A for Effort, C plus for Story

Rating: 7/10 (17 January 2016)

The best things about this movie are the beautiful scenery and cinematography, the top-notch acting and some interesting dream sequences. But what is it all for? Everyone knows the plot: Somebody killed my (insert loved one) so I'm going to kill him. Have we not seen this a thousand times? Is it really different when shot in the wildernesses of Canada, Montana and Argentina? I almost walked out of the movie after the bear mauling scene. Many have criticized this scene, but what troubled me about it is that a supposedly experienced woodsman would be unaware that you have to flee if you see bear cubs, and if the bear attacks, you're supposed to lie still. Also from what I know an experienced woodsman would be able to tell that a bear was in the vicinity and would leave the area as soon as possible.
The movie improved in the last half because the action heated up and there was more dialogue. Tom Hardy deserves an Oscar and DiCaprio deserves a Purple Heart. There was some minor drama involving a third character. I'm just not sure this simple story deserved the enormous amount of effort that went into making this film.