Sunday, December 10, 2006
Movie Reviews: APOCALYPTO
In theaters
APOCALYPTO
Mel Gibson's historical epic follows the decline of the Mayan civilization 600 years ago, just before Spanish invaders conquered Central America. The story revolves around one native who fights to save his culture from the outsiders.
Cast Mayra Serbulo, Gerardo Taracena, Raoul Trujillo, Dalia Hernandez (more)
Director(s) Mel Gibson
Writer(s) Mel Gibson, Farhad Safinia
Status In theaters (wide)
Genre(s) Action/Adventure
Release Date Dec. 8, 2006
MPAA Rating R - for sequences of graphic violence and disturbing images.
Review:
Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is a violent frenetic historical epic that immerses the audience in the past in a way that very few films have done previously. This movie starts with a bloody gory hunting trip and it only gives you the slightest tease of what is too come. This is a visually stunning film that is a joy to watch. Gibson's displays the jungle as a beautiful yet dangerous home and provider. As the film moves to the Mayan city, Gibson uses wonderful subtle visual cues to represent the decaying status of the society. Its one of the few things in this film that is subtle, the violence and action are very in your face and brutal. The movie is entirely in a Mayan dialect and it fits perfectly for the subject matter and gives the film a much more authentic feel that I wish more historical epics would employ. The 2nd half of the film becomes a chase film that plays like a Pre-Columbian Fugitive, there even a waterfall dive. There is enough gore and violence to placate any Roman coliseum audience. Rudy Youngblood as Jaguars Paw does and excellent job of portraying fear, sadness and rage that his character experience. His performance is a real strong point of the film and makes his journey all the more riveting. As a whole this film is an excellent action epic but be warned that the violence here is turned up to 11.
A
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