Monday, January 11, 2016

The Revenant



Vivid dreamscapes, nature in its raw, natural elements... cold, wet, breathtaking in its beauty and uncompromising in its ferocity. Since the world of movies first burst forth with those audience galvanizing scenes of a moving train and a pointed gun, cinema has never ceased trying to put you in the very scene it has sought to create. The Revenant does just that- the water, wind and snow beneath your feet, against your skin and throughout your senses. 

Wide angle lenses can often look gimmicky on the big screen, here in the great wide open Alejandro G. Iñárritu has used them flawlessly, a major reason why we are seamlessly enmeshed into the environment of his making. We see arrows initiate flight, frenetically approach and whiz harmlessly by our heads, or stop full upon their deadly mark. We hear, feel and for all purposes smell the very breath of those that approach us, friend and foe alike. 3D can't touch this, virtual reality can't come close.

This is experiential movie making at its most vivid and dramatic, where even the dream sequences that occasionally manifest are just further extensions of the present reality. And DiCaprio lives up to the spectacle. There's no way a human body could actually survive the abuse his endures, but you're willing to forgive and forget... because the movie is that damn good. 

Easily one of my All Time Top Twenty, possibly even in the Exalted Top Ten... Must see on the BIG screen!

2 comments:

Eric Rose said...

First question, how did you watch it on a non-big screen? Second did you know it was for the most part filmed in my backyard (metaphorically speaking)?

Stan B. said...

Didn't, wouldn't want to watch this on a small screen. Which is why I urge everyone to see it... now! The scenic vistas are spectacular; shot in a variety of locales scanning both hemispheres (for continuity of weather conditions), certainly not surprised much was shot round your way. Save for one short campfire scene, it was also shot entirely in available light!