The Revenant

You walk into the theatre with a sense of dread, and excitement, as if about to face a fear: of First Nations warriors, bears, savage climate, and raw humanity. And you leave three hours later having taken a journey along with the invincible Hugh Glass, who merely survived in a world wherein the odds were long against survival.

Of memorable moments, the opening sequence of the forest floor running water, the horrific ambush on the frontier camp, the astonishing, realistic mauling of the mother grizzly, the horse, the fish, the buffalo, the cliff, the cold, the water, and much more of natural beauty and danger. The chill of the atmosphere in the movie stays with you, and you wonder, how strong a man am I?

After all, it is a movie, not a literal version of history. That the men and women wade in freezing streams and wear quick drying clothing needn't be too closely scrutinized for veracity.  Spoiler alert - click to reveal textThe denouement, of Glass tricking Fitzgerald into shooting the wrong man, is straight out of Crocodile Dundee II, so have a sense of humour people. Good.