Making Of 'The Revenant': Nine Featurettes Dive Into Nearly Every Facet Of The Film's Production

It's been a big month for The Revenant. Not only did the movie and its director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu take home awards at the Golden Globes last Sunday, but last week also brought 12 Oscar nominations for the film and its crew, celebrating almost every department who worked on the frontier epic. If you've been curious about how the movie was made and haven't heard the endless stream of conversation about how difficult it was to make, a batch of nine new featurettes dive into the making of The Revenant.

Here's the featurettes about the making of The Revenant from 20th Century Fox:

In case you didn't know, The Revenant shot in the natural light of their location, which means the position of the sun was being closely monitored so that each shot could be captured at the right time, in the right light. That might seem like a lot of trouble for no good reason, but when you see the stunning visuals of the movie, it seems to have been worth it.

And because they were shooting on location, this often meant being in freezing cold temperatures for hours at a time, including rivers that were icy cold. Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter and the rest of the cast went through hell to make this movie, and that's a big part of why they're getting a lot of awards attention.

Don't get me wrong, the movie is fantastic. But the story feels like a frontier version of Gladiator that doesn't break any new ground. So while the production is more than praiseworthy, the movie that came from it doesn't quite feel like the best of the year. But it's still one that you should see on the big screen as soon as possible. Plus, check out our interview with screenwriter Mark L. Smith right here.

Inspired by true events, 'The Revenant' is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man's epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. 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.

'The Revenant' is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel). Also starring Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter, the film is based on the novel by Michael Punke. Mark Smith and Iñárritu wrote the script for the movie, produced by Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, David Kanter, Keith Redmon, and Iñárritu.

The Revenant is playing in theaters everywhere right now.