A masterpiece. If I was to generalise the entire 156 minute feature to just one word that would be it- Masterpiece. After winning several Oscars, including best directing and best film, in 2015 for his film 'Birdman', Alejandro G. Iñárritu completely silences me with this truly great work. I have no doubt that The Revenant will completely dominate the Oscars this year, and I am very glad about it.
In terms of the story, it is beautifully written, a captivating narrative which was executed to complete perfection. From the very first moment right until the last I was engulfed in the drama, thrill, and grit of this amazing piece.
Leonardo DiCaprio's performance was one of the many films greatest attributes. DiCaprio has always been a stellar actor, but his role as Hugh Glass was on another level. It comes as no surprise that he has a nomination for best leading actor, an award he fully deserves. Likewise, Tom Hardy is up for the award of 'best supporting actor' for his portrayal of Fitzgerald in The Revenant. I am more the delighted to believe that Hardy's performance was completely on par with DiCaprio. Both performances were outstanding and further lost me in the fiction; to me these are the best performances of the actors' careers and I would very much like to see someone top this. However, the rest of the cast gave exceptional performances. Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter gave staggering portrayals of their characters and, after this, the two actors will be taking on great opportunities in their careers.
But... THE most important and groundbreaking element of The Revenant is the cinematography. Never have I been in such awe at the cinematography of a film; visual poetry is a very accurate way to describe it. Being a fan of Kubrick I have developed an eye for cinematography and I can say without a doubt the Iñárritu has reached an equally astonishing level as Kubrick did. Movement in the tracking shots and pans is so fluid, as though a picture is being painted or even a sculpture carved and that is exactly what is done. Equally astounding was the fact the entire film was shot using only natural light. An unbelievable piece of information but something Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki can only be applauded, perhaps worshiped for their efforts in the stunning visuals of this film- truly remarkable.
Viewing the film in IMAX was a surreal experience in how real it actually felt, it was unbelievable how involved in the films environment I felt. I would recommend - in fact insist - that anyone should watch this film in the cinema. A very unique but amazing experience; one of, if not, the best cinema experience I have had.
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