The Revenant (2015)

The Revenant is a nature documentary where nature has a personal problem with Leonardo DiCaprio. The bear, the river, the cliff, the snow, the horse. Everything out there takes a swing. And that’s kinda the issue: 156 minutes of a man getting through things is a test, not a story. The revenge plot is about as thin as the ice on that river, and once you know where it’s headed, you just wait. Still, wow. Iñárritu shoots it in natural light and it looks like a painting you could get frostbite from. The bear scene is one of the most intense things a big studio ever released, and the camera never cuts away. Tom Hardy mumbles through a beard like a man chewing gravel, and he’s a better villain for it. It made $533.6 million worldwide on a reported $135 million budget, which is a lot of people choosing to be cold on purpose. A 7.2 because it’s breathtaking to look at and exhausting to sit through. $148 says you turn the thermostat up two degrees before the halfway mark.

What works: The natural-light photography is stunning, the bear scene is unforgettable, and Tom Hardy makes a great growling villain.

What doesn’t: The revenge plot is thin for a 156-minute movie, and long stretches play more like an endurance test than a story.

Who it’s for: People who want to feel cold for two and a half hours and enjoy it, and fans of survival movies with very little talking.