Protracted plot and violent floundering exalted by direction, camera-work and 2 fine performances

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2016)

I tend to appreciate Alejandro G. Iñárritu and I have begun to notice Leonardo DiCaprio's strengths, but I am pretty sure that without vast advertising and multiple wins and nominations I would have postponed The Revenant for much later. But now I have seen it and I cannot say it was boring or disappointing... but no wow! either.
Apparently there are still more elements I liked: direction, cinematography, magnificently created scenes (e.g. fighting with bear, riding into the ravine), two eminent performances (DiCaprio and Mother Nature - yes, nature here was no supporting actor, but a leading one), wide use of non-US actors (seemed that US ones were in minority), but its sparse plot stretched into almost 2.5 hours and long staying on violent scenes diminished the total value for me, I felt sometimes that I was watching Discovery channel... Plus the thing that some actors were so "defaced" that they were difficult to recognize, Thomas Hardy included; well, the latter is a good actor, but I am a bit hesitant regarding his Oscar nomination for his John Fitzgerald.
All in all, Mr. Iñárritu and others knew how and managed to do well, but it is hardly a movie you would multiple times, unless you masochistically try to feel "abandoned but wild" while sitting in the warmth on the sofa and ponder on and over how one could survive in the 1st half of 19th century when eating raw fish was not eating sushi and raw meat was no Boeuf a la tartar...