8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A man of many adventures, Hugh Glass goes West in 1822 in the employ of Captain Andrew Henry to do some profitable fur trapping. He is attacked by a bear, and badly injured. Miraculously, he survives, but the terrain makes it impossible to carry him back. Henry tries, but eventually hires two mercenaries to simply stand watch and bury him. They abandon Glass, alone and defenseless, but unfortunately for them, he recovers. He resolves to hunt down the men who abandoned him.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest GoodluckAdventure | 100% |
Period | 58% |
Drama | 55% |
Western | 27% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
D-Box
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Though even some diehard film fans seem to have forgotten about it, the harrowing tale of Hugh Glass’ survival in the hinterlands of the 1820s was told decades before The Revenant, in the frequently visceral 1971 film Man in the Wilderness. Neither Man in the Wilderness nor The Revenant shirk from the horrors Glass supposedly faced in his exile in forbidding conditions, but the irony about both of these cinematic depictions is that Glass may not in fact have experienced them, at least to the degree that has entered into legend. While Man in the Wilderness out and out fictionalized certain elements in the tale, including the name of the hero (transformed to Zachary Bass), The Revenant had an ostensibly more factual basis, Michael Punke’s historical novel of the same name which appeared in 2002. But some historians have questioned what exactly Glass went through after joining a fur trading expedition. While Glass himself evidently never memorialized his adventures (whatever they might have been), as early as 1824 some literary “adaptations” started appearing detailing Glass’ incredible fortitude in coming out alive after having been abandoned by his supposed team. Whatever the “truth” may be, there’s little doubt that The Revenant offers one of the most excruciating cinematic portrayals of a man (more or less) alone, battling the elements and utilizing whatever wits he’s able to muster to overcome almost unbelievable odds.
The Revenant is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists this as having been captured (by a variety of Arri Alexa cameras) at two source formats (6.5K and 3.4K) from which a 4K DI was culled. (Many fans will already know that The Revenant 4K will be streeting day and date with this 1080p version, and I'll be reviewing that iteration as soon as it arrives.) This is quite simply one of the most staggeringly awesome collections of natural vistas I've personally encountered on home video, one which has been transferred to the Blu-ray medium with extreme precision and almost haunting beauty at times. Emmanuel Lubezki both literally and figuratively captures some incredible moments here (some of which at least seem to have been done without the aid of CGI). "Little" moments like glints of sunlight through Spanish moss on trees or embers floating heavenward from a fire or a sudden passel of clouds wafting through some high trees offer excellent levels of fine detail, along with precise renderings of sometimes minute elements. Iñárritu gave some interviews during the filming of The Revenant where he insisted no artificial lighting would be employed during the shoot, and that does seem to be the case, but perhaps the most surprising thing about this is the really excellent levels of shadow detail in many dark, dimly lit or outright nighttime scenes. Many of the daytime elements have a slight bluish tint, and other moments are distinctly on the yellow or sepia side of things, but the grading choices never really materially affect detail levels in any meaningful way. Fine detail in close-ups can be fairly stomach churning at times as various wounds are shown in all their "glory". The palette is intentionally tamped down much of the time, though, giving some of the film something of the ambience of an old daguerreotype. Contrast is well maintained throughout the presentation, offering clear delineation in (to cite just one example) various tones of white when Glass is stranded in an icy wilderness. The monochromatic proclivities of long sequences of the film only tend to make sudden pops of color (which can often be of rather shocking things like an animal's entrails) all the more vivid. Finally, there are no instances of image instability and no overt compression issues.
The Revenant's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix has both incredibly subtle and rather forceful uses of surround activity. On the subtle side of things, the gentle wafting of Glass' wife's voice in various dream sequences is effective and rather spooky at times. On the forceful ledger the huge Arakari attack which opens the film offers some fantastic (quick) panning effects as arrows strike their target and some good lower frequency punches as muskets are fired. The film is awash with the sounds of nature, and various sequences offer things like rushing rivers or gentle breezes clearly floating through the side and rear channels. An occasionally anachronistic score by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto also regularly employs the side and rear channels. There's actually not a ton of dialogue in The Revenant, at least for its long second act when Glass is stranded and due to his wounds barely able to make a sound, let alone talk. That leaves the soundtrack to be filled with ambient environmental noises, which offer a routinely realistic accounting of the various locations Glass finds himself in. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range wide on this problem free track.
The Revenant may seem on its face to be a 19th century Death Wish, but the emotional depth of this piece, along with its truly astonishing cinematography, make this one of the most unique viewing experiences in recent memory. There's arguable over-length here, but that's probably the only quibble most folks will have with what is one of the most incredibly visceral presentations of man vs. nature (and man) the world of cinema has ever seen. Technical merits are virtually flawless, and The Revenant comes Highly recommended.
2015
2015
Extended Edition
2015
10th Anniversary Collector's Edition | Limited
2014
2014-2017
2018
15th Anniversary Edition
2002
2012
2017
2014
1995
2009
10th Anniversary Edition
2006
2011
2006
2023
Includes "Silent Space" version
2013
2016
2017
1955