Rent The Revenant (2009)

Much Like a Revenant, this Film is Not Entirely Sure What it is. - The Revenant review by Strovey

The biggest compliment I can pay everyone involved in The Revenant is it forcible reminded me of those hidden low-budget horror/comedy gems you could unearth at the video shop all those years ago. Surprisingly good acting and story and great special effects considering you know their budget was roughly $200.

The Revenant was in fact made in 2009 so perhaps this makes some others think little of it but it is clear with no big names involved and the budget being minuscule in comparison to some of the other more famous and less capable horror films around, before and since, that what you see is lovingly crafted and skilfully made slice of entertainment.

The main cast are four perhaps not so familiar faces and they do extremely well in this small world. David Anders a staple in US TV is realistic and sympathetic as the focus of the story, Bart, and he is ably 'side-kicked' with his slacker idiot friend (with a nasty side) Joey, played by Chris Wylde, who when he could have painted with huge broad stokes actually pulls back and gives us a fairly realistic showing.

The female characters, both way too attractive and intelligent to hang around with these losers, are fleshed out by British actor Louise Griffiths and Jacy King. Unfortunately, they are not served quite so well by the story and drift out of the runtime for a while before being fairly cynically and rapidly disposed off to get to the story's end. A shame as they both could have added a bit more.

The real problem with The Revenant is not the story in itself and certainly not the acting but more the pacing and tone of what we see. I am led to believe there are two versions and one was later edited for cinema release which was different from the horror-circuit version. I am not sure which one this is but it is definitely roughly twenty minutes or more too long and the overall tone of what you are seeing on the screen is too much steep peaks and troughs

For instance, Joey starts as your typical likable, comedic loser, and although he does many off-colour and illegal things it is clear you are supposed to sympathise with him. Near the end he becomes basically a mean-spirited murderer who we definitely should not care what happens to. Bart has a more level character arc but still does some dark acts that seem out of kilter of what went before. The two female leads are discarded near the end unpleasantly and I felt unnecessary. The whole mess of Bart’s attempt to escape and the mayhem it causes is badly thought out and executed. Too much unnecessary, and even in the perspective of the film, unrealistic death. Such a shame. When the film darkens and makes the tone heavier it goes all in and makes it too dark and too heavy. It is heavy and dark in contrast with what you have seen before.

What saves this slight mishmash is the fun and interesting ending. You could almost make a sequel from the final scenes. I enjoyed the idea and if you are cynical like me as it unfolds you definitely think ‘Yes they would’.

The Revenant is a well-made and interesting horror film with some unpleasant scenes and ideas, mixed in with some depending on your point of view seemingly out-of-place comedy and dark violence, and although enjoyable you cannot help feeling that if the director and writer D. Kerry Prior picked just one path you would have had a better movie.