Nowadays, most big-ticket Hollywood movies are promoted with a teaser trailer, the trailer(s) before the trailer, and then the official trailer. Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant is following that same formula.
Released yesterday, this latest trailer is almost three minutes long, and reveals much more about the plot than did the last. So far, we know that Frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is mauled by a bear, sees his son murdered in front of him, and is buried alive from the neck down, yet somehow survives. It also appears that his son — referred to as “half-breed” by John Fitzgerald (Hardy) — has Native American blood. Of course, that still leaves quite a few gaps that need filling. Here’s a snippet of the official synopsis:
“… In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption …”
While Alejandro González Iñárritu’s most celebrated film so far (Birdman) was self-contained and limited in scope, the director seems to capture the impossible vastness and loneliness of the American west perfectly in the shots we’ve seen so far. For his part, DiCaprio also seems to feel right at home as the majestically-bearded, blunderbuss-packing Glass.
It would be oddly appropriate if a film about one man’s epic, sprawling, harrowing quest for revenge and redemption was the film that finally landed DiCaprio the Oscar that he has chased throughout the years.
While Academy-friendly films like Joy, The Danish Girl, and Macbeth will have something to say about that, this looks like it could be one of DiCaprio’s best chances to date.
The Revenant will receive a limited Christmas Day release, but will officially hit theaters sometime in January.
