Yea it's gorgeous, but is there more to it?

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2016)

"The Revenant" is Alejandro González Iñárritu's follow up to his Best Picture Winner: "Birdman". The film was shot using natural light, meaning that during production only a select number of hours were available for shooting each day. The crew was put through harsh winter conditions in pursuit of shooting the film in the most authentic way possible. However, is this all a giant gimmick for positive word of mouth or is this worthy of it's Best Picture nomination? I am partial to the latter.
What it excels at:
* The cinematography is absolutely stunning, utilizing long takes to fully immerse you in the frontier setting. I was shivering in my seat. The film is a technical masterpiece, the finest film-making of 2015.
*DiCaprio dedicates himself entirely to the role. He may not have too many lines of dialogue, but he compensates with excellent facial expressions and practical stunt work. Tom Hardy's Fitzgerald is an enthralling antagonist, who's motives are easy to grasp onto.
* The violence is brutal and bare knuckle. No quick cuts, No BS.
Possible flaws:
* The middle act can be repetitive, as it mainly involves a chain of scenes, in which DiCaprio's character must overcome nature's brutal conditions.
* The movie has underlying themes of revenge, religion and even capitalism. When the movie was over, it wasn't entirely clear (to me at least) what I was supposed to be walking away with in regards to the film's position on those themes.
Who I recommend it for:
Anyone who can appreciate stellar film- making and in the mood of an exhaustive but rewarding survival adventure. If you don't care much for beautiful landscape shots of nature, the 2nd act may feel a but lengthy.