The Revenant

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
The Revenant Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

Heavy, punishing violence in DiCaprio's revenge Western.

R 2015 156 minutes
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Parents say

age 16+

Based on 28 reviews

Kids say

age 15+

Based on 76 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Revenant is a revenge Western that's full of brutal, punishing violence. The main character (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) overcomes crippling wounds, hunger, cold, and pain to find the man who killed his son; he's often shown in great agony. Characters are also shot with arrows and guns, mauled by bears, and fall over cliffs. Blood, gore, and wounds are shown, as are dead bodies (both human and animal). A woman is raped. Language is also very strong, with uses of "f--k," "s--t," and more. There's a brief moment of full-frontal male nudity, and some whisky drinking is shown.

Community Reviews

FinBEAR
FinBEAR Adult
March 2, 2019
age 16+

Mature audiences

While this film is suspenseful and thrilling it isn't loaded with action, making it boring for younger teens to watch. Extremely violent in rough ways; Leo DiCaprio gets mauled and ripped to shreds by a bear and is shown foaming from the mouth and slowly suffering, dying, and being buried alive. Later in the movie he also gets in a hand to hand combat with brutal blood and gore (fingers, and chunks of skin cut off) A man is also scalped off screen and is heard screaming bloody murder. Language is not a problem. Couple uses of s**t, damn, hell etc. and f**k used in another language shown in dialogue on screen. A very disturbing scene shows a young woman being raped from behind pressed against a tree; man gropes her and is heard mumbling sexual dialogue and moaning noises. Man in the beginning is also shown fully naked with arrows stuck in his back.
1 person found this helpful.
Amcclel
Amcclel Adult
March 17, 2021
age 18+

Amazing

Great! Would NOT recommend for under the ages of 18.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 28 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the early 1800s, a fur-trapping expedition is brutally attacked by American Indians, and leader Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) decides to ditch their haul and return home. The group's survival depends heavily on Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), an experienced explorer who was once married to a Pawnee woman and had a son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), with her. When Glass is brutally mauled by a bear, the greedy, cowardly John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) and young Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) are left behind with Hawk to look after Glass -- and, if he dies, to give him a decent burial. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald kills Hawk and hits the road with Bridger. Against all odds, Glass fights for life until he's able to travel, find Fitzgerald, and exact his revenge.

Is It Any Good?

This revenge Western boasts a committed performance by DiCaprio and extraordinary cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki. Lubezki -- who also shot The Tree of Life, Gravity, and Birdman -- gives THE REVENANT a fully immersive, dimensional look, with jaw-dropping long takes and strikingly physical realism. And for his part, DiCaprio does punishing work, truly putting himself through the ringer for his art.

For a while, it's easy to be carried away by all of this -- until we realize that Oscar-winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu doesn't quite have enough to say and that the movie, at 2 hours and 36 minutes, is an long attempt to add weight and profundity to a pulp Western. Some of the story turns are overly familiar, and the supporting characters are thin. Add to that a high level of sheer brutality, and The Revenant, while well made, certainly isn't for everyone.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Revenant's violence. What effect does the brutal, punishing violence have? In what ways is it necessary to the story? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • What's the appeal of revenge stories? What happens when Glass finally reaches the end of his quest? Is it satisfying? What does he accomplish?

  • What's the appeal of the Western genre? Why do you think it's less popular today than it used to be?

  • Glass manages to survive against all odds, injured, in the wilderness. Does that make him inspiring? Do his skills make you want to learn more about survival?

Movie Details

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