The Revenant

Despite winning a lot of awards at various festivals (check out the wiki page for the impressive full list), The Revenant was frustratingly not given a proper release for far too long.

It deserves to become a cult classic (in the best sense of the phrase) though as it's a very intelligently written new take on the zombie genre, something with a lot of genuinely fascinating ideas which are explored beautifully. Ultimately a horror film with a comedic edge, it has a lot of fun with it's concept, whilst still managing to pull off some truly horrible scenes. Yet it's also got a very strong emotional core, and certain moments are surprisingly tender and touching.

I won't say much more as part of the fun is seeing how the film develops, but ultimately I loved this and would really recommend it to any film fan - and not just those in to horror films.

Remember how gritty and darkly funny Super was, with that message that one person really can be heroic...or just insane while taking out the bad guys? Remember how Fido with it's campy comedy made you root for the zombie... who seemed to be an overall great guy? Smash that together and you get The Revenant.

The pacing is not the best, but it has a good story with a great ending reminiscent of the Worst Case Scenario Promo Trailers (they never got enough funding to make that movie). Plus it has some very memorable moments thanks largely due to the acting of the two leads. Some of the dialog and character choices were a little cheesy and maybe unrealistic, but the rest makes up for those short comings.

Just to keep in mind, I can't really call this a zombie film, because it seems way closer to a vampire film, but it has the gross moments you'd expect from a zombie comedy and doesn't really remind me of any vampire films. There is a slightly drawn out scene that claims he is both, which I would dismiss due to the misleading "facts" provided, but I'm sure zombie fans can appreciate much of the film.

while we get bombarded with plenty of low budget junk it seems we can still miss something with real genius in it. This is one of the missed ones it seems. Well acted, well scripted, keeps the story moving, and gives us a new and interesting take on a tired genre. The special effects were also top notch and although you were aware this was a movie done on a tight low budget when the fx kicked in they went above and beyond the call. Top notch stuff. I also really liked the tone the lead actor got. A perfect balance and he delivered some really touching moments. So why didn't we get to see this movie in wider release. Studio politics? Who knows. Very worth the effort to track this one down and tell your friends. This is the sort of indie film making we need to encourage and support.

I don't usually do a background check on movies. Neither before I watch them nor after that. But just when I was about to write my review I realized this movie was from 2009, but only just played on a 2011 Fantasy Film Festival in Germany. There must be a reason for this clearly. And there is. There seems to be two different cuts of the movie. And while another reviewer who watched this in 2009, talked about this becoming a cult classic, I think the re-edited version I got to see, won't get that far.

Of course when I did watch it in cinemas, I just thought that the filmmakers had lost control and didn't mix their movie right. Just when you think the movie is going great, there comes a scene that almost puts into a full stop. The pacing is all over the place and the best you can say about some jokes is: "They tried". Which is not a good thing at all. Quite the opposite, you can feel how hard they try sometime to be cool, instead of just being. It seems that certain scenes have been inserted to satisfy certain demographics ... What a shame/scam ...

Hopefully there will be a version where you can watch the original (alternate?) cut of the movie. Until then, this is decent, but not as good as Deadheads

My son found this film & recommended that I watch, having been a fan of David Anders from Heros as Adam Monroe & being a fan of the Zombie genre I had high hopes.

I wasn't let down, this film was brilliantly entertaining & the ending totally unexpected! Anders & Wylde work brilliantly together & D. Kerry Prior's script is a great new take on the zombie genre which other film makers should take note of. This film is up there with Shaun Of The Dead, The Vagrant & a host of other films, most of which never get the credit they deserve.

A true future classic