And for some, that may be enough.
But I suspect others will leaveThe Revenantwishing there was a little more narrative meat on the bone.
Best line:“It turns out God is a squirrel.
Credit: Kimberley French
Yeah, a big meaty one.
And I killed and ate that son of a bitch.”
John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy)
Number of Oscar nods:12, makingThe Revenantthis year’s most-nominated film.
DiCaprio has been nominated for four acting awards, but never won.
Stephen Mirrione already has an Oscar for editing Steven Soderbergh’sTraffic.
Costume designer Jacqueline West has two previous nominations, including one forThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Sound editor Lon Bender has been nominated four times, winning forBraveheart.
In addition, the film’s special effect team won the top prize from the Visual Effects Society.
The result is a beautiful visual fantasia, extreme human suffering juxtaposed against the transcendent beauty of uninhabited nature.
The Academy is famous for rewarding artists' physical dedication to their craft.
In that respect, no one pushed themselves farther this year than the makers ofThe Revenant.
Why it won’t win: For allThe Revenant’sglorious visuals, it does little to explain them.
(The Revenantnotably did not receive a nomination for Adapted Screenplay.)
Vegas Odds: 4/9, according to the Paddy Power betting website, making it the clear favorite.
