I enjoyed all eight films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar this year, but the most impressive is “The Revenant,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the 19th century fur trapper and guide who miraculously survives a brutal bear mauling and harsh winter conditions in the American wilderness.
While “The Revenant” is often challenging to watch, especially the vicious bear attack, it offers viewers an extraordinarily compelling tale about a man’s incredible will to survive, and the film should win the coveted top prize Sunday night (Feb. 28), when the Academy Awards show is broadcast.
Even though DiCaprio doesn’t have a lot of lines in the film, he perfectly portrays a man so driven he’s able, despite grave injuries, to literally will himself across miles and miles of treacherous terrain to get revenge on the two men who leave him for dead.
Not only do I think “The Revenant” will win the Best Picture award, but also I think DiCaprio, who has four previous acting Oscar nominations, will finally get his Academy Award.
And, it looks like director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who won the best directing Oscar for “Birdman” last year, will take home his second one, winning for his latest effort as well.
For “The Revenant,” Inarritu teamed up again with “Birdman” cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who’s likely to win the best cinematography Oscar for the third year in a row. Not only did he win for “Birdman” last year, but also he won in 2014 for “Gravity.”
“The Revenant” was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, the most nominations for any film this year, which bodes well for its chances to take home the Best Picture Oscar.
If there’s any chance for an upset, though, it will be “Spotlight,” a film about the “Boston Globe” journalists who uncovered the story about a local priest who sexually abused children and the church’s cover-up of that abuse. The film is excellent, with Michael Keaton delivering another outstanding performance. It probably will win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, but not for Best Picture.
“The Big Short,” a film about the recent housing market and economic crash, also has a slim chance of winning the big award on Sunday. The film is an important one, offering a lot of insight into the complex issue, and Christian Bale, who’s nominated for best supporting actor for his role in the film, is excellent. Like “Spotlight,” the film probably will win a top award for writing – the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar – but it won’t take home the biggest award.
While I believe “The Revenant” deserves the Best Picture more than any of the other seven nominees, the film I probably enjoyed the most is “Brooklyn,” starring Saoirse Ronan as a young Irish woman who emigrates to America for the opportunities it offers. After a rough start, she finds love and what looks like the life she is seeking, but all that is jeopardized when a family emergency sends her back to her home country. While it’s a well acted, lovely story, it’s not important enough to win the Best Picture award.
“Bridge of Spies," starring Tom Hanks as the lawyer who has to defend a Russian spy caught in America and then negotiate a prisoner swap, is another great film, but it won’t win the Best Picture award.
“Room,” which tells the story of a woman who spends seven years in captivity, five of those with the son her captor fathers, is another compelling film. And, while Brie Larson is sure to take home the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the movie, it won’t win the top prize.
I also really liked “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the latest installment in the Mad Max series and an exciting thrill ride of a film. It probably will win a lot of awards in technical categories, and deservedly so. But, the film is short on storyline and character development and won’t win Best Picture.
That leaves “The Martian,” my least favorite of this year’s nominees. Matt Damon is great in the movie, injecting a lot of humor into his role as the astronaut who struggles to survive after he’s deserted on Mars. But, the film is often slow and it doesn’t quite stack up to previous films about people struggling to survive in outer space, like “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Gravity.”