MyTake - The Revenant

I must have watched the Revenant's trailer at least a dozen times when my brother first shared it with me way back in the Summer of 2015. It looked amazing. The cinematography alone impressed me. So I waited.

The Revenant, in a nutshell, is a copy paste story about a man seeking revenge. It's a story that has been told countless times. It's a story I have heard countless times. Let's get one thing straight: the Revenant's story is mediocre at best, and you know what? That's completely fine. In fact, I would prefer simple, straight-forward stories over complex nonsense any day. The movie's focus was not on the story, but the characters. The story is only there to provide a stage for the characters. Usually, the classic story of revenge gives hardly any depth beyond the protagonist's bent rage on the antagonist. Revenge-themed stories have been beaten like a dead horse. Why is he mad? Why did the bad guy murder? What happens to the minds and hearts of the people involved through out the story? My Dear Readers know me as an introspective philosopher when it comes to stories in media, and the Revenant provides an introspective look into the psyche of man that has "resurrected" the dead horse and gave it a good bath. The reason why the Revenant has succeed is because it goes deeper than anger. It asks questions we must find our own answers to.

Firstly, the atmosphere of the Revenant is dark and realistic. The movie isn't just trying to entertain, but provide a visceral story about a man, Glass, surviving in the wilderness to fulfill one simple objective: to kill the man who murdered his son. The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki is perhaps the best in the business. There are long takes of the action scenes and huge, gorgeous landscape shots throughout the entire film. A masterpiece cannot simply rely on one or even two parts of a film to be memorable. It must utilize every part to its fullest. The Revenant has sublime cinematography, acting, writing, music, and direction. One isn't greater than the other. They all compliment each other very well. 

Now the music in particular reflects the story and mood brilliantly. Simple, subtle, and haunting. It made sense as you watched the film progress. Having an overbearing soundtrack would kill the immersive style the film was aiming for. The music picked the right moments to come in and fade out. I admit, the first time I watched the film I hardly noticed it because everything else demanded my attention. The second time I was able to sink my mind into the score and truly appreciate the intricate simplicity of it all. Interestingly, as I listened to the music during the second viewing of the film I thought to myself that it sounds very Japanese. Sure enough, Ryuichi Sakamoto was one of the composers. Japanese style musical scores are distinct and rich with character. It just worked.

Honestly, nothing I write will give you a taste of how the film is devoted to inviting the audience to witness the journey of a broken man.