Hitting theaters on Dec. 16, 2015, The Revenant is the film that the Oscars have been waiting on. Even before the movie was released to the public, critics were already considering it for the Oscars. Why? Well, it is simple: Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Revenant is inspired by the true events of legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his brutal quest for revenge. While out on an expedition in the American wilderness, Glass is gruesomely mauled by a bear and eventually left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In his journey of survival, Glass endures the grief of losing his son due to the betrayal of John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Inspired by hate and revenge, Glass hunts down Fitzgerald to exact vengeance for his son.  

To start, the best part of The Revenant is undoubtedly DiCaprio. He is absolutely amazing as Glass. Starting with the bear attack scene where DiCaprio manages to capture a terrifying realistic fear in every second of the attack, despite, of course, not actually being attacked by a bear. However, DiCaprio really shines after the following scene, as, due to the bear attack, Glass suffers terrible injuries, one of which prevents him from speaking. The majority of the movie has DiCaprio unable to talk, but nevertheless, he manages to give one of best acting performances of the year. DiCaprio’s expressions manage to capture all the words and feelings that are involved in every scene, and he undoubtedly has a chance at an Oscar for his performance in this film.

The film also has an amazing antagonist. Hardy also gives an amazing performance as Fitzgerald. The scenes when Hardy and DiCaprio are on the screen together are captivating and overloaded with amazing acting. While sometimes Hardy does mumble, making it difficult to hear and understand what he is saying, his performance as the greedy traitor is great.

In addition, the film is also the best-looking of the year in the way of effects and imagery. The scenery is captivating. The snowy wilderness is breathtaking, as director Alejandro Inarritu manages to capture the actors emotional expressions as well as the stunning wilderness around them. This gives the movie an encompassing feel with the vastness of the scenery as well as a personal, up close focus on the characters.

Also worthy of mentioning is the graphic realism of the film. The film is an extremely realistic telling brutally graphic story. Within the first 10 minutes, around 15 people get shot with arrows. As well, after the bear attack, the wounds that Glass suffers are maybe the most realist thing of the entire movie, as in they look completely real. Due to the nature of the content, the movie is rated R, however, it is still an extremely enjoyable movie, unless you do not like blood and violence.  

Overall, The Revenant hosts two of the best acting performances of 2015. (And, yes, it came out in 2015 on limited release, which is why it is in consideration for the 2015 Oscars, despite opening to the public in 2016.) Conclusively, it is the most stunning movie and theater experience of any film from 2015 which is why The Revenant should win the Oscar for best picture, as well DiCaprio should finally get the Oscar he deserves for his performance as Hugh Glass.

The Parkway West Pathfinder give The Revenant: 9.5/10.