Amazon.com: Forget any off-screen impressions you may have of Mel Gibson, and experience Apocalypto as the mad, bloody runaway train that it is. The story is set in the pre-Columbian Maya population: one village is brutally overrun, its residents either slaughtered or abducted, by a ruling tribe that needs slaves and human sacrifices. We focus on the capable warrior Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), although Gibson skillfully sketches a whole population of characters--many of whom don't survive the early reels. Most of the film is set in the dense jungle, but the middle section, in a grand Mayan city, is a dazzling triumph of design, costuming, and sheer decadent terror. The movie itself is a triumph of brutality, as Gibson lets loose his well-established fascination with bodily mortification in a litany of assaults including impalement, evisceration, snakebite, and bee stings. It's a dark, disgusted vision, but Gibson doesn't forget to apply some very canny moviemaking instincts to the violence--including the creation of a tremendous pair of villains (strikingly played by Raoul Trujillo and Rodolfo Palacias). The film is in a Maya dialect, subtitled in English, and shot on digital video (which occasionally betrays itself in some blurry quick pans). Amidst all the mayhem, nothing in the film is more devastating than a final wordless exchange of looks between captured villager Blunted (Jonathan Brewer) and his wife's mother (Maria Isabel Diaz), a superb change in tone from their early relationship. Yes, this is an obsessive, crazed movie, but Gibson knows what he's doing. --Robert Horton
Beyond Apocalypto
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Apocalypto soundtrack by James Horner
Stills from Mel Gibson's Apocalypto
Product Description: All Movie Guide - As the foundation of the Mayan civilization begins to crumble one man's previously idyllic existence is forever changed when he is chosen as a sacrifice needed to appease the gods in director Mel Gibson's mythic end-times adventure. The Mayan kingdom is at the absolute height of opulence and power but leaders are convinced that unless more temples are constructed and more human sacrifices made the crops and ultimately the people will suffer. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) is a peaceful hunter from a remote forest tribe whose life is about to be changed forever. When Jaguar Paw's village is raided and he is prepared as a sacrifice that the Mayan deities have demanded the brave young hunter is forced to navigate a horrific new world of fear and oppression. Fearlessly determined to escape his captors and save his family from a harrowing demise Jaguar Paw prepares to risk it all in one final desperate attempt to preserve his dying way of life. However few who have seen the sacrificial alter of the Mayans have managed to live to see another day. Now in order to rescue his pregnant wife and young son Jaguar Paw will have to elude the most powerful warriors of the Mayan kingdom while using his vast knowledge of the forest to turn the tables on those who would rather see him dead than set free. Inspired by such ancient Mayan texts as the Popul Vuh Apocalypto marks a comprehensive collaboration between director Gibson Cambridge-educated screenwriter Farhad Safinia and world-renowned archeologist and Mayan culture expert Dr. Richard D. Hansen -- whose services as a special consultant on the film lent the production an unprecedented degree of historical accuracy. - Jason BuchananFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 786936705089 Manufacturer No: 05064600
Review of Apoc by sepptagenerianalypto I enjoyed this unuaual movie. Though it was not historically accurate, it still gave me insight into the Mayan period. it was well acted and had enough drama to be interesting.
Better once you watch the extra commentary Apocalypto Before I start this review I'd like to say that I am not a history major. I am not going to analyze this film for its inaccuracies like many other reviewers. I am just going to review this movie for what it is...a movie.
Mel Gibson is at it yet again. With the success of the The Passion of the Christ, Mel can pretty much do anything he wants now. This movie takes place in the early 1500s when Mayans were still a dominant force. The Mayans would conquer villages and tear down miles of forestry just in build their cities. They would sacrifice lives just to increase their empire. Speaking of sacrifice, you will see a ton of that in this movie. The Mayans worshipped Gods that were appeased by sacrifice.
When I first watched through this movie I was a little disappointed. I had heard so many great things about it and felt that the movie was lacking. I was considering giving it three stars. Then I watched it with Alternate Commentary by Mel Gibson and Farhad Safinia as well as the Making of extra. These changed the way I thought about the movie. If anyone feels let down by the movie, these extras will help you much better understand the movie and appreciate it.
Your main character is Jaguar Paw. He is a part of a small village of hunters. The movie starts of with a very humorous sequence that shows Jaguar and a few others playing a joke on another tribesman. This truly established that these were fun loving, normal people. I'm glad they introduced the film this way. Soon after their village is attacked by the Mayans. Some of them are killed, but most are taken as slaves. Jaguar luckily lowered his pregnant wife and child into a pit to hide before he was captured.
After that point you will see them walk all the way to the Mayan capital. This is fairly long and has its moments, but I felt it was fairly boring. When they get to the place a sacrifice is where things really start to pick up. Jaguar doesn't get sacrificed, but instead is used as Target Practice by the Mayan soldiers. Suddenly, he escapes, but not with out killing the chief's son first. This sets up a huge chase scene with a ton of great moments. Jaguar must get his wife and child out of the pit before they drown from the rain filling it up. The ending to the movie is a surprise and if you know your history is very interesting.
My problem with the film is that the gore is not what I expected it to me. Most of it is good, but part where they are tearing organs just looks unrealistic. Mel Gibson tried so hard to make sure that the 800-member cast looked perfect, but added in people ripping out organs that took me out of the film. Also, Jaguar Paw is one of the most uninteresting characters in the movie and he is your main character. He garners no emotion at all.
Overall I would say that this is a pretty good movie. Some people my find it difficult to read subtitles constantly, due to the movie being in the Mayan language, but it's not that bad. Also, I'm really happy that they gave us subtitles for the alternate commentary. My girlfriend is partially deaf, so it is very helpful for us.
Possibly, the worst movie I have ever seen This was not the type of movie that was so bad it became funny, it was so bad it became exhausting. I never thought a movie this violent could also be this BORING. The movie had no point, it was a long snuff film set at the end of the Mayan civilization (vaguely, historically accuracy is fuzzy at best).
Smoke Jaguar I've gotten two Apoclypto DVDs from you Cats, I sent one to a friend who had never seen it, he raves about it. I think its one of the best movies ever made, pretty accurate to how it was in that era. Mel Rocks! Yeah and so does Pepsi and Amazon, got em quick and free. Think its time to twist a top off an ice cold pepsi and get me another point. My favorite drink.
Decent, if somewhat formulaic "Apocalypto" is a well-shot movie that moves along at a fast clip. Gibson wisely decided not to stretch this movie out into a 3+ hour epic, avoiding that temptation and keeping it just slightly flabby at about 2 hours 15 minutes. There's nothing here story-wise you haven't seen before. Imagine "The Patriot" in pre-Colombian Latin America, with the jungle dwellers as the colonists and the Mayans as the British, and you've hit about three quarters of the plot points of this movie. It's not a bad film by any means, but it does keep reminding you of other movies you've seen before - just with a Yucutan flourish.
I didn't care for the gross (pun intended) manipulativeness of the first act. We know the Mayan city dwellers are bad people. Whether they were human sacrificers in real life, I have no idea - I always thought it was the Aztecs that were the real bloodthirsty ones. But the depredations suffered unto our heroic tribe were more than enough to make we the viewers cheer for revenge on the bad guys. Of course, one could make a counter-argument that the first act simply shows the reality of brutal combat without romanticizing it, and I would be hard pressed to disagree.
"Apocalypto" is worth a rent, at least, if you don't mind some pretty brutal violence.
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