Apocalypto

[Fairweather Pure]

Wow. What a great film. Mel Gibson, despite being a drunken, jew hating weirdo, can still make one hell of a movie.

This is a very cut and dry action movie set in Mayan times. An unsuspecting villiage is ravaged, and it's peole are taken away to the capital city for sale and sacrifice. Our hero placed his pregnant wife and little son in a large pit when the villiage was first attacked, and now needs to escape and return to rescue them. That's the entire movie in a nutshell.

On the surface this is a very simple story that we've seen in one shape or form in films many times before. However, the film is indeed greater than the sum of it's parts. First and foremost, this film is absolutely beautiful. From the cinematography to the elaborate set and costume designs, this is film making at it's finest. The entire film is subtitled and there isn't a single famous face amoungst the native cast. It's refreshing and helps suck the viewer into the world they have created. After my intial viewing, I think someone could watch the entire movie without subtitles at all and still understand everything that was happening. It's a very visual story, often conveying complex situations with no words what so ever. The Head Hancho of the raiders was a bad-ass motherfucker. I wouldn't want to meet a single one of those raiders in a dark alley, but that dude was easily one of the most intimidating "villians" I've seen in a long time. Seeing the actor in an interview on the extras was a bit funny, because he seemed pretty damn gay. Anyone that can turn from such a fruity, soft spoken guy into the bad-ass Mayan like he portrayed is a great actor indeed!

Just be warned that like any Mel Gibson directed film, there is violence abound here. It's extremely graphic, up close, and shocking at times. It shook my wife up a bit at times, so we had to watch a couple of comadies over the weekend to cleanse her palate a bit.

I would rank this a 9 out of 10. It misses the 10 mark due to using far too many action movie cliche's, but more than makes up for it with outstanding production values and it's ability to really draw you into the story.

[Aslanna]

I didn't particularly care for it.

[Moonwynd]

I thought it was a wonderful movie. It was moving and really provkes you to go home and read more about the history of the Mayan culture.

I agree - the villian in the movie was great. The cinematography was wonderful - I wonder if the whole Crazy Mel incident hurt or helped the film overall.

[Dregor Thule]

It was ok. Pretty predictable, but there were some positives to it. I like films set in ancient civs (yeah, I know, they weren't really THAT ancient, but bear with me).

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

Finally got around to watching this. It was a great movie. The colors were amazing and the story was excellent. The lead actor was phenomenal.

[Bubba Grizz]

Just watched it work. 19" monitor doesn't do it justice. Loved it though.

[Sueven]

I thought it was OK. You're all right that it's absolutely gorgeous and visually stunning. That was why I went to see it-- I love precolumbian cultures, and I was really pumped to see one recreated with a big budget. It didn't disappoint in that sense. The actors were also good-- or as good as they can be when they're speaking nahuatl or whatever language that was.

However, I don't think the movie had anything whatsoever going for it beyond that. The story was beyond stupid:

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Bad Mayans conquer Good Mayans village. Good Mayans are marched to Bad City to be sacrificed. Good Protaganist Mayan escapes and flees back to Good Village to rescue Good Wife & Child while eliminating Bad Mayan pursuers on the way.

And that was IT. This is the kind of plot that ten year olds produce. There was little to nothing of note in terms of narrative structure, plot, character... so it was beautiful, meaningless, and nothing else.

Also, some of the violence was comically bad. Especially that jaguar chase scene. I actually laughed hysterically out loud in the theatre when the

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Bad Mayan just HAPPENED to jump in front of the jaguar just as the jaguar was leaping, and the jag somehow managed to make a mid-air adjustment and bite the dude's face off in one go, in comically fake Evil Dead fashion.

Seriously, this movie was gorgeous and fun to watch but totally ridiculous and without any kind of value beyond the purely aesthetic.

[Drinsic Darkwood]

Also, some of the violence was comically bad. Especially that jaguar chase scene. I actually laughed hysterically out loud in the theatre when the

[Show]

Bad Mayan just HAPPENED to jump in front of the jaguar just as the jaguar was leaping, and the jag somehow managed to make a mid-air adjustment and bite the dude's face off in one go, in comically fake Evil Dead fashion.

[Show]

Honestly, I thought it was worse when they were actually killing the "jaguar". It looked incredibly fake... that was when I was laughing in the theater.

I did enjoy the movie as a whole though. Yes, it was extremely simple, but I found it entertaining.

[Sylvus]

I just saw this this weekend and found it very entertaining. It actually made me laugh a few times, I was wondering if they really messed with each other back then like me and my friends mess with each other today.