Apocalypto Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Drunk in B&Q

what was this about? no plot at all - you might as well get drunk and fall about in the Indoor Plant section of a B&Q warehouse and rattle a few leaves - dire

Rambo meets Last of the Mohicans meets Amistad

I have to say that this was a cracking film and I enjoyed it very much. The subtitles are not a distraction at all; in fact most of the time the script is so in line with the plot that you've guessed what the character is saying before you've read the subtitle. It is quite gory in parts, but not especially more so than something like Braveheart. Historically it mixes timelines; for instance the Mayan civilisation was in its' decline by the time the Spanish arrive, yet in the film it appears to be in its' pomp. However, one can forgive Gibson for this and it does add to the storyline. The stort starts with the hero (one of many villagers) being captured for the use of the Mayans (thus my reference to Amistad), who intend to sacrifice them. The hero escapes (a Mohicans style chase ensues) before finally returning to his part of the woods (literally), where he decides to hunt those pursuing him. I have to say this made me chuckle; it was very reminiscent of when the cops are chasing Rambo into the woods in 'firstblood' and he uses his know how to take them down one by one. Great pace, visually impressive, a good soundtrack and some grissly special effects that make you recoil, then watch more!

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

Outstanding!

I didn't expect to enjoy this film. Actors speaking in an ancient language - in a Mayan dialect - sounded like hard work. But I was quite wrong. If you can stomach the horrific violence that just keeps coming, it is a tremendous and gripping film with a great story, vivid characters and a hero you will desperately want to see win through. The photography, music, settings, makeup and costumes are all superb and Mel Gibson’s direction is faultless. The exciting and exhausting final chase eventually comes to an end on a beach on the edge of the forest where an unexpected but totally believable revelation neatly guides the story to its close.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Apocalypto

At the end of the Mayan civilization clans are warring. Jaguar Paw’s (Youngblood) village is routed by Middle Eye (Taracena) and his warriors and the survivors taken as prisoners, some as slaves, and some to be sacrificed. Jaguar Paw must escape and return to his village in order to save his wife (Hernandez) and son who he hid in a well so they could escape Middle Eye.

Mel Gibson’s directorial career has been one of the most successful of any actor in recent times. Aside from his debut The Man Without A Face he’s showed a preoccupation with graphic violence, which, once more, is at the centre of this new film.

Apocalypto is, in the traditional sense, barely a film. Rather it is a gigantic 140-minute chase scene punctuated with regular and graphic outbursts of violence. It is best enjoyed as a rollercoaster ride because the efforts to add emotion to the mix (particularly with Youngblood having to get back to his wife and son) don’t really work.

That said the performances are actually good. Youngblood is an engaging lead and the camaraderie between the main characters, established in short order with a highly entertaining opening scene, works well. Tarcanera and Contreras make for perfectly hissable villains but their one-note roles make it hard to really engage with them at any other level.

The chase, though, is as exciting as you could hope. The last 45 minutes of the film is non stop edge of the seat stuff as Youngblood, injured and pursued by about 8 very pissed off men, tears through the jungle. The stunts, largely performed by the cast, are stunning and the fights are also strong.

Apocalypto has been constantly mentioned as an extremely tough film. It’s certainly violent but until the second half much is done by implication, you see the effects of a wound, but not the wound itself. Frankly it’s a picnic by comparison to The Passion of the Christ, which was essentially a two-hour torture sequence. When the violence does become much more intense in the second half it does so in convincingly brutal and palpably painful fashion.

The spectacle is certainly there. Gibson continues to show that he’s a very fine visual director and the cinematography of Dean Semler is truly beautiful. What’s missing is any sense of consequence. Gibson tries to inject some significance with a small girl who delivers a prophecy about how events will unfold. It’s clumsy, a clunking way to try and find some spiritual overtones.

Apocalypto is decent entertainment if you can deal with such images as a jaguar eating a man’s face (if not then The Holiday is still playing… enjoy) but at the end of the day, as ultraviolent jungle movies go, it’s no Cannibal Holocaust. I’ll leave it up to you how you read that.

Bloody impressive

If you can take the bloodletting, this film is well worth a watch. I'm not sure anyone can really comment on the authenticity of the setting, but what the film conveys is the simple life of a small village, destroyed by the trappings of civilisation. You very quickly side with the small village, and are still rooting for the films hero come the end of the film (which is to be honest a little bit too Hollywood). The setting is quite breathtaking at times too.

Realistically violent rather than over the top, with enough story to keep you going, give it a chance, you won't notice the subtitles.