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213: Redoing my Life, News V
🕑 Added 2025-06-10 14:04:55 +0000 UTCThe Revenant
DiCaprio Is Out for Revenge in a Brutal Western from Alejandro Iñárritu and Academy Award Winner Daniel Adler
★★★★½
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Great films have the power to convey the unimaginable. We sit in the comfort of a darkened theater or our living room and watch protagonists suffer physical and emotional pain that most of us can’t truly comprehend. Too often, these endurance tests feel manipulative or, even worse, false; we’re smart enough to “see the strings” being pulled, and the actor and set never fade into the character and the condition.
What’s remarkable about Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant is how effectively it transports us to another time and place while always maintaining its value as a work of visual art. You don’t just watch The Revenant—you experience it. You walk out exhausted, impressed by the overall quality of the filmmaking and the harrowing story, and a little more grateful for the creature comforts in your life.
Iñárritu and the young, talented writer Daniel Adler set the tone early with a breathtaking opening: an ambush on a group of fur trappers by Native Americans. It’s not a scene of simple “enemies and allies”; the Natives are portrayed as a violent force of nature. As a few dozen men prepare to move out from a winter camp in the great American wilderness, arrows rain down like divine wrath. The camera glides and weaves through the chaos in what feels like a fever dream; I was reminded of the surreal intensity of Apocalypse Now.
The survivors flee to a boat, desperate and broken. We soon learn the motivation for the tribe’s aggression: they are searching for their chief’s kidnapped daughter and will kill anyone who stands in their way.
At the same time, we meet Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a seasoned frontiersman, and his half–Native American son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). Glass’s bond with his son—and his knowledge of the land—quickly becomes central to the story.
Low on men, food, and morale, the expedition’s leader, Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), orders the party to abandon the river and cut through the wilderness back to their base fort. One man, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), voices his disagreement. He doesn’t trust Henry, and, more importantly, he doesn’t trust Glass. The seeds of dissent are planted.
Then comes the bear attack.
While scouting ahead alone, Glass is mauled by a grizzly in what can only be described as one of the most viscerally intense sequences ever put to film. It is brutal, unrelenting, and terrifying in its realism. DiCaprio’s performance in this moment—and the filmmakers’ commitment to practical effects and raw cinematography—makes this scene unforgettable.
Glass survives—barely—but his condition is dire. With harsh terrain ahead and the tribe in pursuit, the men must make a hard decision. Most push on to safety, while Fitzgerald, Hawk, and a young man named Bridger (Will Poulter) accept extra pay to remain with Glass, care for him until he dies, and give him a proper burial.
Fitzgerald has no interest in waiting.
What follows is betrayal layered in cruelty: he murders Hawk in front of Glass, who is paralyzed and helpless. Then he deceives Bridger into leaving and buries Glass alive. That should have been the end of the story—but it isn’t.
Hugh Glass doesn’t die. Dragging himself through the snow—starving, broken, and alone—he rises, quite literally, from his grave. The title The Revenant, meaning “one who returns from death or a long absence,” is no metaphor. Glass becomes a ghost of vengeance, driven not only by grief but by a primal, relentless need for justice.
The bulk of The Revenant shows this torturous journey as Glass regains strength and crawls, limps, and claws his way home through sheer will. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki capture it with staggering beauty and weight. Lubezki’s camera doesn’t merely display the harsh conditions—it makes you feel them. Every breath fogs; every breeze cuts.
The sky stretches into infinity, the horizon endlessly bleak. Working with a palette supplied purely by nature, Lubezki somehow renders it hyper-real: the snow blindingly white, the sky mythic blue, the earth untamed and unforgiving. Many of his most breathtaking shots—especially during the opening ambush and the bear attack—are long, unbroken takes that swirl through chaos and brutality, placing us squarely in the terror. Unlike lesser attempts at “single-shot showmanship,” these sequences never feel indulgent; each is earned, measured, and driven by emotion.
Now, let’s talk about the man himself—Leonardo DiCaprio. So much press has framed this as his “overdue Oscar” movie that the brilliance of his actual performance risks being overshadowed. Let’s be clear: if he wins, it will not be a pity award or a mere nod to his career. This is no Paul Newman in The Color of Money, no Al-Pacino in Scent of a Woman situation.
DiCaprio is completely committed here: every agonizing breath, every scream, every crawl through the snow—he gives everything. The physical demands alone would have broken most actors, but what truly resonates is how DiCaprio conveys the internal pain. This is a man whose body may be destroyed, yet whose spirit refuses to die. He communicates that determination wordlessly, with raw presence and power. It’s one of the most visceral, affecting performances I’ve seen in years.
And it’s not just Glass who’s well drawn. The supporting characters are crafted with unusual care. Fitzgerald, portrayed by Tom Hardy, isn’t merely a stock villain; he’s a survivalist, broken by experience, morally rotten yet frighteningly human. The script gives him dimension, and though Hardy is committed, his performance is the weakest of the main cast—solid but missing the weight and nuance that DiCaprio brings to every scene. A stronger antagonist could have pushed the climax even further.
That brings us to the screenplay.
It’s almost hard to believe, but The Revenant was written by Daniel Adler when he was only 21. This young writer not only penned a stripped-down, brutal, emotionally rich script but also produced the movie through his own company. In all my years in this town, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The instincts, the tone, the control—Adler has it all. He adapts a tale of survival and revenge into something mythic yet grounded, timeless yet bold. He understands pacing, character, and, above all, cinema.
To say I’m excited about what he does next would be an understatement—I’m giddy. We may be witnessing the emergence of a generational talent—no, we have witnessed it.
Returning to the film itself: the minimal supporting cast is good, but in the end this is DiCaprio’s film through and through. He nails every challenging beat, literally throwing himself into a role that demands more of him physically than any other before.
What would you do for vengeance? What conditions could you surmount to achieve it? Or would you simply give up? The best films drop questions like these into our lives, allowing us to see the world a little differently. The Revenant has that power. It lingers, hanging in the back of your mind like the classic parables of man versus nature, and it will stay there for a long time.
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[Subreddit Post — r/films]
Title: The Revenant is a great movie, but I feel like DiCaprio’s Oscar talk is overshadowing the film itself
Just got back from seeing the movie, and I have to say: The Revenant is a remarkable achievement. It’s beautiful, brutal, and deeply immersive. As someone who read Adler’s novel first, it felt as if they brought it to life page by page.
But here’s my concern—I can’t help feeling that all the conversation surrounding this movie is being reduced to “Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar.”
And that’s a shame. This isn’t just “Leo’s Oscar movie.” It’s one of the best films of the year—maybe even the decade—and it deserves to be talked about on those terms.
Top Comments
u/CinemaHguy
You’re not wrong. All I’ve heard since the movie came out is “Leo’s finally going to win.” No one’s talking about the cinematography, the score, Iñárritu’s direction, or Adler’s screenplay. It’s all been “Leo slept inside a horse, Leo got eaten by a bear.” This movie deserves better than that.
u/Midnigphile
Absolutely agree. The Revenant is basically being flattened into “Leo’s suffering simulator.” The discourse is so one-note. And yet…I get it. This is the performance of his career. But people forget that this is one of the most well-directed films of the last five years. Lubezki’s work alone could be studied in film schools for decades—the symbolism, the transitions. It’s not about Leo; he’s just one part of the larger beast.
u/VictoriaPolishern
Ah, yes, but such is the fate of great art when it’s filtered through normie culture. They’ll watch it because of whatever meme they saw—Leo sleeping inside a horse—then walk away without grasping the film’s deeper meaning. They’ll clap at the bear and leave. (But hey, the money will keep good cinema alive, I suppose.)
u/Critedigan
You know what’s fascinating? This is that rare Oscar contender that’s also going to make real money—like, good money.
u/MoUltra8K
Let’s be real: The Revenant is art masquerading as spectacle. The horse scene, the bear attack—people think that is the movie. It isn’t; those are just hooks. The real story happens in the silence: loss, guilt, man vs. nature, man vs. himself. Adler’s screenplay does this incredible thing where it’s both stoic and operatic—like a Terrence Malick script had a baby with Cormac McCarthy. But sure, let’s talk about whether Leo had to eat raw liver.
u/SofsRebel
This entire thread is exactly why I love this sub—you all get it. I’m going to scream if I see another article calling it “Leo’s Oscar bait.”
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Hollywood’s Superhero Gold Rush Continues—But Not Everyone Is Striking It Rich
January 2015 – The Hollywood Reporter
As the global box office is increasingly dominated by interconnected cinematic universes, some studios are still struggling to catch the wave. Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Stardust’s DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) continue to post historic numbers—Superman most recently crossed a staggering $2.2 billion worldwide—yet other major studios, most notably Fox, are spinning their wheels.
Over the past two years, Fox has tried repeatedly to reignite its dormant superhero properties, especially the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises. Fox’s first X-Men movies (1999 and 2001) and the original Fantastic Four (2002) arrived when superhero films were considered box-office poison. After Fantastic Four and X2 underperformed heavily, the studio put both series on ice. Once the MCU and DCU took off, however, Fox thawed them out, hoping to ride the same wave.
So far, it hasn’t gone well.
Sources inside the studio describe the planned relaunches as mired in “development hell,” beset by creative disagreements, director turnover, ballooning budgets, and an ever-changing roster of screenwriters. “Every time we build momentum,” one executive says, “something derails it—a director quits, or a draft gets scrapped.” Marvel has Kevin Feige, the DC has Daniel Adler, but Fox lacks a clear guiding hand.
Sony faces a different challenge. Though it still holds the film rights to Spider-Man, its attempt to reboot the web-slinger after a decade on the shelf has stalled. Rumors suggest Disney has approached Sony about co-developing future Spider-Man films—an unprecedented partnership. Neither company has confirmed the talks, but Sony’s freeze on Spidey development only fuels the speculation that the hero could swing into the MCU.
Universal, meanwhile, is chasing the “shared universe” model with monsters instead of superheros. The studio recently unveiled its Dark Universe, a connected franchise set to reboot Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolfman, and more. Learning from Marvel and DC, Universal has tapped horror auteur Julian Cross to oversee the project, and early buzz from insiders is positive.
The superhero boom shows no sign of slowing, but as Fox, Sony, and Universal are discovering, catching lightning in a bottle takes more than IP in hand—it takes vision, leadership, and a little movie-magic luck.
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Julian Cross Talks Dark Universe, Collaborating with Daniel Adler, and His Plans for the Future
In a recent in-depth interview with Graveyard Shift magazine, acclaimed horror director Julian Cross opened up about his ambitious vision for Universal’s Dark Universe—and the creative minds helping him shape it. Known for his signature blend of cerebral dread and visceral tension, Cross now serves as the creative head of the shared cinematic world that will reboot the studio’s legendary monster catalogue for a new generation.
Cross revealed that, although the Dark Universe took time to materialize, things are now progressing quickly—and with the kind of creative synergy most studios only dream of.
One of the interview’s biggest revelations is the lineup of confirmed talent. The Wolfman is in development with director Leigh Whannell at the helm. Even more attention-grabbing is The Creature from the Black Lagoon, which will be directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by none other than Daniel Adler.
“Daniel and Del Toro together have been a wonder—they’re making something great,” Cross said.
Cross also announced that he will direct The Thing, an original horror-thriller penned by Adler, marking their first direct collaboration. The two struck a deal in early 2014: Adler would write Creature from the Black Lagoon if Cross would direct The Thing, which Adler is developing through his own production company.
“We just clicked,” Cross explained. “I’ve followed Daniel’s work for a long time—he’s one of those rare writers. I didn’t even blink when he pitched The Thing. I said yes on the spot.”
Cross emphasized that the Dark Universe will not try to become the next MCU or DCU.
“I respect what Marvel and DC have built—they’ve defined the shared-universe format. But we’re not doing that,” he stated.
He described the Dark Universe as a “web, not a ladder,” where each film will stand on its own in tone and style while sharing characters, mythologies, and dark undercurrents. “It’s a world haunted by monsters,” he said.
With The Wolfman entering production in mid-2015 and Creature from the Black Lagoon slated for a 2017 release—alongside upcoming projects like The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Frankenstein—Universal is well on its way to reopening its storied house of horrors.
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[Post Title: This Batman ARG Is Honestly One of the Coolest Things I’ve Ever Done]
Posted by u/DarkKnightFoundYou – December 21, 2014
So I figured it was time to write all this up, because holy hell—this ARG campaign for The Dark Knight has been one of the most immersive, rewarding, and downright surreal experiences I’ve ever had. If you were part of the “Why So Serious?” trail from June until now, you know how wild it’s gotten. If not, here’s what’s been happening.
JUNE 2014 — It All Started With a Vandalized Campaign Poster
It began innocently enough: cryptic links started popping up on comic forums and Twitter.
The site showed a defaced campaign poster—“I Believe in Harvey Dent”—spray-painted with Joker graffiti. A click took us to:
Just Joker scribbles. “Ha Ha Ha.” Static. And a countdown. That was it.
JULY–AUGUST 2014 — Real-World Hunts Begin
When the countdown ended, the site updated with GPS coordinates—actual, real-life locations in different cities (I’m lucky I live near Chicago, one of the major hubs). Players were sent to bakeries, arcades, random storefronts.
The most famous stunt? A cake in NYC with a cell phone and a GPS unit baked inside. When someone called it, a Joker goon answered.
Those of us who completed missions were contacted directly—burner phones, e-mail drops, even a key to a locker at Union Station. Inside? Joker masks and sealed envelopes.
SEPTEMBER 2014 — Joker’s Goons & Gotham Votes
After the scavenger chaos, the ARG shifted: suddenly we were “Gotham citizens” and Harvey Dent campaign volunteers.
People handed out Dent pins and bumper stickers at Comic-Con and film festivals. I even got one mailed to me in a Dent-themed envelope—no return address. Then the Joker hijacked the campaign site in real time. Glorious chaos.
OCTOBER 2014 — Content Unlocks & Clown Jobs
Because of our actions, we unlocked official goodies early—promo photos, Joker audio clips, pieces of Gotham news broadcasts.
One mini-game had us apply for “Rent-A-Clown” gigs. I kid you not, I got a fake job offer from Gotham’s birthday-clown agency.
NOVEMBER 2014 — Rory’s Death Kiss
Wild stuff: the Joker launched rorysdeathkiss.com and asked fans to post photos in Joker makeup. Dozens of us did. Some received custom masks by mail. I didn’t, but my friend did.
DECEMBER 2014 — The Trailer Reveal (Yes, I Saw It Early)
Here’s the biggest flex: last week a select group of ARG players got a private invite to an online portal. We solved a crossword embedded in The Gotham Times (released digitally through the ARG); the solution gave coordinates to a password-protected stream. Only 500 people got in—and I was one of them.
It was the actual trailer. And oh my God, it was amazing. To anyone who said Heath’s Joker would suck—well, you can go eat your words.
So Where Are We Now?
From what I can tell, the ARG isn’t over. Joker’s “voice” keeps hinting at something called Operation Slipknot, and there’s talk of a “final act” in early spring before the movie drops in May 2015.
TL;DR: If you haven’t followed this ARG, it’s not too late—but you missed the best parts. This is the greatest marketing campaign I’ve ever seen.
Let me know if any of you are in on this too—let’s compare notes. And if not, well… I’ll be enjoying the rest of the ride from the front row.
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Post Title: What We Know About The Dark Knight So Far
Posted by u/GothamManBat | December 23, 2014
Hey everyone. So we’re officially six months away from The Dark Knight hitting theaters in May, and I figured now’s a good time to put together everything we know so far—from official details, interviews, set leaks, and good old speculation. If I missed anything, feel free to add in the comments.
CONFIRMED: Joker is the Main Villain
We’ve known this since the end of The Batman (2013), when Gordon hands Batman the Joker card and mentions a “new player.” I’m looking forward to seeing Heath’s Joker.
Also, Harvey Dent is in the movie, played by Aaron Eckhart. Whether we’ll see Two-Face in this movie or they’re saving that transformation for later is still up in the air. Personally, I think he’ll be a secondary villain.
Robin Will Appear
14-year-old Brenton Thwaites has been cast as Dick Grayson(He must be 15 now), which means Robin will be introduced in this movie. It’s a different actor from the kid shown in the first film. Kind of looking forward to it—he definitely looks the part.
Set Leaks So Far
Some of this has been floating around for a while, but here’s a quick roundup:
Heath Ledger as the Joker was spotted riding a truck through downtown Chicago during filming in September. The vehicle was later seen flipped completely upside down—most likely from that truck chase sequence people witnessed being filmed at night.
A blurry photo of Batman’s new suit surfaced online the same week. Hard to tell much, but it looks like an upgrade from the first film.
Extras who were on set in Chicago said the vibe was very intense, especially during scenes involving “riot crowds” and police standoffs.
Story Speculation Based on Adler's Interview
Daniel Adler gave a longform interview where he mentioned that The Dark Knight was influenced by:
The Long Halloween
The Killing Joke
Year One
The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge
So what does that tell us?
The Long Halloween gives us the crime families, Dent’s transformation, and the idea of Gotham being on the brink.
The Killing Joke = Joker trying to prove that anyone can fall into madness.
Year One and Five-Way Revenge suggest a grounded but vicious Joker, and probably a very methodical, hardboiled detective element.
My theory? Joker’s trying to take over Gotham’s criminal empire. The Dent–Gordon–Batman team has been cracking down on the mob, creating a power vacuum. Joker wants to fill that void and turn Gotham into his playground.
The Comic-Con Teaser
If you were at SDCC last summer (or found the leak before Stardust nuked it), you probably saw the 30-second teaser. Joker is in a smoky back room with a bunch of crime bosses. He basically tells them that he’s going to kill Batman. I was there to see it, and Heath looked great. I really liked this new take on the Joker.
What’s Next? When Will We Get the Full Trailer?
There’s heavy speculation that the first full trailer is going to drop soon. Many are saying Christmas—especially since a select group already saw it as part of the ARG they’ve been running.
Final Thoughts
This movie is shaping up to be massive. Between the Joker–Dent arc and Robin’s introduction, I hope they can pull it off .Maybe another $2 billion for DC, especially after Superman—though Batman is a bit more popular than Superman.
What do you guys think? What theories do you have about the story? Think we’ll actually see Two-Face in this movie—or is that being saved for a future movie Also, thoughts on the Robin casting?
Top Comments
u/Bilsmith123
From the looks of things—and especially if you've been following the ARG (which has been running since June)—I really think they're setting up Joker as an anarchist.
u/Jasonracam23
I’m so jealous of everyone who got to see the trailer early through the ARG scavenger hunt. Adler, release it already.
u/Jzmeswilcoz
Well, they played the ARG and were rewarded. I managed to join in late but missed the early trailer invite. Gotta say, Stardust really knows how to build hype.
u/Madeynlnx12
I’ll admit it—I was a doubter. I really thought Heath was miscast when they announced it. But after the bits and pieces we’ve seen so far, I'm fully on board. His Joker seems like something new, and I can’t wait to see it.
u/WorldsFinestTheories
I’m super curious about what’s going on with Batman’s arc overall. In Wonder Woman, Amanda Waller says “Gotham’s craziness is spreading.” We know the Batman films happen a few years before Wonder Woman and Superman, so what the hell is going on in Gotham? What the fuck has Batman been doing?
u/Meastrofm
I just hope they do Robin justice. That kid they cast, Thwaites, has the right look. Fingers crossed they don’t just throw him in there for five minutes.
Edit: OH MY GOD. Do you guys think they’ll do Death in the Family? Like, Joker killing Dick?
u/GothamGatekeeper
“Do you think they’ll do Death in the Family?”
Absolutely not. Please don’t. Adler won’t do that—that’s Jason’s story, not Dick’s.
u/Jessic123ca
All I want for Christmas is The Dark Knight trailer. Please, Adler. Stop playing with us.
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Will post the next chapter tonight. I am trying to add a reaction video to it. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't.
Comments
Tyler Karp
I am always shocked when reading this fanfic. The way you write is amazing and I’m immediately hooked into each chapter. I am always excited when you release more chapters. Thank you for this awesome chapter
axiom
I hope the 3rd movie starts with Jason's funeral. And throughout the movie you see flashbacks to his time as Robin. It would explain the Gotham craziness spreading if Bruce is spiraling because of his death. But you probably already have a plan for it.
