The Revenant Remains a Top Pick for Moviegoers

Although it’s been a couple of weeks since the release of The Revenant, moviegoers who have yet to see this flick, or may be waiting to watch it once released on DVD, may want to reconsider.

Critics are raving about the film and the cast. In fact, Rotten Tomatoes scored it at 82 percent. This weekend, The Revenant topped the box office, raking in $16 million in the third week since its release. Star Wars: The Force Awakens came in second at $14.3 million. 

So what makes this movie worth the price of an admission ticket? That’s simple: brilliance.

Based on true events and set in 1823, Leonardo DeCaprio plays a legendary frontiersman, Hugh Glass. Glass is an experienced frontiersman who knows the land and leads a group of fur trappers on an expedition that turns deadly. After the group narrowly escapes death, Glass faces another battle that almost costs him his life.

While incapacitated, Glass witnesses the worst grief and betrayal by a man in his party, John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy. Thus, begins his quest. Guided by grief and the need for revenge, Glass uses his skills to make his way through the vicious and violent untamed American wilderness in search of the man who took the one thing that made his life worth living. He learns along the way that he’s not alone in his quest.

Overall, this movie has all the feel of a Cormac McCarthy novel where the audience witnesses the brutality of man versus man and man versus nature. The director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, does an amazing job capturing the savage violence associated with the settling of the Americas. Like McCarthy, Iñárritu’s visual direction deconstructs the romanticism surrounding the cowboy myth, where the rugged settler comes and fights the savage Indian for the sake of good, God and manifest destiny. There is nothing romantic about this story.

However, within that realm of vicious violence, beauty exists—the beauty of family. That theme holds a universal truth throughout the film, and by the end, viewers can’t help but ask, “How far would I go to fight for the ones I love?”

Both DeCaprio and Hardy’s performances are Oscar worthy. For people who may not be fans of either actor, this movie might change their minds. DeCaprio has indeed moved beyond his youthful performance in Titanic, and Hardy’s ability to play such diverse roles is commendable.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, San Angelo LIVE! gives this movie 5 stars.

So for people who have yet to see The Revenant, Icon Cinemas offers $5 Tuesdays. Click here for times and to reserve that quality seat that feels like home. Undoubtedly, viewers will appreciate that comfortable seat while watching this movie.