The Revenant (Film Review) 2016

The Revenant (Film Review)

The Revenant is a 2016 historical action adventure drama directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Domhnall Gleeson and Tom Hardy. The Revenant has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Lead Actor, and Director. 

The story follows Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his survival in the wilderness following a bear attack. He has been abandoned by his team, and must survive with life-threatening injuries on his own.

The Revenant is primarily a survival film. I found that the amount of filler in the film was huge. While the cinematography was great, there was only so much of Leonardo DiCaprio crawling through a forest that I could be interested in. The performances from both Tom Hardy and Leonardo DiCaprio were very strong. The acting and cinematography of The Revenant was definitely its strong suits. The choreography of various fight scenes was also impressive, along with the special effects and make-up used.

The story was not very strong, in my opinion. I could see most of the cinema checking their phones or speaking to each other throughout. While the way in which it was filmed, and how the film looks is of very high quality (most likely to win Best Cinematography, etc.), I found the film to be very slow overall.

I give The Revenant 7/10. 

Rated 16, runtime 156 minutes.

Room (Film Review) 2016

Room (Film Review)

Room is a 2016 drama directed by Lenny Abrahamson, and starring Brie Larson. Both Abrahamson and Larson have been nominated for Academy Awards for this film. 

                                                                                               

The story follows Joy (Brie Larson) and Jack (Jacob Tremblay) who are captives of a man whom they call ''Old Nick'', in a garden shed. Joy had been in captivity for 2 years, and then she had Jack. Jack is 5 years old when the story begins, and ''Room'' is all he knows. 

The plot is very well developed and executed perfectly. It is adapted from the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue, and is very likely to win the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The claustrophobia of ''Room'' is portrayed very well, through cinematography, and the very natural acting of both Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Brie Larson definitely never over-acts, and I definitely expect her to win the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress. The characters all felt completely real.

The story is so well developed and interesting that there is not a single moment when anyone could feel bored. 

Overall, I have no major criticisms. The film is very moving, and it is so dark that many people may find it disturbing. But this reflects the subject matter.      

I give Room 9/10. 

Room was nominated for Best Director (Lenny Abrahamson), Best Lead Actress (Brie Larson), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. It was nominated for 3 Golden Globes and 2 BAFTAs.

Rated 15, runtime 118 minutes.

TRAILER CONTAINS SPOILERS