The Revenant (2015)

The Revenant is a 2015 American epic Western action-adventure period drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The screenplay by Mark L. Smith and Iñárritu is based in part on Michael Punke's 2002 novel of the same name, describing frontiersman Hugh Glass's experiences in 1823. That novel is in turn based on the 1915 poem The Song of Hugh Glass. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter.

Plot
While exploring the uncharted wilderness in 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) sustains life-threatening injuries from a brutal bear attack. When a member (Tom Hardy) of his hunting team kills his young son (Forrest Goodluck) and leaves him for dead, Glass must utilize his survival skills to find a way back to civilization. Grief-stricken and fueled by vengeance, the legendary fur trapper treks through the snowy terrain to track down the man who betrayed him.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It follows respect to the novel it's based on.
 * 2) Leonardo DiCaprio gives another fantastic performance, this time, it's Hugh Glass. Tom Hardy gives another great performance of John Fitzgerald as well.
 * 3) *Leonardo DiCaprio even won an oscar for his performance alone.
 * 4) Excellent soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto.
 * 5) Hugh Glass is a very well-preformed protagonist.
 * 6) Alejandro González Iñárritu gives fantastic direction.
 * 7) Cool cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki.
 * 8) Memorable quotes, like "As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight. You breathe. Keep breathing.".

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) Some people found the movie too long, with the run time being at 156 minutes.

Reception
The Revenant received mostly positive reviews, with praise for the performances, particularly from DiCaprio and Hardy, Iñárritu's direction, and Lubezki's cinematography; however, there was criticism for its runtime. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 78%, based on 390 reviews, with an average rating of 7.85/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "As starkly beautiful as it is harshly uncompromising, The Revenant uses Leonardo DiCaprio's committed performance as fuel for an absorbing drama that offers punishing challenges — and rich rewards.". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported audiences gave it an overall positive score of 85% and a 59% "definite recommend".