Movie Review: The Revenant (2015)

Photo: The Revenant (2015). Image: http://www.movienewsguide.com

Let's talk a little bit about the word "hype".

Man, do we crave it. Companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying desperately to create it. Hype places a unique spotlight on a certain good or service, and while hype can mean increased product sales - it can also mean increased criticism and scrutiny.

I am so excited to write this movie review, mainly because The Revenant (2015) directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, was one of the most spectacular films I have seen in quite some time. The acting is compelling, the storyline is complex, and the cinematography is as breathtaking as the landscape itself.

So, you can choose whether or not to believe the hype; but after watching The Revenant (2015) - I believe every bit of it.

Define "Revenant"

Answer: a person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.

A Brief Summary

Set in the 1820's, a violent war is waging between the Native Americans and the "white men" as they fight for land and power in the wintery frontier of Wyoming. One man, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), is hired by Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) as a guide on a fur trading expedition. During the grueling journey, Hugh is violently attacked by a grizzly bear. Concerned only with their own survival, a couple of his traveling companions (one including the infamous Tom Hardy) betray him and flee, leaving Glass for dead. Alone in the woods during a grave winter and a violent war, Glass' survival is fueled solely by his determination to seek vengeance on those who betrayed him.

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