The Best Film Of 2015

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2016)

I'm not one to call a movie a "perfect 10" but "The Revenant" turned out to be my favorite film of 2015, and my favorite film of at least the last two (if not three) years.
Dark, violent, unrelenting, and disturbing, "The Revenant" is also staggeringly beautiful, hopeful, exhilarating, and deeply moving.
And these seemingly conflicting emotional notes in fact go hand in hand. Only recently released (it's wide debut was last weekend, as of my writing this), the film is already underrated, and this is one of those rare movies I really expect to grow in stature over the years, not diminish.
Despite mostly positive reviews, many critics are being way too hard on this one--I suppose that's not too surprising. It seems like something this great can't help but find critics looking for things to nitpick (not to mention totally misread and misinterpret) about.
I'm sure you already know the general plot line, so I won't even bother recapping it. But there's so much more to The Revenant than meets the eye (and there's nonstop stunning imagery to meet said eye!) Beyond some of the most dazzling cinematography I've ever seen (Innaritu's previous Oscar-winner, Birdman, turned out to be only a warm-up for this one in that department), beyond a classic revenge story, and beyond the uniformly fine performances (DiCaprio's best to date) is a morally pertinent, narratively ambiguous, and spiritually uplifting vibe unlike any other film I have seen.
Don't like seeing movies on the big screen? Make an exception for this one... Do yourself a favor and make an exception... The movie completely immerses you in it's world (bereft of cartoonish CGI or silly 3D glasses) and you are in the pioneering west for the cost of your ticket... The camera swoops and swirls and puts you in the middle of some truly spectacular action sequences. Every frame looks like a postcard. The most ambitious nature documentaries don't capture the beauty of nature as well as this film does (I suppose Emmanual Lubezki should probably start working as DP for nature documentaries) with it's use of real locations and natural lighting.
The sticking point for critics seems to be that the film lacks subtlety. While it's true that The Revenant is rather blunt and uncompromising in its brutality, it's equally ambitious and ambiguous in it's spirituality... And goes further than the typical survival story in depicting man's perseverance in the face of adversity.
Most survival stories depict people overcoming nature's cruelty... This one depicts man's own moral failings as part of nature's cruelty. It's not just a marauding bear or brutal weather Hugh Glass must overcome, but his own moral failing in desiring revenge. Glass' primary motivator for staying alive is also what could ultimately do him in. The same is true of his adversary Fitzgerald.
It all adds up to a film that is visually astonishing, emotionally wrenching, and hits you on every level. A genuine must-see, and a truly great film, deserving to go down as a classic. It reminded me of Kubrick's best work, and that's no small compliment.
A true epic.