One-man show

Rating: 5/10 (12 February 2016)

The Revenant is set in a world full of interesting characters and huge events. As so often happens, the film-makers picked out one white man and put him in the spotlight, fading everything around him into a blur. Don't expect the movie to discuss the rights of Native American and/or women - they're passed over just like panoramas of snowy scenery.
While Leonardo DiCaprio does some hardcore acting huffing, wheezing, coughing up blood and crawling around, the script is such a one-man, one-act show we don't really learn much about Hugh Glass, just that he's a widow with a son and several life- threatening injuries. It's debatable if his will to survive and get revenge can even be called bravery.
All that said, the movie is actually quite enjoyable to watch. (As long as you're not bothered by blood and guts.) It's a long one, but the pacing is fine. The visuals depend on good old-fashioned camera work rather than hours of CGI, and when they do use CGI (yes, the famous bear), it's so life-like you won't even spot it.