Beautiful, Brutal and Indeed a Tale of Humanistic Quality

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2016)

It hasn't been far already into 2016 and there's already a fantastic film that captivates your mind, body and even spirit to break or even open further; and that film to be labelled as a 'Top Film' is The Revenant.
I won't go into much of the film's plot but I'll keep it brief; inspired around the famous Hugh Glass (who has been labelled as history's toughest survivor) it tells his deep and yet engaging adventure that see's him fighting not only for himself but his quest for justice when he is left for dead by an emotionless, careless and even cowardly member of his crew.
What makes The Revenant so amazing is that it's directed by both award winning and critically acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro G Inarritu with his style of storytelling, themes and character that make the silver screen shine. There is so much to take away and grip from this so I'll try to give my best of it all without spoiling it for you; firstly the film's themes include 'Survival of the human spirit', 'revenge' 'God and spirituality' and they help to keep the audience not only intrigued to the plot but the way the characters are seen from our eyes. Importantly, with Leo's character (Hugh Glass) we are shown that he's not only a tough human but he's battling his own demons that push him to be as strong yet broken in his path for revenge. Leo has played many great roles in his acting career but I think that this role is his best and truly toughest to play, it's bound to get him award nominations again as like other years but this is indeed something that the Oscars should deeply consider for him to receive. Tom Hardy is fantastic as well; his character is truly a monster that is emotionless, heartless and really driven for the audience to despise.
Cinematography was outstanding throughout and the locations where the film takes place are 100% real and really captures the realism of the story's setting from wet forests, raging rivers, snowy mountains and isolated trails. So much detail and thought has been put into this and the efforts from both the cast and the crew behind the camera make it seem so believably strong. Sound mixing and editing is strong too, with sounds of birds, winds and even breathing that makes it sound so beautiful but it's is composed soundtrack that makes it seem so emotional and yet captivating, from Glass's visions to even seeing him survive the harsh environment make these worthy candidates for Oscars and further awards in technical achievement in film. Again, we see camera shots that seem a 'one shot take' and even in one sequence we switch from one character to another. The violence is brutal, bloody and well executed and it can be confronting for some.
Overall, The Renevant is a breathtaking, captivating, and brutal but beautifully shot film that has so much to grasp but it will take an open mind to get it's themes and character development. This is indeed on my list (and the first entry) of best films for 2016.