González Iñárritu. Iñárritu brought this amazing story Hugh Glass, the frontiersman, fur trapper, and explorer that was mauled by a grizzly bear and ultimately left for dead by the company that hired him. The film follows the theme of the will to survive, bringing the audience to question, What would you do to survive?
Leonardo DiCaprio will win his first Oscar for his role as Hugh Glass. If he does not win the award there is something wrong with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The scenery was amazing and to know that the film was shot with no artificial light. With Iñárritu at the forefront again don't be surprised to see him win for best director again and it sure looks promising that The Revenant will win Best Picture.
I urge you to see this film because of the trials and tribulation that Hugh Glass went through. The shot selection that Iñárritu used was fantastic and personally I wouldn't change it. From the opening body camera to the closing close up, the film kept you engaged and wanting more.
Alejandro González Iñárritu may not be the easiest man to work with in the film industry but he sure knows how to direct and how to make something truly fantastic. Though certain characters didn't have the most dialogue, what they did say ended up leaving more of an impact. Tom Hardy was fantastic as John Fitzgerald and really did a good job convincing the audience that he was doing the right thing throughout the movie.
Overall the film was great and will pull in some awards and people like DiCaprio and Iñárritu will be recognized for their work. The film emotionally connected with audiences challenging them to put themselves in Glass' situation. It calls into morally what one would do, as well as, spiritually what one would do. The quotes "I ain't afraid to die anymore. I'd done it already" really makes the audience fell for Glass and that all he does to survive and his actions are justifiable and that it is true that he has died and does not care if he does so again.
As I finish, I would give this movie an 8.8 out of 10 and for one last time I applaud the job Iñárritu did directing and the performance of DiCaprio and Hardy as well as others like Will Poulter and Domhnall Gleeson. I will leave you with the quote that stuck with me and really ties the movie together. After watching the film really think about this quote,
"Revenge is in god's hands not mine"
Thank you for reading,
David Horvath