The Revenant is surprisingly often not realistic

Rating: 5/10 (31 January 2017)

This film often got rave reviews in 2015 and in 2016 on IMDb. But those accolades are not deserved IMO. While many claimed the action was so realistic, huge plot flaws undermine the supposed gritty realism. And the shaky cam usage is irritating and overused by the director. Granted the bear attack was well done and the cinematography often beautiful, but the narrative has a number of weaknesses that bothered me. For example, although the hunting party went to the trouble of constructing a gurney made of logs, nobody fashioned a SPLINT for Leonardo's character's broken right lower leg! Later in the film the protagonist is seen running full tilt and even jumping on to a horse--- a total impossibility. In another scene, DiCaprio's character comes to the edge of a huge cliff spying a river and the next cut has him at the bottom of said cliff in that river. Another ridiculous unrealistic scene. Furthermore, the character, Glass, is submerged in the frigid water of a waterfall and has no problems with the frostbite and hypothermia that would have most certainly ensued! There is also a scene stolen from "Star Wars" where Glass eviscerates his dead horse and climbs naked inside of the carcass to seek shelter from a blizzard. And the next day he puts his clothes back on although said clothes were left outside in the blizzard--- of course the clothes are perfect?! Another major problem is the constantly changing scenery. Sometimes there are massive mountains and other scenes have a temperate forest. There are no points of reference to make the settings coherent. Everything is for style and visual effect with no logic. And Leo does a lot of grunting but one never gets a sense of empathy for him except a little bit when Glass sees his murdered son's body. All in all, another overrated exercise in style with an illogical script and disjointed narrative by a self important director