And The Oscar Goes To

Rating: 9/10 (22 December 2015)

One problem I've had with Hollywood movies is that they constantly look the same . Primary colours to the fore while action scenes are overly edited and other intensified continuity technique to the point you're watching a MTV trailer rather than a action sequence . Add to this just about every film nowadays must feature Tom Hardy and you're in danger of exclaiming "If you've seen one film in the 21st Century you've seen them all" . On top of that THE REVENANT is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu who made the overrated and painfully esoteric BIRDMAN from last year and this movie seemed like more typical Osccar bait material so I went in with low expectations and came out pleasantly surprised
!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!!
Apologies for using the word "pleasantly" in the last paragraph because this isn't a pleasant film in anyway and this is in no way a criticism . If you're going to see THE REVENANT simply because it stars Leonardo PrettyBoy don't say you weren't warned because I'm warning you now . This is THE NAKED PREY for the 21st Century and whereas Cornell Wilde's film was slightly hamstrung as to what it could get away with in 1966 the studio system has moved on and not much is held back . If you think four legged mammals are cute and shouldn't be used as a food source then again avoid this film like he plague because it'll give you nightmares . That said it was the bipeds of this movie that gave me nightmares
Mexican director Inarritu really does something special with this movie and makes a truly cinematic film . I've disliked his previous work but does something memorable here . The initial Indian attack is shocking probably because it doesn't contain the usual Hollywood hallmarks of close-ups and quick edits and is genuinely shocking . He also films a bear attack that had me falling out of my seat gasping "How'd he do that ? " because it looks like it was done in one take with a star actor , not a stuntman , being savaged by a real bear . Indeed I never got the sensation I was watching a bunch of actors appearing in a movie which is miraculous considering the big name prolific cast but real characters trying to survive the twin cruelties of the natural world and human nature . Also worthy of great praise is the cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki which gives the scenes a cold , stark look perfectly capturing the environment it's set in . The editing by Stephen Mirrione shouldn't be overlooked either and several scenes feature characters finding themselves underwater but it's done so seamlessly like the bear attack it's easy to forget how much hard graft went in to realising these scenes
The film isn't without the occasional flaw . Inarritu overplays his hand sometimes and the art-house credentials are a bit overdone . Also because of the material of a solitary figure trapped in a hostile landscape the story does run out of steam a bit towards the end . There was also something else I noticed and that is Hugh Glass constantly has the ability to make fire . I'm guessing he has a piece of flint on him but surely the landscape is too cold and wet to find effective kindling material ? Whatever . But these are minor flaws . That said I do notice a lot of negative comments on this page and I wonder if the people making them are disappointed in what they got rather than what they thought they were getting ? As it stands I found THE REVENANT a brutal and compelling story of real life survival and have no shame in saying it's the most impressive film of the year so far . I expect it to sweep the board at this year's Oscars' and deservedly so