For years Leonardo DiCaprio (“Titanic”) has been nominated for an Oscar, and for years he has not won. His new film “The Revenant,” however, which has been nominated for several Oscars this year, is sure to change that.

Written and directed by Alejandro Iñárritu (“Birdman”), the film follows Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) on a journey of survival and revenge. After he is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his fellow explorers in the middle of winter, Glass must fight against the elements of nature in order to make it home alive and get his revenge against the man who betrayed him (Tom Hardy, “Mad Max”).

In “The Revenant,” DiCaprio gives the performance of his career. His raw emotion mixed with the man v. nature aspect of the film leaves viewers feeling as though they are fighting for life right along side the characters. In addition, Hardy’s vicious nature mirrors the darkest parts of society, showing what humans are capable of at their worst.

Unlike many of his other roles, DiCaprio has few lines in this film, which adds to his intensity and emphasizes his quiet nature. More often than not, little dialogue ruins a movie, but the primal nature of “The Revenant” calls for it, and it works just fine.

The cinematography in “The Revenant” is beautiful as well. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who also worked on “Birdman,” helps immerse the audience in the film by showing beautifully painted nature scenes. There are moments throughout that leave viewers in awe. Lubezki won an Oscar for his engaging cinematography in “Birdman,” and I am sure “The Revenant” will offer him the same prize, which will make his third win in a row.

While “The Revenant” has some amazing shots and incredible acting, there are a few places in which the film falls short. Scenes of Glass’s wife come up several times, but offer nothing more to the film than space fillers. There are also several times in which simple survival skills are thrown out the window, making the viewer wonder if any research was done.

Overall I thought “The Revenant” was great, but if you are not the type to like slow builds and raw grittiness, you might want to pass on this one. The film is almost two and a half hours long, which is rather long for the storyline, so be prepared to sit for a while. Nonetheless, this may be one of DiCaprio’s finest films yet, and it is clear to see why his performance has generated so much Oscar buzz.