Some of the reasons that YOUTH is better than REVENANT . . .

Rating: 10/10 (19 January 2016)

. . . are that "Melanie Ballinger" is far scarier than any Gentle Ben grizzly bear, and Jane Fonda comes awful close to upstaging Leo's bruin in the fright department herself, not to mention Harvey Keitel and Paul Dano. When "Hitler" places as just the fourth creepiest character in a flick, you know that that picture has a lot going for it. Ask yourself this, as well: Did REVENANT feature a well-endowed full-frontal Miss Universe? Or a command performance of a haunting tune for the Queen? Or a dozen amazing live acts on a turntable? Or cow symphonies? Or a Daddy\Daughter nightmare-in-bed scene? Or violin lessons? Or massage tables where happy endings are not foregone conclusions? Or existential fights for survival where the combatants are fresh and clean, NOT scruffy and infested? Or a dying fat man able to volley a tennis ball off his ankle? Or one intriguing mystery after another to keep you guessing? Or breath-taking strolls through the Swiss Alps? Is REVENANT really anything more than a tedious slog through the swamps of Yesteryear?