The Revenant

[Steve Williams]

I saw the film on Friday and wanted to digest for a few days - I have to admit the first thing I tell people is it's a brutal film. I wasn't entertained (and that's usually a requirement for me, but others can disagree). I felt mauled for 2.5 hours - which was exceedingly long for what really was a simple revenge plot/story we've seen a 1000 times (Still One, believe you mentioned this). The movie has a very sluggish pace due to lack of dialogue and was only brought together with the cinematography - which did the heavy lifting as did the director's choice of shooting in effectively the third person to feel "real." I had to turn away my head 4-5 times - and I love horror/scary movies. It's much more impactful/personal in this movie because its not in that genre. But ultimately I feel the critics fawn over the way the movie looked, and not the story.

It may win everything at the Awards and Leo deserves his win (I still think Spotlight is more in the Academy's traditional choice for a best picture win though), but I have zero interest in ever seeing it again. I didn't dislike the film - but I didn't particularly enjoy it. And isn't that what we go to the movies for?

I can't disagree about your comments about the length of the film as well as the paucity of dialog

The movie was filmed in natural light around the same 90 minutes of each day. I think the feeling of being mauled was contributed in great extent by the up close camera work that moved with the action in a very fast fashion sometimes giving you the feeling you were one of the horses fleeing the indians with their bows and arrows. This plus the sound coming from everywhere gave me the feeling that in those fight scenes I wasn't viewing the action but rather was part of the action so I agree about having to look away so many times.

It will be interesting with the Oscars as the Best Film was spllt between Golden Globes (The Reverent) and Critics Choice (Spotlight)

 

[Folsom]

I thought it was a well made film. But the content is too political, and too simplistic for me including the political justification.

The film seemed top quality for great acting, sets, costumes, makeup, etc. However I didn't enjoy the mini-scenes in it. That tool of showing things to set the mood, unrelated, is getting played out, and not used to its best. It didn't fit the film. (Ex the ants)

It felt a bit like a slow paced Lone Survivor. Oh I don't think the horse thing would've worked, btw, a lot of educated people have explained how it wouldn't have worked in Star Wars with the Tonton.

Despite it being more serious than say Django Unchained, I felt like the only connection I'm suppose to have with Leo is a racial one. At least I couldn't find or see anything else. These movies are popular right now, where anything racial can justify violence or whatever you wish. Two wrongs don't make a right; unless it's racial or sexist. I just don't live and breath hate, looking for problems so hard I'll create them, to lay some hate down. That's not me, so I just can't connect. I don't have the hate fervor in me to enjoy raging the "good" fight.

So all in all it was mostly a very well done typical violent movie, but it's getting played up for the under tones.

BTW I think the bears face was over animated. Also bears aren't typically so acrobatic in their mauling. I didn't connect with feeling scared of the bears. The outside perspective was very well done, but it didn't make me feel the terror because it made a definitive feeling of not being in the fight. The terror in that situation comes largely in play with some factors of not being able to clearly understand what's happening, or the implication, just the feeling of no control.

Last thing, the Guardian review sounds like their average SJW smut disguised as a movie review. I don't see any particular value in it.

 

[NorthStar]

Last thing, the Guardian review sounds like their average SJW smut disguised as a movie review. I don't see any particular value in it.

I didn't like that "article" either; that wasn't a film review...it was horrific propaganda...to me.

I was surprised to learn about the unique situation the director wanted to film The Revenant, and he did, with few of his crew quitting.
@ the end I approve of his style. I think he delivered some quite impressive imagery that reflects very well what it was like to live in the wilderness and to be a fur trader.

'The Revenant' looks like a western. ...And old western from the early 1800's. ...Before the drug cartels...before 'Sicario'.

 

[853guy]

Andrew brought that link (review from theguardian), and from which he agreed with (second page of this thread). That review from that woman was quite exaggerated, in my opinion. But her feelings I cannot question and object to; that's her internal domain...her own spiritual aura….

…I didn't like that "article" either; that wasn't a film review...it was horrific propaganda...to me.

Last thing, the Guardian review sounds like their average SJW smut disguised as a movie review. I don't see any particular value in it.

Hi Bob, Hi Folsom,

The Guardian did a review by Peter Bradshaw, who awarded it five stars. You can read it here:

http://www.theguardian.com/film/201...-gut-churningly-brutal-beautiful-storytelling

Carole Cadwalladr’s piece that Andrew linked to was an op-ed - not a review - and differentiated as such.

 

[Folsom]

It really was a great film to look at... I just didn't connect anymore than if I watch any of The Expendables.

 

[NorthStar]

Hi Bob, Hi Folsom,

The Guardian did a review by Peter Bradshaw, who awarded it five stars. You can read it here:

http://www.theguardian.com/film/201...-gut-churningly-brutal-beautiful-storytelling

Carole Cadwalladr’s piece that Andrew linked to was an op-ed - not a review - and differentiated as such.

Yes, I realized it much later on.

________

??? The overall scoop (?) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revenant_(2015_film)

 

[NorthStar]

? http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...Teaser-Trailer&p=374066&viewfull=1#post374066

 

[PeterA]

I saw this film last night and really enjoyed it, though it was quite grizzly err, gruesome. The will to survive was incredible.

Bad joke: What is black and white and red all over? The Revenant.

 

[YashN]

and really enjoyed it, though it was quite grizzly err

heheheee

 

[YashN]

She said to me, Ok Robert. And then she added this: What About Ennio Morricone's music score? ...Because she really likes his music. She got me right there!

Then I said: Ennio is not young anymore, and didn't score for forty years. And from what I have read...there ain't much about it.

Hey Northstar,

Tell Parise she has excellent taste, coming from another long-time admirer of El Maestro!

The son, however, may update his considerations

Here are some of the movie works of Morricone between the 70s and now, and his delicate and aesthete touch is still intact:

Boorman's The Exorcist II
Molinaro's La Cage aux Folles
Carpenter's The Thing
Leone's Once Upon A Time in America
Joffé's Mission
De Palma's The Untouchables and Mission To Mars (2000)
Polanski's Frantic
Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso and The Best Offer (2013)
Zeffirelli's Hamlet
Levinson's Bugsy and Disclosure (1994)
Petersen's In The Line of Fire
Nichols' Wolf
Beatty's Bulworth (1998)

 

[YashN]

Watched it in 4K, ultra-hd Blu-Ray. The story, direction and acting are excellent. Iñarritu seems to be channeling Terrence Malick from time to time.

Brilliant understated scoring by Ryuichi Nakamoto, the ending credit score is amazing.

One thing you notice in 4K are expressions, especially from the eyes, and that's where you start to connect more with the actor's performance and the emotions expressed.

While Di Caprio is his usual self, I must say Tom Hardy was totally unrecognisable in this role, and wielded a very powerful and dark persona, unlike what he portrayed in Mad Mad: Fury Road. In the latter, despite wearing a mask, he could still convert the grit and heavy history of Mad Max even though we knew it wasn't Gibson playing.

This is the mark of a great actor. Watch Tom Hardy.

One thing I must say I didn't like about this movie is again, that tendency to wash out all the colours, apparently to give the film more grit. This is what I call 'Monochrome Disease'. The subject matter locations and weather perhaps do not really give much leeway, but I would have liked more colours, especially when this was filmed in natural light.

 

[Steve Williams]

One thing I must say I didn't like about this movie is again, that tendency to wash out all the colours, apparently to give the film more grit. This is what I call 'Monochrome Disease'. The subject matter locations and weather perhaps do not really give much leeway, but I would have liked more colours, especially when this was filmed in natural light.

from what I have read the effect was intention and was achieved by filming each day at the same time. Filming was no more than 90 minutes per day.

Personally I loved the cinematography and felt the Revenant should win the Oscar for cinematography

 

[Recordsguy]

I found the movie outstanding in all aspects, the realism is a-1 as is the acting.