7 Reasons 'The Revenant' Will Get Leo An Oscar

We may be in the middle of the summer, but Friday's buzziest trailer will have you shivering and looking for the nearest snuggie. The first look at Alejandro González Iñárritu's The Revenant trailer was released on Friday, and it will send chills down your spine. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as frontiersman Hugh Glass who is on a mission to seek revenge on the men who left him for dead and robbed him after a bear attack. The pulsing trailer is full of blood-spattered snow, gunfire, and more horse chases than a John Wayne film. Classic to Iñárritu's style, the camera work makes you feel like you're right inside the scene, and this trailer will leave you breathless. It will also make you wonder if The Revenant will earn DiCaprio his Oscar — FINALLY.

I, for one, certainly think it will. Dicaprio is well overdue, and The Revenant already looks like the stuff that Oscar dreams are made of. Being the Wolf of Wall Street might not have done the trick... but fighting off an actual bear could actually do the trick for Dicaprio. The Revenant is gritty, thrilling, and unlike anything we've seen Leonardo DiCaprio do before. I was exhausted just watching the trailer, so I can only imagine how much blood, sweat, and tears went into filming this movie. The labor alone is already worthy of a nomination.

Here's how The Revenant may finally nab Dicaprio that elusive Best Actor.

1. Iñárritu is On a Roll

The Mexican filmmaker swept the Oscars last year with Birdman, and it's already looking like The Revenant is an early contender. 2015 has been a big year for blockbusters, but not as much for dramas. We still have time for Oscar/Holiday film season to roll in, and this won't reach wide release until January 2016, but this flick is already gunning (pun intended) for it.

2. You'll Want to Root for Glass

Unlike Dicaprio's last Oscar-worthy roles in The Wolf of Wall Street and Django Unchained, Hugh Glass is this film's hero — not in a conventional way, of course. But the man has been wronged, and Hollywood loves a comeback story — like Birdman, for example.

3. Dicaprio Really, Really Isn't a Pretty Boy

Unfortunately for DiCaprio, there are a lot of old, more conservative types in the Academy, and I've always felt his younger, pretty/party boy reputation still haunts him in their eyes. If this movie doesn't change their minds, I don't know what will.

4. It's a Period Film

In the past five years, only ONE Best Picture winner has taken place in modern times. The Revenant takes place in the 1820s, so you just know the Academy will love that.

5. It's Dicaprio's Movie

He might have Tom Hardy as a co-star, but nothing is going to steal the spotlight from Dicaprio. It's clear from the trailer that the weight of the film rests entirely on DiCaprio, and Academy voters almost always respond well to the solo journey (Birdman, Cast Away, The King's Speech, Million Dollar Baby).

6. It Tackles a Grim Time in American History

The 1820s were not kind to the Native Americans, and it's clear from the trailer that we will see many different points in their side of history. They fight against, and seemingly alongside the frontiersman, throughout the trailer, and it's a fascinating and important part of our country's history that deserves more attention. Though The Revenant isn't necessarily a film about Native Americans, how they are represented will be a huge factor in how audiences and critics respond to the film.

7. I Doubt There Will Be Another Actor As Deserving

I mean, come on.

Watch the whole trailer here.

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