Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (2006)

JUST AWESOME!!!

I hadn't heard of this movie until I saw it on cable and I have to say that Mel did a excellent job with this movie about the fall of the Mayan Civilization. The actors were so fabulous that I thought he may have taken a clip from a live tribe. The action, top notch. I'd recommend to anybody looking for an action packed adventure. August 26, 2008

Definitely not a "Chick Flick"

I'm not going to go into a plot synopsis of this film, since the other individuals who have preceeded me have already said plenty. However, I will say that I thought "Apocalypto" was driven, at least in part, by William Golding's "Lord of the Flies", all the way up to the film's ending.

"Apolcalypto" was a film that pretty much delivered what I expected it to deliver. There is brutality and gore in the film, but those were minor aspects of the story, which starts slowly but unfolds at an increasingly rapid pace.

It would have been great if the Mayans were more modern in their approach to finding ways of resolving the problems that led to the death of their civilization, but, simply stated, they weren't. Human civilization has a long history of cultures and movements borne of violence, from the distant past all the way up to the present day. If brutality was the norm regarding certain aspects of Mayan culture, it would not have been the first in the history of humanity. It's something that I don't think Mel Gibson needs to be apologetic about. After all, the Mayan pryamids were probably not erected by unionized workers.

Is this a historically accurate film? I don't know. I wasn't there... were you? While I don't even come close to holding a doctorate in Mayan Culture, I would have to imagine that "Apolcalypto" was to some degree, approximately accurate.

Gibson attempted to illustrate the problems which confronted the peoples of a primitive culture, and he was successful, which is what was important, anyway. After all, very few films based on history don't fail to take poetic license when it come to dealing with how things actually were, versus our perception of how things were. The list of examples, which would contain the names of many great films, is too numerous to mention.

"Apocalypto" is not something for your wife and kids to watch while consuming quantities of butter popcorn and five-buck soft drinks; It is not family fare. It's also not a "Dinner and a Movie" fare either. If you take a date to see this film, you'd better be sure that your partner wasn't a regular viewer of "Sex and the City", because I guarantee you, it's an unworkable combination.

Any film or play worth watching contains conflict of some sort. "King Lear" and "MacBeth" portrayed the very human traits of brutality and evil. Neither was about a protagonist who has feelings he or she can't resolve, which without any action being taken, are somehow resolved at the end of the story. For that reason, I hate modern television. Shows like "24", "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives" are garbage soap operas. I'd rather watch reruns of "Green Acres", but that's another story.

"Apocalypto" is a great film in terms of cinematography. There was, generally, a lot to think about during the film's 138 minutes. Overall, I thought it was a very good film, but not a great film on the order of "A Man for All Seasons", or "Lawrence of Arabia". Still, I gave it five stars for effort and for technique.

If you saw this film and didn't like it, all I can say is that the next time you go see a film or rent a dvd, you might want to pay attention to the film's reviews, read any plot synopsis available and especially pay attention to which demographic group to which the product is being marketed. That way, if you're expecting "Aliens Versus Godzilla VI" to be a remake of "Crimes of the Heart" you won't waste your time.
August 25, 2008

One of the best movies of the last ten years

I did not see this movie when it first came out because the reviews and controversy turned me off. I just saw it on cable for the first time and was blown away. I like movies that interest me in a new topic, and so now I am reading about the history of the Mayan civilization. Mel Gibson is to be commended for rising above the abysmal product that normally comes out of Hollywood. All the detail makes it extremely believable and transports the viewer back to the time. I am a fan of "The Naked Prey", so the final scenes were really enjoyable. I cannot understand why this movie did not win more accolades. What were the winning movies in 2006 anyway?
Mr. Gibson has done a remarkable job with this film.
I researched and found that "The Departed" won the best picture that year. I saw this on cable and it was really not worth watching. I cannot figure out how the Academy could overlook Apocalypto and nominate "Babel," for instance. Raoul Trujillo was so frightening as "Zero Wolf" that I had nightmares for days afterwards. He was outstanding !! August 2, 2008

Juvenile, inaccurate, worn story with a few spectacular scenes

Nice natives vs. mean natives. This movie is actually 4 disctinct shorts: Peacefule village life, invasion and forced march, specatcular city with cg effects and then madmax in the jungle. Scene one finds Gibson once again obssessing over male genetalia, sex jokes that would evoke yawns from a third grader and animal brutality. So much could have (and should have) been done here. Scene two lifted staight from The Last of the Mohicans with some fresh gore. Scene three: well while historically inaccurate it's great to see an Aztec (yes Aztec) city re-created in all it's brutal glory. Any truth to Gibson's portrayal? Open to debate. Spectacular though. I used to feel sorry for the Aztecs, but no more. Scene four is too much of an insult to comment on. Obviously Gibson surrounded himself with spineless yes men. Didn't anyone have the guts to say "No" to this man? How ironic though that Gibson concludes the film with a sense of the Catholic brutality that is soon to be visited on the local population. Would have been a great movie under the direction of someone else. July 27, 2008

Have viewed six times

Best movie with an actual story that I have enjoyed in many years. It is a bit violent, but the story is built around the violence of one group of people towards another. Having to read subtitles was no problem as I was so into the story and what was going on I hardly knew I was reading the lines. The actors were so good you knew what was going on even when there was no script. Yes a great movie...... July 21, 2008

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