Iñárritu’s muscular filmmaking must be applauded, even if the film itself is as exhausting as it is thrilling.

The Revenant is a devastating, visually jawdropping film that, for all its sins of tedium, makes up with scale what it lacks in artfulness. It certainly does the frontier justice. 

Leonardo DiCaprio, as DiCaprio does, gives this film all he has got, and more, as he crawls, strips, grunts and grates, and is butchered and butchers in return, for revenge.

My only grouse with the film is that it is such an obvious Oscar bait. With 12 nominations, it seems to have checked all the right boxes. It will hopefully make one man and his legion of fans very happy. For the commitment DiCaprio brings to the film, it wil be well deserved.

More than one man’s revenge, it is this narrative — about the battle for settling on America’s frontiers, and the many victims it claimed — that is the truly gripping offering in The Revenant.

From the first frame, you know you’re in for something special and it’s pretty clear that Leonardo has given his everything to this film.

The Revenant isn’t the kind of film you will enjoy. It is the kind of film you will marvel for its execution.

On the whole, keeping true to its name, THE REVENANT is a stunning visual experience with a brilliant performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. Though in India, the film may not have a mass appeal and will primarily charm the multiplex audiences in Metros.

We have seen many man versus nature endurance films in the past, including recent ones like Everest, The Martian and In The Heart Of The Sea. The Revenant, however, scores much higher in terms of depth, vision, adventure and extraordinary circumstance. The film has such stunning impact that it can leave you reeling several hours after its runtime.

The film is aimed to create a sensory experience, which it does. If taken at face value, its linear structure could be deemed meaningless. However, if you approach it in a more metaphorical sense then the film works on a whole other level of, ‘the reborn’. It’s about nature communicating with man.

Alejandro G Inarritu’s survival drama may be filled with flaws, but the splendid cinematography and the performances by Leo and Tom Hardy make it one time must watch!

As for the Oscar chances, this could be Leo’s year….unless a certain Michael Fassbender plays spoilsport!

DiCaprio’s may be an effortful and even masterful performance, but it isn’t a great one. Just like how the film is effortfully and masterfully made but will not be remembered or even re-watched after the hype dies down. What’s missing, we can’t easily articulate. We can’t give it a name. But we can tell you where to look for it – Tom Hardy’s performance.

The Revenant is a very visual film, a technical marvel and a feast to the senses. Inarritu’s long-time collaborator, Lubezki has always brought out the holistic, spiritual soul of his films.

The Revenant isn’t be for everyone. Many of you will be squeamish in so many parts.

And even though it’s technically impressive – filled with breathtaking cinematography and those long-staged shots Inarritu chases – the film is kinda short on dialogue (big on grunts) and pretty thin on characterisation while being unapologetically cruel and startlingly realistic with its violence.