A colossal disappointment.

Rating: 7/10 (22 December 2015)

The Revenant is what happens when a strictly bordering-on- mediocre film gets universal acclaim. It wouldn't be correct to call it a mess because there are some scenes to marvel at, especially the wide angle shots of Calgary's forests and sunlight filtering through clumps of forests on a white canvas. The one take thing which gave Birdman an edge is simply a distraction here as the camera seemingly cannot decide where to stay and , instead, meanders pointlessly here and there as the film does. There are a lot of inspired moments from Kurosawa's climax in Throne of Blood, a lot of Tree of Life inspired juvenile philosophy thrown in for good measure and a ready dose of scenes structured around Birdman. But what absolutely kills the film is the amazingly banal sentimentality which is presented in the form of universality. Innaritu presents us with a lot of images. A lot. They are pretty dazzling to be honest, extremely cinematic, but as light as fluff. And as pointless as DiCaprio eating a raw bison liver to get into the skin of his character, or a horse. or whatever.