So it's good. Really good. Haunting, spooky, suspenseful, intriguing. And it's paced like a mother fucker. Tenacious D (the last movie I saw) was an hour shorter but felt twice as long.

Gibson's got a lot on his mind here, the trouble is that he doesn't know how to communicate it. This movie, like every one he's made prior, is a slave to every typical action genre cliche, the archetypes, etc. It's got sneering, gloating villains (with dialogue to match!), lots of vendettas being sworn, that inevitable third act when the hero turns the tables and we're all supposed to get turned-on(and do!) from the catharctic violent revenge being dished out, enough deus ex machinas to pad nine seasons of 24, etc. The dialogue and character motivations are straight out of a Charles Bronson movie. And it's all insanely frustrating because the movie is always on the verge of becoming something extraordinary. But it just can't make it.

I would ultimately describe it as an idea-filled, unsusal action film that can't help but be presented and told as a run-of-the-mill one. And it's Gibson's fault.

Those ititial attributes still apply, however. It's thrilling and rather thought-provoking and generally a good night at the movies.

You'll be squirming in your seat. I mean this in a good way. It's brutal, and absolutely relentless.

This is a movie which comes very, very close to being a masterpiece, but is never able to make the leap.

Gibson does an amazing job and is one hell of a director, but he never finds a way to give this film a bigger purpose. The story he crafts was as engrossing as it was intense, but it fails to ever speak to something larger. In short, the movie wants to say something about culture, about Mayans, about us, but never quite decides what that something is. We know Gibson has something on his mind right from the start as he puts a brilliant quote which the movie never quite earns at the front of his film.

The shortcoming is an important one, and it will keep this film from being a masterpiece, but it can't stop it from being a hell of a good ride and a very well crafted movie.

B+

I think most everyone here knows how I feel about Mel Gibson - he's not exactly someone I'd like to have over for dinner. That said, countless other artists match that description, so I gave Apocalypto a chance last night. Glad I did too, because if it's a bit empty on substance, it's still one of the best action movies of the year. After our heroes get more fucked by the villians then any time I can, remember in action movie history, the film becomes a wild. Perhaps it's because of this look at a culture we know so little about, but my eyes were glued to the screen from frame one. For such an overdramatic film (the main character's family, trapped in a well, have more then enough challenges to face that they practically could've made a movie about those two alone), there are a lot of points where you feel the film doesn't reach for as much as it could've. It's one hell of a ride and the 80 million budgets shows, but it 's never really any more then a brutal, asskicking rumble in the jungle. That's all some people are going to be looking for, but it's not exactly the audience the marketing has been going after. B+ I think I'm going to have to lower my Blood Diamond grade, because I'd definitely give this movie the edge of those two.

Wow, what a movie, When I first heard about this film I figured Mel lost it, and Passion went to his head. But this film really is an engrossing tale, and was literally locked to the screen the whole time. The acting was suprisingly good and the direction and set pieces were amazing. Im gonna have to give it an A- for now. Very good film to watch at least once.

Glad you enjoued the movie, Moviedude despite your feelings about Mel. I really enjoyed the film alot, its pretty reminiscent of Last of the Mohicans and Rambo because of how Jaguar Paw turns on his conquerers. Mel does have some great cinematography and although it wont really get any awards, it can pick some up for costuming, cineamatography and especially the music score. I would say the best scene had to be the whole jaguar chase scene where one guy gets his face ripped,mauled, and had it stretched out like a rubberband. The gore itself had people laughing so it may be considered bad but when the two main villians get killed, half of the theater were applauding. I do consider myself a historical epic buff so my grade will easily be an A

I thought the film was great, i liked that you get to know life in the village for about 30minutes, showing how those people are not diffrent from us when it comes to humor and family life, it created sympathy for the characters of the village.I also liked that mel gave character to the leader of the pack of villains, yes he is a villain but he also shows emotion as a father and is honorable.The images when they arrive at the mayan city is stunning and it really shows the top quality work they had on set design, costume and make up.The third act with the chase was great, probably the best chase since the fugitive IMO.
One thing that is overrated about this film that i have read from critics is the violence, it was very violent but not the out of this world violence critics were saying, the passion is much more violent.
Anyway, this was a great film, great action, some great charcters and a damn good story.
I give it an A-, tied for #1 of the year with Advent children.

Yeah the violence did get people laughing in the theaters especially the part where he bashes the chieftain's second in charge on the side of the brain and he had blood squirting out

Most people these days are not shocked by violence in movies.

I've heard quite a few reports now that the movie isnt as violence as some say and I would probably come to the conclusion that it might be a way for critics and the like to have a reason to give the film a negative review by overexagerating the violence and make it sound like a flaw and thats all the movie has to offer.

It is pretty violent but not anywhere as gory as Saw 3,TCM:TB or Hostel. The only really gory scene is the guys face being ripped apart by the panther but other than that a couple of heads and bodies rolling away from the top of the pyramids, warriors hearts being ripped out during a sacrifice and a few heads being bashed in. The Passion is much more brutal

And its not like we havent seen heads roll from steps before, it was just like that in that scene at the end in conan the barbarian.Gibson also didnt show the head cutting close up, it was off camera, and the cutting the body to get the heart was also not directly shown, it was not like the passion where gibson actually showed meat coming off, and if you can stomach the heart sacrifise in Indiana Jones and the temple of doom then you can stomach this, it played out similar with the heart still pumping.

[spoil]The one interesting touch I loved was the Spanish ships at the end. The whole purpose of the story was summarized in the quote before the movie started, that great civilizations rot first from inside before being conquered from outside. Some reviews took the Spanish ships to be a deus ex machina, which is not the case. Those two pursuers could have easily been finished earlier, such as at the waterfall, or drowned in quicksand. The Spanish ships were there to serve an important purpose, and give the film an ultimate meaning.[/spoil]

Brilliant.



Easily the year's best movie.

The sky darkens. The portents have been seen. The sacrifice will be made. Our species has foreseen it's own doom. Rejoice!

10 out of 5.



(Or converted to the old school system: A squared)

This is one of the clearest and most lucidly interpreted stories from prehistory that has ever been set to film. The drama pulses through the jaguar heart of this story, leaping over the language barrier and escaping into the audiences' heart despite the primitive setting. We are cast back into our genetic heritage to feel the pain of our ancestors' trail. The cultural interpretation into our own idioms and words was masterful. You can clearly feel the emotional impact across the centuries.

I'm a big fan of Braveheart and just the opposite with The Passion of the Christ, but one can't miss the thematic thread running through Gibson's primitive trilogy. It's not just "inhumane" (Ha Ha...) torture, though it isn't buried as it so often is (e.g. present day) -- no, it is an eyes wide open look at our nasty, brutish, and short* life as the human animal.

Pretty solid flick. Most of my admiration is directed towards the less action oriented stuff, as that got a little repetitive, what with all the shaky, chaotic running through the jungle shots. I enjoyed the glimpses into the culture and the journey the captors took their prisoners on, ending up at the sacrificial tower. I had a vested interest in the fates of Jaguar Paw and his family and I thought those scenes in the pit were very welcome when they came. Could have done with a little less "close-ups on sad faces" as well, as that got a little tedious in the aftermath of the village attack.

B-

I think you guys hit the nail on the head.

The film's a thrill ride; I was totally engrossed.

But like Eagle said, the film speaks to nothing higher. The biggest far-reaching theme we really get is one scene at the end involving outside contact, but it's merely an afterthought in regards to what the film actually gives us thematically, that being... killing, killing, killing, Mayan culture, killing... death, killing.

Not that I have a problem with those themes in particular. They kept me on the edge of my seat. And filmed so skillfully, it all becomes quite artsy. It's just obvious that Gibson is striving for something big here (take a look at the film's title), and he's not really successful.

An exciting epic. But slight.

B

"Apocalypto" means "I reveal" in Greek. It may not be an allusion to biblical Apocalypse (which just means "revelation").

I thought it was a wonderfully creative title, and not necessarily one reflecting world-ending grandeur.

The imminent collapse of a civilization and it's striking parallels with our own isn't a "far-reaching" enough theme for you?

That last scene is merely the passing of the torch...

I love this line but I forget what movie its from.

"The more things change, the more things stay the same"

PS, do you think that in real life could be considered an Alien Invasion to the indians. I mean they come in vessels they never thought theyd see before. First they offer piece, but then we exterminate a majority of them and take control of the rest.

Hehe.

That just... seems like a bit of a stretch to me.

It's totally far-reaching enough, the problem is just that the film never quite achieves that theme.

Bollocks! Apocalypto never fully develops any of the themes it seems at times to aspire to.

But you gotta love the fat kid at the sacrfice. Mel should have given him a bag of Lays and a Nintendo Wii and been done with it.

Finally!

Don't see your review up yet, zen...

B+

I agree that it never get's on to anything more than chase, chase, kill, blood, more chase, etc., and the screenplay is lacking as well as a lack of a respect for a lot of the characters, specifically the villainous ones who are mostly just brutes, but overall it is an incredibly fun and visceral movie, I liked it a lot. Probably the best use of pure gore and violence that I've seen in a while, fuck the Saw movies.