Raise your hand if you know what the word ârevenantâ means. (I thought so). Iâd never even heard of the word until the movie promos started on TV. I looked it up and the word is akin to âresurrection,â (secular only please).
I will agree that DiCaprio was outstanding in his role, as was Tom Hardy in a supporting role. In the meantime this is one of the most depressing movies I may have ever seen. There is not one moment of enlightenment or entertainment anywhere in the story. It is brutal and embellishes manâs cruelty to mankind. While the film was not in black and white, the only color that showed through was red, and you donât need to be a rocket scientist to figure out where that came from.
I gave this movie two stars as the acting and cinematography were unusual and based on what the cast and crew must have gone through to film it. The entire movie takes place outdoors in two or more feet of snow, most of it shot in the Canadian Rockies, clearly not in a studio. There had to be lots of numb feet and hands during the filming, so give credit where credit is due.
The Revenant
Entertainment Rating: ★★
Rating: R, plenty of profanity, violence and bloodshed
Possible Oscar Nominations: Won the Golden Globe awards for Best Movie, and Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio. It wouldnât surprise me to see similar nominations from the Oscars, but there is no way this is the best movie of the year.
The time frame of the story is never made clear, but it appears to be in the mid 1800âs. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Hugh Glass, the leader of a group of hunters looking for pelts. After accumulating a great many, they plan to head home with their valuables. The trials, tribulations, and agony of that trip quickly manifests itself and bloodshed ensues. In the process, DiCaprio is left behind for dead, but of course, he is not. He becomes the ârevenantâ looking for revenge.
The process of his agonizing expedition drags on endlessly, and frankly becomes boring, despite the number of obstacles he has to overcome. Weaponless, horseless, and almost mortally wounded he trudges on, and the trek, not the outcome, becomes the focus of the movie. I commented to a small group leaving the theatre that I âwanted my money back.â They heartily agreed.
I will say there are a several moments of action and mayhem that will draw your attention, but they are scattered throughout a long and boring storyline.
And, oh yes, Star Wars, thumbs down. If you saw the original it was de ja vu âall over again.â
