Apocalypto (2006)
Mel Gibson's Apocalypto was rated "R" for the violence and gore. It didn't have to be rated "R." But I suppose that Gibson wanted to convey the brutality of the Mayan empire. He did so quite successfully, although he didn't need to. The film would have been even more successful had he toned down the violence and gone for a "14A" rating. The movie could have been the impetus for a lot more dialogue on the history of the Mayans than it now will. Oh well.
Apocalypto a simple story, set in the larger context of the decline of the Mayan empire and impending arrival of the Spaniards. The story follows Jaguar Paw, played by Rudy Youngblood, as his village is raided by Mayan warriors in search of human sacrifices and slaves. Jaguar Paw's village is decimated, but his pregnant wife and young son, Turtle Run (I love the name) survive by staying hidden. Jaguar Paw with the surviving adults are taken to the Mayan city, where the men are to be sacrificed. Jaguar Paw escapes, and is hunted in the forest by Mayan warriors.
The first half of the movie establishes characters from the village, and even gives some dimension to the Mayan warriors. The pace is slow, but more rewarding than the latter half of the movie that is taken up by the chase through the forest. Gibson actually does a pretty good job with the characters in the first half of the movie, in conveying a story about a group of natives in a village, without the need to have Europeans in the mix. The people could have been from any culture, any context. He treated the characters as people, no different than people of today -- with the same aspirations and concerns. It was a pleasant surprise. It was beautiful. The second half of the movie however, from the Mayan city to the chase through the forest was brutality mixed with beautiful cinematography. You can't go bad rainforest and beautiful people -- all of whom were virtually unknown actors from Mexico, the Yucatán, Canada and the US.
The movie is a work of fiction, and Gibson does take liberties with his portrayal of Mayan culture. He did however, opt to use Yukatek Maya language for the entire movie -- so the entire movie was subtitled. The acting was superb. The dialogue well written, and the story not all that bad. Gibson intended the movie to be a political message on the fate of empires, but I think some of that may have been lost in translating the story to an action film.
Apocalypto a simple story, set in the larger context of the decline of the Mayan empire and impending arrival of the Spaniards. The story follows Jaguar Paw, played by Rudy Youngblood, as his village is raided by Mayan warriors in search of human sacrifices and slaves. Jaguar Paw's village is decimated, but his pregnant wife and young son, Turtle Run (I love the name) survive by staying hidden. Jaguar Paw with the surviving adults are taken to the Mayan city, where the men are to be sacrificed. Jaguar Paw escapes, and is hunted in the forest by Mayan warriors.
The first half of the movie establishes characters from the village, and even gives some dimension to the Mayan warriors. The pace is slow, but more rewarding than the latter half of the movie that is taken up by the chase through the forest. Gibson actually does a pretty good job with the characters in the first half of the movie, in conveying a story about a group of natives in a village, without the need to have Europeans in the mix. The people could have been from any culture, any context. He treated the characters as people, no different than people of today -- with the same aspirations and concerns. It was a pleasant surprise. It was beautiful. The second half of the movie however, from the Mayan city to the chase through the forest was brutality mixed with beautiful cinematography. You can't go bad rainforest and beautiful people -- all of whom were virtually unknown actors from Mexico, the Yucatán, Canada and the US.
The movie is a work of fiction, and Gibson does take liberties with his portrayal of Mayan culture. He did however, opt to use Yukatek Maya language for the entire movie -- so the entire movie was subtitled. The acting was superb. The dialogue well written, and the story not all that bad. Gibson intended the movie to be a political message on the fate of empires, but I think some of that may have been lost in translating the story to an action film.
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