Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman follow-up, which also stars Tom Hardy, was screened to praise on Twitter

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s much-anticipated survival thriller The Revenant has had a warm reception on Twitter after it screened for the first time over the weekend.

Director defends The Revenant after shoot branded a 'living hell' Read more

Despite a global embargo on reviews until December, thoughts on the film have leaked with many suggesting it might finally be the film to win lead Leonardo DiCaprio his first Oscar.

Director Mark Romanek, known for One Hour Photo and Never Let Me Go, was among the voices of approval.

mark romanek (@markromanek) I saw THE REVENANT today. It's great.

cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) The revenant was so brutal I feel like I need to lie down. Beautiful camera work almost makes it worth it

Bernie Hiller (@berniehiller) LEONARDO DICAPRIO WILL WIN THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR HIS PERFORMANCE IN " REVENANT" Saw it tonight!

Gregg L Daniel (@GreggLDaniel) Just attended the first public screening of The Revenant. Incredible! Oscar nominations for everyone a certainty!

Eric Carroll (@EricRobertC) Revenant. Holy shit. Best film of the year. Blown away.

The screening was followed by a Q&A with DiCaprio and Iñárritu. The film’s production has already attracted controversy after reports that it became “a living hell”, with some members of the crew quitting and being fired. “As a director, if I identify a violin that is out of tune, I have to take that from the orchestra,” Iñárritu told the Hollywood Reporter. The budget also swelled from $60m to $95m.

The Revenant trailer: Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy head-to-head in hardship Read more

“I have nothing to hide,” the director said. “There were problems, but none of them made me ashamed.”

The film tells the story of a frontiersman, played by DiCaprio, who is mauled by a bear during an expedition in 1823. He is then robbed and left for dead by his companions, including one played by Tom Hardy, but survives and vows to take revenge.

It’s one of the last films to be revealed this awards season, with Quentin Tarantino’s western The Hateful Eight, Miracle Mop biopic Joy and Ron Howard’s adventure In the Heart of the Sea still to be seen.