The Rev-e-not Really

Rating: 6/10 (21 January 2016)

This is another film where visually it is brilliant, the acting is really good but let down by an unsatisfying story. Another film where millions are spent on locations, costumes, actors, CGI.
However, they go to poundland for the script.
It's a watch once but I doubt you will bother enduring the 133 minutes a second time.
If you've seen 'Jeremiah Johnson' with Robert Redford this has similar mountain men/wilderness/Indian realism. Quite possibly the makers are trying to emulate Jeremiah Johnson.
Similarities end there, Jeremiah Johnson has a really strong story and is a classic film of the genre.
The Revenant is badly let down by the script. Which is a shame. It had everything else going for it.
Tom Hardy is exceptional and in my opinion far outshines De Caprio. (and De Caprio does a good job in the film)
Main aspects plot/script aspects that spoil, what visually was a great film, are
1. de Caprio badly mauled by a bear, leg/ankle broken, chunks out of his flesh to the bone. So badly injured that his companions give him hours to live. He cannot move or speak. Not even when Tom Hardy offers to kill him. Not even when Tomy Hardy decides to suffocate him anyway. Not even when Tom Hardy sticks a knife in De Caprios Indian son.
Yet rapidly through the film he has the healing capabilities of Wolverine.
Even flowing down an icy river for some time clutching a log. I'm not a survival expert, but doesn't being immersed in icy water kill even a fit and healthy man in minutes? But I forget we are dealing with Wolverine.
2. De Caprio has an Indian son late teens early twenties, who accompanied his tough 'mountain man' father on the expedition. Yet despite his upbringing, massacres n such. When the son 'hawk' finds a man trying to murder his father, his reaction is more like a vicars wife. As a result he is very easily killed. Very implausible.
The son is a rather pointless character other than for De Caprio's 'flashbacks' to his Indian wife, who was killed in a massacre.
3. If they had spent 15 of the 133 minutes showing De Caprio the family man. With his happy Indian family of wife and son and their demise. The flash backs may have more relevance. It could also have explained the otherwise pointless mentions of how 'De Caprio' killed an officer.
4. Numerous rather meaningless (because we have been given no real info on this subplot) 'flashback'/visitations of his dead Indian wife. Ripping of Russell Crowe's dreams in Gladiator?
5. The initial attacking Indians are searching for the chiefs daughter. Apparently she was stolen at some stage by 2 nasty white men. We see these same Indians trading with French trapers and finally receiving 5 of the French traders horses to assist the Indians in their search.
Later, a now much revived de Caprio, comes across the same French trappers. One of which is raping the daughter. De Caprio, whilst stealing a horse helps her (the chiefs daughter) escape from the French trappers. .............................What?
6. When De Caprio finally reaches the fort. The Captain wants to go out alone and get Tom Hardy. (Who has run off --- the little rascal) De Caprio even in his wounded condition insists on going with the Captain in pursuit. The fort is presumably manned by soldiers, of which presumably the Captain is one. There are certainly plenty of men with guns.
Why did they not take more men? have a posse? Then the poor Captain would not have died. You'd think a military man, experienced in fighting injuns', would have more savvy.
7. At the end, the bad injuns finish off big bad Tom Hardy for De Caprio. They then trot on by the wounded De Caprio, the chiefs daughter gives him a final condescending look as she walks her horse past.
Uhhh?
Summary. :
The film is watchable. It's not disastrous.
In my opinion the film makers error was doing 133 minutes of man struggles to survive after being mauled by a bear. (And makes a remarkable recovery in a remarkably short space of time)
Throwing in a few flashbacks is insufficient to show, that he did in fact have a life, before he met the bear.