Apocalypto

[BLACKDIRGE]

I Just saw Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, and here are my thoughts without any spoilers.

First of all this is without a doubt Mel's best work as a director, but I still don't believe it puts him in the league with the great epic directors of our era. Apocalypto is still an enjoyable film, and I was not bored for the two plus hours it ran.

The Good

The art direction and cinematography were breathtaking, and the costumes for the Mayan hunters and nobles were simply exquisite. Personally, I would be very surprised if the film does not win an Oscar in that area. The portrayal of Mayan culture was incredibly interesting, and the language had a definite lyrical quality that was a pleasure to listen to. And, hell, it was just cool to see a Mezzo-American culture on the big screen without any Europeans to steal the show.

The action in the film was very well done, and I think that Mel has a great eye for action sequences. The brutal fight scenes, played out with wonderfully primitive, albeit historically accurate, stone and wooden weapons were almost worth the price of admission alone. The cast, although composed of unknowns, gives strong performances, especially Jaguar paw, the young Mayan hunter whom the story centers around. You really feel for the characters; and their misery, as well as their horror and grief, are captured and conveyed flawlessly.

The Bad

A lot of the symbolism and foreshadowing were pretty heavy-handed, and sometimes clumsily conveyed. I could have done without all of the mystic omens and pseudo-supernatural garbage; the movie really didn't need it to get the story across. There were also a lot of similarities to some of Gibson's other movies, especially Braveheart, and one a ffew of the scenes almost mimics scenes from the Scottish epic right down the letters.

To sum up, Apocalypto is definitely worth a look, even if it’s just for the heart-pounding action and beautiful cinematography. I would give the film 3.75 out of 5 stars, not quite a 4, but still a solid and entertaining film.

BD

 

[Scribe Ineti]

I saw it this afternoon. Great cinematography, fantastic camera work, great costumes, fantastic makeup. The storyline is pretty straightforward, but that didn't take anything away from the film for me.

Bloody? Yes. Gory? Yes. If you've seen Braveheart and the Patriot, though, you'll be fine. Lots of gruesome bits, but nothing worse than I've seen in plenty of other movies (Schindler's List and The Passion of the Christ come to mind).

Really really good acting too. The main character, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), and the main antagonist (can't really call him a villain) Zero Wolf (Raul Trujillo) are great casting. They look great and add a lot of depth to their characters. Zero Wolf isn't just a hardcore soldier, he's a father who cares about his son, and that's really nicely brought to life in a couple key scenes.

Much of the film is a long foot chase through the jungle, and while on paper that may sound meh, it works really well on screen. And Gibson keeps things moving. I may have just been caught up in the spectacle, but I didn't feel like anything really dragged on.

Mel Gibson has talent as a director. He does stuff with looks, glances, and silent moments that are just a joy to watch. Some freaky stuff, some really funny stuff, and just gorgeous looking movie.

The actors with their body tattoos and piercings...I tell ya, I know dick about the time period depicted in the movie, so I don't really care if it's accurate or not. What Mel has done is create a couple of groups of peoples that are totally believable, right down to the details. Excellent lesson in culture-building if one were a writer or filmmaker looking to get the details down. Consistent details in a culture sells the culture for me.

Don't mean to gush on, but I was really pleased with the film overall. So much so that I'm going to try and sneak in a second viewing before it leaves the theaters. And this is a certain buy on DVD when it's finally released.

That's about it. I'd recommend the film. A-.