The Revenant: Spoilers Tagged For Now

[Mark Antony]

Oh definite Saving Private Ryan vibes from the first scene. 

[Whiskeyjack]

Saw it over the weekend.  Had high expectations, and it didn't disappoint at all.  Immediately jumps near the top of my list of favorite movies.

That said, I'll admit that it basically checks all the boxes for me.  It's a slow burn, it's a western/frontier story, it's a revenge story, it has a parent-child dynamic.  It has awesome action set pieces, and many of them were shot in the single-take style, which I love.  Managed to be a tight narrative focused on a handful of people, while also feeling epic due to the setting and the way it was shot.

I love movies like Children of Men and Unbreakable, and while this is a different genre, the tone definitely reminded me of those films.  Was exactly what I was hoping to see.

[Howdyphillip]

Seems I'm the opposite to a few people here (well, at least to Howdyphillip). I thought the performances were very good, but I don't think they're going to go down as legendary apart from for how hard a time DiCaprio had shooting it. The plot was fine, I like a good revenger, but that's all it is- what elevates it is the direction. Yes, it's very ostentatious, but I have as much time for that as for a totally unobtrusive camera. I like theatricality (Terrence Malick, at least pre-ToL Malick, is one of my favourite directors, and there was a lot of him in this, despite the intensity and open violence that Malick tends to shun). The whole thing looked and felt absolutely stunning. I'm very glad I saw it in the cinema.

ps was I the only one, or did the opening attack feel a great deal like the opening of Saving Private Ryan?


I do wish Inarritu wouldn't talk, though.

From what I have seen from other reviews, this opinion is probably the most common. 

I still maintain that the only thing that takes me out of absolutely fantastic performances from the acting in this movie is how it was shot. I also really don't like Malick, but the absolute disgust I have for him now didn't start until Tree of Life. 

[Jack Bauer 24]

I thought Leo was better than Hardy. 

[Mexal]

I absolutely loved it and like a few others here, disagree 100% with what HP said. This was a gorgeously shot movie, one that created a level of realism you don't see in movies often. Was it a hard movie to shoot? Yes. Did it go over budget? Yes. Did it give heartache to a few people? Yes. But was it a rewarding experience for the viewer, the people they were making the movie for? Absolutely.

I understand why people think Hardy had more presence or why his performance was more impressive but I have to disagree. What Leo went through to make the movie, the emotion he had to show while being unable to talk, the shear desperation to survive was all compelling to me. I think any award he wins is well deserved and I hope he finally gets the Oscar.

And that opening scene? Holy shit. The continuous looking shot, the POV to POV as one person was shot by another person who was then shot by another person (reminiscent of a scene in one of Abercrombie's books). Amazing. One of the best filmed action sequences I've seen, made only better by the stunning beauty of where it was filmed.

[Gears of the Beast]

What a great movie. I can't remember the last time I really liked a new release. Finally!

Leo was great, the plot wasn't anything special but that didn't really matter because the presentation was so good. Just a thoroughly enjoyable 2.5 hours of cinema. 

[Spockydog]

Saw this tonight. Remind me never to get attacked by a bear. Eek.

 

[Corvinus85]

Just saw it.

I thought it was a good, well acted movie, but I wasn't blown away by it. Considering the movies I've seen this year, I think it earns a #4 or #5 spot on my list.

I was not bothered by the camera work at all, except the one shot where Leo's breath fogged up the lens. That's the only time when I was taken out of the movie. The camera did add to the action scenes, but the rest was ok. It was the acting that carried the movie, along with the willingness to make it as gritty, and as gory as possible. 

The story is simple, as has been noted, but for the most part handled very well. 

And right now I can't quite decide which is more realistic: Hugh Glass surviving a bear attack and the frigid wilderness of 19th century Canadian forests, or future astronaut Mark Watney surviving on Mars. I'm still rooting for Matt Damon at the Oscars.

[Cry_Havoc]

I was actually surprised by how much I liked it.  For some reason I had a notion that it would seem like more of a so-called "art" film, but I don't think that now.  It is stunningly beautiful.  I would like a cut of only the water shots on a loop.  There were moments where I thought the film would fall into melodrama, but it did not for me.  I thought the pacing was wonderful and never felt impatient in any scene.  

Admittedly, I'm not much of a Leo fan.  But, I thought he was brilliant in The Revenant.  I'm not sure there is anything that Tom Hardy can't do right now.  He's owned every role I've seen and he's an absolute joy to watch on screen even though the character here is deplorable.  So, as far who's better, I think its a toss-up.  Domhnall Gleeson's Captain Henry was a wonderful, conflicted character which is sure to garner him some attention if The Force Awakens doesn't.  

And, I have to agree with Inaaritu.  It's not a Western to me.  Sure, it takes place in the right time period, but it doesn't seem to fall in line with the standard Western genre films I grew up watching.  Sort of how Eastwood's Unforgiven is more anti-western maybe.  

 

[kairparavel]

On 1/13/2016 at 10:08 AM, Mexal said:

I absolutely loved it and like a few others here, disagree 100% with what HP said. This was a gorgeously shot movie, one that created a level of realism you don't see in movies often. Was it a hard movie to shoot? Yes. Did it go over budget? Yes. Did it give heartache to a few people? Yes. But was it a rewarding experience for the viewer, the people they were making the movie for? Absolutely.

I understand why people think Hardy had more presence or why his performance was more impressive but I have to disagree. What Leo went through to make the movie, the emotion he had to show while being unable to talk, the shear desperation to survive was all compelling to me. I think any award he wins is well deserved and I hope he finally gets the Oscar.

And that opening scene? Holy shit. The continuous looking shot, the POV to POV as one person was shot by another person who was then shot by another person (reminiscent of a scene in one of Abercrombie's books). Amazing. One of the best filmed action sequences I've seen, made only better by the stunning beauty of where it was filmed.

All of this.

I too am surprised how much I loved this. Off the bat, I'm not a huge LDiC fan, but at the same time I can't think of bad performance he's given in the handful of his movies I've seen. (The last time I paid to see him in the theatre was Titanic....) But he's just incredibly expressive in this film. Do I think great suffering during a shoot makes him an Oscar contender? No. But his performance stands (and crawls) on it's own. I hope he wins. I'm also not a great fan of Tom Hardy as I've never really felt his thespian side. But he also impressed me with his performance. And the filming. Gah. It's been a while since I've felt totally immersed in a story. I wasn't even this tense/edge of my seat watching Everest in IMAX 3D. And the bear scene. Holy hell, I felt put through the wringer just watching.

[wolverine]

When I was a macho teenager I had very little time for pretty boy DiCaprio with movies that sucked like Titanic.  Despite my early distaste for him, he has become one of my most respected actors.  The last half dozen or so movies I have seen of his, I feel like he has been fantastic.

 

This was not my favorite movie, it might not be something I ever want to watch again, but I do think it was very good.  Both DiCaprio and Hardy are really really great.  I wasn't a fan of the intentional presence of the camera at times, and my wife found some of the situations a bit repetitive/lagging, but we both agreed it was one of the better films we have been able to go to in a long time.

[MercenaryChef]

On 1/15/2016 at 5:14 PM, Spockydog said:

Saw this tonight. Remind me never to get attacked by a bear. Eek.

 

Sometimes I forget that. This movie really reminded me to not get attacked by a bear. 

Fucking beautiful film. I really really loved it.

 

And you can have loved the movie and still find leo to be a wanker. 

[wolverine]

On 2/3/2016 at 6:08 PM, MercifulChief said:

Sometimes I forget that. This movie really reminded me to not get attacked by a bear. 

Fucking beautiful film. I really really loved it.

 

And you can have loved the movie and still find leo to be a wanker. 

Just saying, if he is a wanker, I think he is a really good acting wanker.