A family fun film for all ages to enjoy...

Rating: 8/10 (31 October 2017)

I reluctantly watched The Revenant thinking this would be a boring pioneer drama. Upon watching it in a theater, I have concluded that The Revenant is in fact a pioneer thriller and I that absolutely loved it. Shot in the Canadian wilderness but set in 19th century Missouri, fur trapper Hugh Glass tracks the man who killed his son and is out for blood. To makes matters worse, this tragedy occurred after Glass was brutally mauled by a grizzly bear. The pinnacle scene in The Revenant is assuredly the infamous bear attack. Advancements in CGI and Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of the grueling pain of being shredded to death made that scene terrifyingly impressive. The use of the non-diegetic thumping of paws on the ground and the grizzly's haunting breath made this scene a squeeze and hide your eyes type of intense scene. You could truly understand the helplessness of Glass by only hearing what he could hear. One other scene to note is the beginning battle between the Native Americans and fur traders. Since it was a continuous shot, it is amazing how director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu used passing characters across the camera to shift the focus of the scene to another. A whole 2 minutes and 35 seconds of continuous footage is a feat to remember, especially when knowing that this is a wild battle scene where characters must shout, run, and "die" on cue. This movie exceeded my expectations and I certainly plan on watching more of Inarritu's work in the future.