The Revenant

I have been a fervent defender of this film since its release. My first rewatch however. I can say with newfound certainty that I believe it to be truly sublime. Regardless of what you think about the narrative or approach to thematic elements, there is no denying this is unequivocally one of the most impressive technical cinematic achievements of the century. The level of sacrifice and commitment it takes to create a picture of this magnitude equals that of past miracles such as Apocalypse Now, Sorcerer and Fitzcarraldo.  Venturing into the harshest most arduous environments to tell a story WORTH the risk to your own life. That to me is cinema in the truest sense of the word. The story’s that stay with you forever. There’s no replicating it.  Lubezki’s jaw dropping, free flowing one-take cinematography creates complete immersion, with a relentless raw intensity to every scene. It’s seriously just God mode level of moving image capture. I’ll never get over how he achieved it.  Leo and Hardy are MAGNETIC. Pushing the film forward with a gravitational dedication to character and world.  Personally I find the spiritual aspects quite powerful. Rebirth, love, connection juxtaposed against the quest for revenge in a vast cold world. Tons of religious symbolism. Man vs Nature. God and death. Some might see it as a little pretentious but I don’t believe that to be the case at all. Iñárritu is clearly a director who thinks deeply about these topics and uses his art to question, explore and confront them to the best of his ability.  I’m delighted to now bump this up to a well deserved 5 after thinking about it on and off for almost a decade now.  Staggering, monumental picture.