The Revenant

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck, Arthur Redcloud and Grace Dove

Backstory

Despite my love of film, you can see throughout the many reviews on this site the kinds of films I gravitate towards:  big budget sci-fi and fantasy.  I rarely head out to see any of the Oscar nominees.  So, when my parents invited me along with them to go see The Revenant I was like, “Sure!  Why not?”  I’d already heard about The Revenant and how it’s DiCaprio’s latest shot at an Oscar and how it could only film for 2 hours per day because the director chose only to use natural light, so let’s go see an Oscar nominee for once!

Plot

Based on a true story of the fur trade in the 1820s.  Hugh Glass was part of a trapping party, and as they were about to head back to the fort with their latest bounty of pelts, they’re attacked by Native Americans.  Glass suggests the best way to get back to the fort is to ditch their boat and their pelts and make the journey over land.  The captain agrees, much to the chagrin of Fitzgerald.  When he wanders off to do a little hunting for food, Glass is mauled by a bear and near death.  The captain decides to leave Glass behind with a few volunteers to nurse him back to health — including Fitzgerald and Glass’s son Hawk.  Not really wanting any of this, Fitzgerald attempts to murder Glass, kills Hawk when Hawk tries to stop him, and leaves Glass for dead.  The majority of the film then concerns Glass literally crawling out of the wilderness and back to civilization to get his vengeance on Fitzgerald.

What I Liked

Filmed largely in southern Alberta, the film is gorgeous, and the mountain peaks are maddeningly familiar as I spent a lot of the film trying to place them.  Performances are great all around, especially DiCaprio, who carries the entire film for long stretches.

What I Didn’t Like

Those long stretches are long.  The film did seem to drag on a bit.

Final Verdict

A powerful story about survival in extreme circumstances, but it could have been a little shorter.

3 Nibs

Deadpool

Directed by Tim Miller

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapicic, and Leslie Uggams.

Backstory

In recent years, Deadpool has become one of the more popular characters in the Marvel pantheon.  Maybe it has to do with how superheroes are starting to dominate pop culture, and a lot of Deadpool’s appeal is breaking the fourth wall and mocking everything going on.  Anyway, after a brief — and botched — appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the project fell silent, until some leaked test footage a few years ago got overwhelmingly positive reviews.  And now, Deadpool is in your local cinema.

Plot

Wade Wilson, former special forces operative, but grew a conscience and now works as a mercenary, shaking down thugs.  He meets the love of his life, Vanessa, and things are going good…until the inoperable cancer hits.  Soon, he’s recruited by a shadowy organization in an attempt to give him superpowers that could cure his cancer.  Since the super-soldier process involves months of torture and ultimately leaves Wilson horribly scarred, when his superpowers do kick in, he breaks out and swears vengeance.  Taking the name Deadpool, he begins slaughtering those in charge of the program.  With two X-Men in tow, Deadpool is soon on track for a confrontation with the villainous Ajax, the man behind the program.  Will Deadpool win the day?

What I Liked

The film is just incredibly funny.  Deadpool’s constant wisecracks and comments on the situation just completely set this above the rest.  And then you get Colossus from X-Men, playing the part of the stereotypical “boy scout” superhero, and they make for an interesting dynamic.  The action sequences are good.  And the end product is highly entertaining.

What I Didn’t Like

Still doesn’t change the fact that it’s a pretty routine, by-the-numbers superhero plot.

Final Verdict

An incredibly entertaining superhero outing, thanks to a very entertaining lead.

3.5 Nibs