THE REVENANT Review

The idea for The Revenant is more satisfying than its realization. It's a fact many of us who have been looking forward to the film likely realized before even watching it, but nonetheless the reaction to this realization is still one that feels it witnessed something unique, or special at the very least. Throughout the course of the film I couldn't help but to keep coming back to the thought that the huge amount of effort that was so clearly put into the making of this film deserved to be seen multiple times, countless times even, but in trying to come up with a time in which I might actually want to sit down and experience this again I came up with little desire. That this was also director Alejandro González Iñárritu's follow-up to his Oscar-winning Birdman factors into the mystique of the idea of how great this film might be, never mind the fact he was collaborating with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. And so, the "what if" thought came to mind in the form of, “what if this were made by a no-name director?" Would it be met with the same expectation? Would reactions be as critical to the leanness of the story or would the beauty of the cinematography allow that to be forgiven? Obviously, this is not the case and thus the film will be viewed and criticized for how it stacks up against Iñárritu's past works as well as the fellow awards fodder that is being released this year, but despite all of these factors that inform the here and now, the initial reactions to the film, The Revenant feels like a movie that will be around for a long time. It is a movie that will be discussed not for its large themes or the depth with which it conveys this rather simple and straight-forward story, but more for what it was able to accomplish in bringing beauty out through such brutality. That, in its own way, it was able to deliver as visceral an experience as one could have with a motion picture. This is a movie not meant to elicit a lot of intellectual pondering, but more an experience of the emotions that you drink in, let settle, and then decide if it's for you or not. My palate seems to have come to the decision it appreciates the taste more than it necessarily enjoys it.

New Trailer for THE REVENANT Starring Leonardo DiCaprio

With The Martian opening this week it's no surprise that 20th Century Fox is trotting out a new trailer for it's big awards contender this season in director Alejandro González Iñárritu's (Birdman) The Revenant starring what we all assume could finally bring Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar. That said, I always imagined this would be something of a tough sell to the general movie-going public. It is a film that seems to largely operate on visuals alone (though they are Emmanuel Lubezki's visuals, but again the average movie goer doesn't know or care about that) and while DiCaprio is one of the few movie stars left in a culture where actors are known more for what superhero they play than their body of work it will be interesting to see how far audiences will follow the actor based on his presence alone. Getting them to follow him to the tune of a $50 million opening weekend for The Great Gatsby is one thing, but doing even half that for The Revenant would be impressive. The fact the film is also following the same release pattern as Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight (limited on Christmas day, wide on January 8th) is curious and an intriguing game to watch play out for people such as myself who find these kinds of match-ups entertaining. All of that said, this new trailer sells the hell out of the action/adventure/drama that also features recognizable and credible faces in Tom Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson. Lubezki's aesthetic that is complimented by Iñárritu's desire to shoot this film in remote locations in Calgary and all in natural light allow for a stunning and distinct style that, along with the pure adrenaline this clip offers, will hopefully set the film apart from everything else we see this holiday season.

First Trailer for THE REVENANT Starring Leonardo DiCaprio

Anything that Leo DiCaprio works on these days seems destined to be on my most anticipated list. Whether it's that the guy has truly impeccable taste or the luckiest timing in the world, he seems to be consistently picking the right projects. Truth is, it is a combination of those things that have set DiCaprio up for appearing in and championing projects made by the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Baz Luhrmann and Martin Scorsese (and that's only in the last four years!). The timing aspect is most evident though in that not only is DiCaprio finally working with heralded director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Babel), but he is working with him on the follow-up to Iñárritu's Best Picture Winner, Birdman. The fact that DiCaprio is one of the most well-regarded actors working today combined with Iñárritu's current clout and the added bonus of starring Tom Hardy (who is on his own hot streak as of late with Mad Max and the awesome looking Legend coming out this October) in the supporting role gives off the impression everything fell in line perfectly for this film to be positioned as an awards season favorite. I'm sure the filmmakers and stars would gawk at that previous sentence though given the difficult and tumultuous shoot they reportedly experienced. Iñárritu shot the entire film with outdoor lighting in the rather inhospitable Canadian wilderness over nine months. It looks as if the hard work and long days paid off though as this first look trailer is absolutely breathtaking. Working from the real-life story of Hugh Glass who was left for dead by his companions following a bear mauling in the early 19th century, Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki show once again that there is always a new way of looking at things. Besides DiCpario and Hardy the film also stars Domnhall Gleeson, Will Poulter, and Lukas Haas. The Revenant opens in limited release on Christmas Day before expanding wide on January 8, 2016.