The Revenant is a movie about how a frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and is left for dead by members of his own hunting team. (www.imdb.com)
This movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a based on a true story of survival under some of the most torturous situations possible. Raw, real and true to surviving not only man, beast and mother nature, a man sets out to survive unbearable extremes.
Although it is long, approximately 2.5 hours, it does not feel that way as every moment of the film is so intense that you can barely look away. Between the weather and the situations DiCaprio’s Hugh Glass character is put through, it is unbelievable how this man can fight to survive.
The most intense part of the film is when he comes across a grizzly bear and fights for his life. Without spoiling the movie, it is several minutes of awe of how the danger this man goes through to survive a wild animal of that size. One can’t imagine in this day and age the veracity and pure instinct to know how to try and deal with that situation. To have to fight off such a creature is scary when it sets its sights on you.
Then, he is also dealing with trying to help his half-white, half-Pawnee Indian son survive along with him. All he has left in his personal life is this boy, whom he loves dearly.
The story is set in the 1820s, when death was such a common thing that you had to harden up and move on. Despite physical pain, the emotional pain added makes you wonder if you could ever do or want to do what this brave man went through.
Abandoned and betrayed by his own men, Hugh Glass manages to come back to life to get revenge.
The movie itself was shot so true to life. Surviving in the woods during winter, avoiding Native Americans that want him dead and pure agony throughout his travel to get back home is a true feat. It is a great depiction of what people are able to survive and overcome.
While DiCaprio didn’t have an onslaught of dialogue, his emoting and ability to show the true spirit of a fighter just may win him the Academy Award of Best Actor for 2016. The picture was so beautifully and honestly shot, it may well win Best Picture at the Academy Awards as well. This movie is nominated for 12 different categories for the running.
While this isn’t a child friendly movie, adults who enjoy action packed and intense dramas are encouraged to go and see it.
Contact Brenna Kelly at b.kelly@thebaynet.com