Now on DVD

Apocalypto

Movie Review by Sam Sandoval

Ya' have to give Mel credit; you'll probably not see another movie like this for a long time: a movie about Native Americans before European contact, no alcohol and speaking the local dialect that takes place near the end of the Mayan Empire? Yeah, I don't think you'll see anything like it for while.

Apocalypto has been touted as Mel Gibson's (Braveheart, Passion of Christ) greatest achievement with extravagant locations, epic vistas and incredible costume design. Mix this in with an adrenaline-pumping race against time with vicious Mayans and a lone tribesman who is rushing to save his wife and child and you have the elements of an engrossing and involving movie.

Not only is Apocalypto grand movie making, it's also a timely statement about our world and political climate. In the movie, the Mayan empire is in steep decline. Corruption abounds, the divisions of the wealthy versus the poor are stark, the resources are being depleted, violence has become commonplace and entertainment and needless sacrifice of innocents for a larger, if not faulty, ideology is part of the social structure.

Make the comparison: Corruption abounds (the Libby, Enron, Gonzalez, Downing Street Memo scandals), the division of the wealthy and poor is tightening, resources (oil, natural gas, trees, land, clean water, breathable air) are being depleted, violence is common place (Grand Theft Auto, CSI and JackAss) and the needless sacrifice for a faulty ideology (do I really need to say it?) are evident in our own society.

If anything, especially the end of the movie, it's a parable about the societal changes that occur with any "advanced" civilization, be it the Roman, British, Muslim, Chinese, Japanese, Byzantine, Russian, Mayan, Incan and Nazi Empires. They reached a saturation point where collapse is inevitable and many of these signs and symptoms are noticeable with the influence our current American demagogue.

This point would be missed if the movie itself weren't well written and well directed. Mel has proven himself as a fantastic director; granted there are a few stumbling blocks and he resorts to obvious 'film-school' tricks, but where he puts the heart of the movie (ugh...heart) is in the singular man who only desires to save his family. He isn't out to destroy the Mayan Empire, free the people, create a paradigm shift or make a grand statement about the world torn asunder. The very end, although blunderously typical in my opinion, folds all this together.

It's a world at an end and headed for transition. Mel doesn't ask you to decide if it's a good or bad thing. It just is.

The scale of the movie is huge too. This parable would be for naught had the production values, acting, effects and story been weak. What shines here too are the costumes and sheer number of. Even the traditional and true use of tattoos, body ornamentation and scarification are breathtaking and nothing like the superfluous afterthought they are now. The reconstruct of the Mayan city is glorious and its denizens look fully integrated and believable.

As for the actors, Rudy Youngblood is very good as Jaguar Paw. His nemesis Zero Wolf, played by Raoul Trujillo, serenely encapsulates the dark nature of humanity. The rest of the cast are great too, considering they spoke a language that's nearly been forgotten, and not all actors spoke the same language; many of the actors were Mexican, Native American, or Mayan.

Apocalypto isn't Mel's most violent movie compared to Passion of Christ or even Braveheart. However, some scenes may not be for the squeamish and there is peril throughout the whole film. Apocalypto is, at its core, an action movie with a grand background and environment rarely put to film.

I recommend Apocalypto despite the last five minutes of the movie. I won't give that away, but otherwise, the movie is amazing in many respects. Yes, you'll find a lot of inaccuracies if you get on-line and there are debates on the historical facts, but it's all fodder for conversation and recommend you make up your own mind about it. If anything, it's an adrenaline rush.