The Revenant is the type of movie that comes once every generation and deserves even more praise than the countless awards that it has already received. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant‘s cinematography, acting, and direction is unmatched. The world and scope are crafted and manipulated better than anything that I have ever seen. The uncharted wilderness of 1823 depicted in The Revenant is the exact personification of the world at that time, from the rushing rapids of the rivers to the snowy peaks of the mountains and the vast forests that are filled with every type of danger. Animals like bears, boars, and mountain lions live within these areas and are only a small threat compared to the natives. The natives are relentless, vicious, and rip apart their enemies, leaving no survivors. One battle within the film takes place between the natives and the huntsman and is a seamless shot that follows the main character dragging the wounded across a battlefield. This same form of filmmaking has become associated with films like Extraction and the John Wick Trilogy; The Revenant should also be included. The acting in this film is a basis for perfection and something that other films/actors should base their work on. The main and supporting cast are all brilliant and even the characters that appear in the background give incredible performances, better than some famous actors in blockbuster roles.

Leonardo Dicaprio won the Academy Award for Best Lead Actor, and his worthiness is evident from the first second that you see him on screen. Dicaprio gives off arguably his best performance ever while playing Hugh Glass in The Revenant. His take on the legendary frontiersman who survived a bear attack and was stranded in the wild is flawless and gives off the type of grit and real-world experience that comes once a lifetime. Dicaprio makes Glass really come alive and feel like his own distinct character. Something that amazed me personally was the range of emotions that Dicaprio was able to express during and after the bear attack. Things like crawling on the ground for miles and miles and going through icy waters and freezing weather just cements his performance as one of the best. Some actors are known for going through demanding roles, but nobody seems to have come closed to the dedication that Dicaprio had for this role.

The story of “The Revenant” by itself is just a revenge story about Hugh Glass trying to come back to civilization after being abandoned by his frontier party. Glass became crippled after suffering a bear attack and had to be carried until it became too difficult to carry him anymore. While in his incapacitated form he saw his own son be murdered by the villain played by Tom Hardy for wanting to stay with him. Glass proceeds to crawl and fight his way back to civilization with the only thing fueling him being his rage. The Revenant isn’t a very original story but because of the acting, cinematography, and scope, it deserves the utmost praise and to be regarded as one of the best moves of the 21st century.

The Revenant is a 9/10