The Revenant
I’m right here.
How do you follow up a film that won four Academy Awards, especially when those awards are Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography? After the critical and commercial success of Birdman, any effort by director Alejandro González Iñárritu was going to face intense scrutiny, from both critics and the general public alike.
After a notably troubled production, during which a number of crew members quit or were fired, Iñárritu’s latest effort, The Revenant, is here. Praise from critics and the lucky few who saw it before its wide release raised expectations for The Revenant even higher, and now with its nationwide release, many seem to wonder if the film is really as good as they’ve been led to believe.
It is.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s follow-up to Birdman is a breathtaking work of staggering beauty.
Iñárritu’s innovative work on Birdman is what earned him an enormous ammount of attention from both critics and the general public, but Birdman was not his first film. Already a seasoned filmmaker by the time most people learned his name, Iñárritu’s skill as a director was evident in every frame of his last film, and The Revenant is no different. He has delivered another incredibly engaging film that thrills on multiple levels, and a worthy follow-up to Birdman.
Adapted from Michael Punke’s novel The Revenant: A Tale of Revenge, the screenplay for the film was co-written by Mark Smith and Iñárritu, who honed the story into a brutal two-and-a-half hour journey. The film’s lengthy, troubled production is not evident whatsoever in the finished work, and every aspect of the film comes together seamlessly to deliver a harrowing story of survival that commands the viewer’s attention and lingers in the mind long after the credits roll.
Shot with natural light and in hypothermia-inducing conditions, The Revenant is another impressive testament to Iñárritu’s dedication to his craft, but also a testament to his cinematographer. DP Emmanuel Lubezki, whose excellent cinematography in Birdman won him an Academy Award, delivers a film so beautiful it must be seen to believed. Nearly every shot in the film resembles a painting, with stunning landscapes, lighting and more continually impressing. Most films are lucky to have one or two breathtaking shots, but with The Revenant, there are too many to count.
The music of The Revenant is also outstanding. A collaboration between Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto and Bryce Dessner, the score of the film is haunting, engaging and beautiful. It elevates the gorgeous imagery, adding extra depth to an already fascinating work. The music of the film conveys fear, hopelessness and isolation, in addition to excitement, peril and triumph. It’s a beautiful score that excellently complements a beautiful film.
Aside from an award-winning director and DP, the biggest draw for many viewers of The Revenant will no doubt be the performances of the primary actor, Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio is a force of nature, delivering a powerhouse performance that could finally earn him his Oscar. He conveys a whirlwind of emotions, from sorrow to fury, primarily through his eyes. His dialogue is minimal, but poignant and memorable. The grisly physicality of his character is conveyed with striking detail, and his recovery from the widely-discussed bear attack early in the film is fascinating. DiCaprio’s commitment to the role of Hugh Glass is excellent; a lesser actor simply couldn’t have carried this film.
The rest of the cast turn in excellent performances as well. Tom Hardy is a delight as John Fitzgerald, even if his accent takes some getting used to. His screen presence is strong, and he makes for an interesting antagonist. The build-up to his inevitable confrontation with DiCaprio’s character is fascinating, and once it finally happens, satisfying. Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter also deliver strong performances, with both of their characters adding depth to the conflict between Glass and Fitzgerald. Overall, everyone in the film is believable and engaging, even if they may not have as much to do as DiCaprio or Hardy.
The plot of the film is a fairly simple revenge story, and while it’s filled with striking imagery, excellent performances, and memorable moments, it doesn’t quite engage in the same way Birdman managed. Not that it’s bad, far from it; The Revenant is a different kind of film than Birdman, which was a darkly humorous meta-commentary on a number of different aspects of the entertainment industry. It touched on concepts such as growing old and losing relevancy, broken family relationships, and the personal cost of art. Birman’s technical achievements elevated an already fascinating story into an experience that few films can hope to match. Iñárritu’s latest effort is also elevated by its truly stunning technical achievements, but it’s not the meta-commentary that Birdman was. The Revenant is the story of how much a man can lose, and what sort of life is left after he’s lost everything. It’s a tension-filled journey of endurance, survival, vengeance, and redemption. It’s a gripping story told with breathtaking images. Its themes may not be quite as complex as those covered in Birdman, but they’re utilized so well that they still engage and satisfy over and over again.
The Revenant may not provoke the same abstract thoughts that Birdman did, but it doesn’t have to; it’s a simpler, more primal story that thrills on a number of levels. It’s a treat for the eyes and ears, and a testament to the cast and crew that worked so hard to produce it. In a time when a number of blockbuster sequels and remakes dominate the box office, The Revenant is a stunning cinematic achievement. Alejandro G. Iñárritu is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, and if you’re not already a fan, this film might change your mind. I thoroughly recommend The Revenant to anyone interested in cinema, or even to viewers who simply want to see a really, really good movie.
