TheRevenant

The Revenant is an Alejandro G. Iñárritu's visceral & surreal throat-grabber! This life-soliciting humdinger is directed immaculately with strict understandings of cinematic language, pivoting around an extremely simple plot and dwelling on details in the midst of dark hours. You're about to see & feel for yourself, the coldest survival ever trialed by the human race that'll linger on your mind for a long time to come!

Leonardo DiCaprio. This is one name enough to say everything that has got to be said about acting. It's euphoric to even witness this professional legend-to-be's appearances on the silver screen! It is his; Hugh Glass' job to find a way back home, and that eventually turns out to be one of the dramatic needs for the character. To find the man responsible for the killing of his son. To hold on to the mantra of continuing life.

He has one of the most gut-wrenching sequences with a bear as the centerpiece of this film. None of us will ever know how the flawless computer graphics were done, nor the actor's kosher reactions to the virtual attack were extracted!

From sleeping inside the carcass of a horse, falling down a cliff into pine trees, straggling in a riveting horse chase & cupping tears in eyes, this man has done everything! Heart bleeds to be the spectator of his genuine sufferings! Such a powerful thespianism & dramaturgy! The director & him pulled no punches to make these writings on paper a reality! Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald is a tyrant with no honor & grace. The nail-biting finale brings a satisfying closure to the story of all.

Emmanuel Lubezki's motion-picture photography is an earth-shattering visual extravaganza! This vaccine for the normal eyes boasts the magnificent production design! With crystal clear imagery, he had the scenes flowing like a continuous stream of river with so many things happening at one time! If one is to talk about the germane close-ups, that would require an article of its own. The frames literally add bonus dimensions to the transpirations. Mother nature has never been this ruthless & brutish before!

Each & every scene finds its purpose to belong in the screenwriting, together with the sensible plot points, good tension-building & forthright dialogues. The intuitive background scores are earworms! The amazon rainforests & untouched landscapes are tableaux for this magnum opus! The makeup & hairstyling is wondrous. My God, the very real practical effects for the animal parts!

Nonetheless, Domhnall Gleeson & Forrest Goodluck as Andrew Henry & Glass' son, Hawk respectively do not fit the bill. There are several dubbing off-syncs for the tribal members who speak their native tongue. Towards the climax, the picture came off as stretched & iterative just for the sake of realism. A couple of the protagonist's visions are dispensable. Can't believe only 2 came to catch a dangerous man on run during the pre-climax. Also, the father-son sentimental heft is a little watered-down.

This tour de force is an ultimate movie experience, purely based on unimaginable efforts, quality & pain by a stellar filmmaking cast & crew. Watch this monumental masterstroke & make a mass appeal to officially change the primary synonym of 'Epic' to 'The Revenant'!