A True Masterpiece. The Revenant (2015) Movie Review

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2016)

From Academy Award Winning director, Alejandro G. Inarritu and 6 Time Oscar Nominee , Leonardo DiCaprio comes "The Revenant", inspired by true events and based in part on the novel of the same name by Michael Punke.
The film starts off with a group of men in the 1820s, searching for pelts (animal skins) in the 1820s. However, a member of the group, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), is brutally attacked by a grizzly bear, doing great damage to his legs and torso. Following this, the rest of the group struggle to carry him on a stretcher, especially when approaching high, rocky ground. The leader of the group, Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) gives orders to three members of the group, Bridger (Will Poulter), John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) & Glass' son to stay behind and watch over Glass. Fitzgerald soon gets tired of this, kills the son and buries Glass alive, leaving him for dead. Days later, Glass awakens and must get back to their camp, enduring the inability to walk, freezing cold temperatures, and of course the long journey home. But he is driven by revenge for what Fitzgerald did to him.
This is probably one of the most intense movies I have ever seen. Watching the screen with my undivided attention, I could hardly believe some of the things happening on screen. The opening battle scene was in my opinion epic, you could really believe that all those men really were being killed in the most brutal ways possible. The bear scene will be something not forgotten for many years to come, with flawless visual effects, making the entire scene very realistic, with small but effective touches put in here and there to make it that bit more credible. For example, when the bear breathes out while close to the camera, you can see the camera being fogged up momentarily: small but effective.
If Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't win an Oscar this year, then he never will. This is one of the greatest performances by an actor I have seen in quite some time. He really sells the fact that his character is constantly in pain, and for also climbing inside the carcass of a real horse, just for a movie. If that's not dedication, then I don't know what is.
It's not just DiCaprio that deserves praise, though. Tom Hardy puts in another intimidating, evocative and breathtaking performance as John Fitzgerald. I really felt a strong sense of hatred towards this selfish character near the end of the film and greatly anticipated the excellent climax to the film.
Finally, I must give credit to the director, Alejandro G. Inarritu. After winning 3 Oscars, most directors would sit back and take it easy for a few years, but Inarritu has brought us a film with breathtaking visuals and a great story that will be adored by film- viewers for generations to come.
The Revenant is nothing less than a true masterpiece. This is definitely the best film I've seen in 2015 and I'd strongly advise anyone to go out and see this movie while it's still in cinemas.
Rating: 5/5