The Revenant Blu-ray Review

4.5 Stars Savagely beautiful tone poem of survival

Man pitted against the elements for the sake of his survival, his family honor, and for revenge: it’s a tale that has been often told in the movies but never perhaps with as much savage passion as in Alejandro G. Inarritu’s The Revenant.

The Revenant (2015)
Released: 08 Jan 2016
Rated: R
Runtime: 156 min
Director: Alejandro GonzĂ¡lez IĂ±Ă¡rritu
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter
Writer(s): Mark L. Smith (screenplay), Alejandro GonzĂ¡lez IĂ±Ă¡rritu (screenplay), Michael Punke (based in part on the novel by)
Plot: A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
IMDB rating: 8.2
MetaScore: 76

Disc Information
Studio: Fox
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD, Other
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Rating: R
Run Time: 2 Hr. 36 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, Digital Copy, UltraViolet
Case Type: keep case in a slipcover
Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 04/19/2016
MSRP: $39.99

The Production: 4.5/5

Man pitted against the elements for the sake of his survival, his family honor, and for revenge: it’s a tale that has been often told in the movies but never perhaps with as much savage passion as in Alejandro G. Inarritu’s The Revenant. An epic story of struggle against a ruthless environment featuring involving, depth-filled performances, stunningly lyrical directorial choices, and awe-inspiring cinematographic views of some of the world’s most glorious sites, The Revenant will stay with you long after its two-and-a-half hour running time has concluded.

Mauled savagely by a bear while serving as a guide to a group of fur trappers in early 19th century America, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) becomes more of a liability to the surviving members of the hunting party than an aid to their survival. Hunted by vengeful Indians who may be around any turn or in any tree, wolf tracker John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) agrees to stay behind with Glass’ son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) and inexperienced trapper Bridger (Will Poulter) to get the injured man back to civilization, but as soon as the party is out of sight, he concocts a scheme to rid himself of the father and son who are likely to get them killed, so he falsely reports on an oncoming attack and buries Glass alive while killing his son thus making their escape from the region, but Glass isn’t quite dead, and through luck and the kindness of a passing Indian Hikuc (Arthur RedCloud), he has a decent chance of surviving the winter and making it back to the fort territory.

Director/co-writer Alejandro G. Inarritu and Mark L. Smith have based their screenplay on the novel by Michael Punke, but it’s a legendary story of a real man which was previously filmed in 1971 as Man in the Wilderness. Their leading character here, however, has been given a son whose senseless murder helps strengthen Glass’ resolve to survive the upcoming hideously demanding ordeal. But director Inarritu has already dazzled us with an Arikara tribal attack on the hunting party, paced breathlessly in continual shots which alternately shock and amaze. Then, he follows this bravura sequence with the bear mauling, unparalleled on the screen in its detailed ferocity and realistic display of raw power and inevitable horror (but just try to look away from the screen; it’s truly majestic in its director’s and actor’s brutal authority). Sequence after sequence presents us with thrilling, soul-shaking suspense: a trek down the rapids, a plunge off a cliff and through a tree, the disemboweling of a horse for shelter, and all of it with a galvanizing actor who uses few words but mounds of body language and facial expressions to convey his emotions. Occasionally, the filmmakers utilize rather conventional flashbacks and fantasy visions of Glass’ former life with his Indian wife now gone but seemingly always in his thoughts, but thankfully these are used sparingly. The film’s otherwise poetic narrative of survival against overwhelming odds, when nature and even occasionally man can offer unexpected solace, isn’t blunted by these more obvious sentimental tricks of the trade. The film’s other intrinsic theme, the white man’s misuse of the land and its resources in its earliest form, doesn’t get quite the push by the writers and director that they may have hoped, the central focus of the survival and revenge story obviously driving viewer interest through the lengthy running time.

The most perfect example of suffering for one’s art that has perhaps ever been put on the screen, Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance, one of few words but of monumental action and reaction, is quite something. He’s certainly commanding from beginning to end with the film’s haunting last images making a firm impression on the viewer. Tom Hardy’s villainous adversary, mercenary to his very core, may not always be intelligible with his hard-to-place accent, but he’s a force of nature on his own and a worthy foil for DiCaprio’s Glass. Will Poulter as the inexperienced Bridger and Domhnall Gleeson as the trappers’ team leader Captain Andrew Henry each have genuinely singular moments to shine and do so quite nicely. Duane Howard as the Arikara Elk Dog, eager to recapture his abducted daughter Powaqa (Melaw Nakehk’o), has quiet authority and a major climactic moment of glory. Forrest Goodluck as Glass’ son Hawk may lack a little in experience, but he does a satisfactory job while Arthur RedCloud is wonderful as the kindhearted Hikuc who is basically responsible for Glass’ ultimate survival.

Video: 5/5

3D Rating: NA

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 is faithfully rendered in this 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. The Oscar-winning cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki features desaturated color which adds to the setting, mood, and tone of the piece, and it’s very effective. Sharpness is outstanding in its detail, and black levels are as impressive as can be often blending seamlessly into the letterbox bars in the presentation. Contrast has been consistently applied for a reference quality experience. The movie has been divided into 24 chapters.

Audio: 5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 sound mix presents the Oscar-nominated sound editing and mixing to exceptionally impressive advantage. Directionalized dialogue sometimes pans through the soundstage though much of it is contained in the center channel. Atmospheric effects put the viewer right into the heart of the action with the swirling winds, animal sounds, rushing waters, and thundering waterfalls and avalanches placed masterfully within the wide radius of the speaker array. The music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, and Bryce Dessner likewise gets threaded through the soundstage becoming at-one with the other elements of this reference quality sound design.

Special Features: 2.5/5

A World Unseen (44:04, HD): director Alejandro Inarritu, production designer Jack Fisk, wilderness advisor Clay Landress, costume designer Jacqueline West, and actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Forrest Goodluck, Duane Howard, and Arthur RedCloud discuss their individual journeys in making the film a reality with each of them stressing the film’s environmental message which they hope comes across in the movie.

Photo Gallery: a collection of sixty-nine stills and behind-the-scenes shots can be stepped through manually or automatically.

Digital Copy/Ultraviolet: code sheet enclosed in the case.

Overall: 4.5/5

A beautifully shot, expertly directed, and marvelously acted paean to human survival against the greatest possible odds, The Revenant is a lengthy but memorable movie-watching experience. Highly recommended!

Matt has been reviewing films and television professionally since 1974 and has been a member of Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2007, his reviews now numbering close to three thousand. During those years, he has also been a junior and senior high school English teacher earning numerous entries into Who’s Who Among America’s Educators and spent many years treading the community theater boards as an actor in everything from Agatha Christie mysteries to Stephen Sondheim musicals.

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Colin Jacobson

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That "World Unseen" program is a total waste of time, IMO. I expected a look at the movie's creation but instead got 40 minutes of nagging about the environment!
 

Citizen87645

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It seems like there's going to be a special edition release sometime in the future based on the extras.
 

Colin Jacobson

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It seems like there's going to be a special edition release sometime in the future based on the extras.

Are you saying you'd heard news of an SE or you're just thinking there'll be one because the current BD's extras are essentially non-existent?
 

Douglas R

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I'm looking forward to getting this and switching on the sub-titles so that I can at last make out what Tom Hardy is saying:D That's my only criticism of what I considered to be a wonderfully impressive film.
 

ijthompson

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I'm looking forward to getting this and switching on the sub-titles so that I can at last make out what Tom Hardy is saying:D That's my only criticism of what I considered to be a wonderfully impressive film.

Ditto. As I watched the film, I was thinking, "either this film is missing some subtitles, or I am having a stroke." :D
 

JPCinema

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Man in the Wilderness with Richard Harris and John Huston was better. This was Leo's own Perils of Pauline. First actor to hunt, grovel and suffer his way to an Oscar.
 

skylark68

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Don't forget about the Naked Prey with Cornel Wilde. I believe it was based on the same story as the Revenant. Although loosely interpreted and set in the African wilderness, it's a similar man vs. man and man vs. nature story. Wonderfully done, and I'm surprised Criterion hasn't released a blu ray transfer.
 

Mark Booth

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We are showing 'The Revenant' in the Booth Bijou Garage Theater this weekend, along with 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'. What a blockbuster combo!!

The Bijou is "sold out" and we've got 7 people on the waiting list hoping someone else drops out.

Can't wait!

Mark
 

Mark Booth

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And, so it begins!

i-hSDbsnd-X3.jpg



We have a 4K TV but I wouldn't normally opt for the 4K Blu-ray version because we don't have a 4K Blu-ray player yet. But, since his release was only $5 more than the standard release (and included a standard Blu-ray and digital copy too), I opted to get our very first 4K title.

Mark
 

Sam Posten

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UHD UHD UHD!!! =) Can't wait for tomorrow!
I hope you'll let us know what you think.
Waiting on HDR 10 support for my P-75 because the fripping code only redeems in hd not 4KDolby Vision. Not cool, Fox. So we watched the bundled Blu on the 1080p PJ instead. Absolutely top notch, LOVED the surround mix and PQ. It can only be so much better on UHD, but I will have to wait for it.

The black crush on the slideshow is freaking terrible tjo
 
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