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Forget any off-screen impressions you may have of Mel Gibson, and experience Apocalypto as the mad, bloody runaway train that it is. The story is set in the pre-Columbian Maya population: one village is brutally overrun, its residents either slaughtered or abducted, by a ruling tribe that needs slaves and human sacrifices. We focus on the capable warrior Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), although Gibson skillfully sketches a whole population of characters--many of whom don't survive the early reels. Most of the film is set in the dense jungle, but the middle section, in a grand Mayan city, is a dazzling triumph of design, costuming, and sheer decadent terror. The movie itself is a triumph of brutality, as Gibson lets loose his well-established fascination with bodily mortification in a litany of assaults including impalement, evisceration, snakebite, and bee stings. It's a dark, disgusted vision, but Gibson doesn't forget to apply some very canny moviemaking instincts to the violence--including the creation of a tremendous pair of villains (strikingly played by Raoul Trujillo and Rodolfo Palacias). The film is in a Maya dialect, subtitled in English, and shot on digital video (which occasionally betrays itself in some blurry quick pans). Amidst all the mayhem, nothing in the film is more devastating than a final wordless exchange of looks between captured villager Blunted (Jonathan Brewer) and his wife's mother (Maria Isabel Diaz), a superb change in tone from their early relationship. Yes, this is an obsessive, crazed movie, but Gibson knows what he's doing. --Robert Horton
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Mel Gibson |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 08 December, 2006 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone |
| MPAA RATING: | R (Restricted) |
| FEATURES: | Widescreen, NTSC |
| TYPE: | Action, Action / Adventure, Adventure, Feature Film Action Adventure, Foreign Film - Other, Movie |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
| UPC: | 786936705089 |
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Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (Widescreen Edition) reviews by customers
 Wonderful
I really loved this movie. It is a terrific historical action film. I was worried I wouldn't be able to enjoy it with the subtitles, but I was wrong. The acting is terrific, and the dialog is fairly minimal, so even if you don't like subtitles, it shouldn't be too bad for you. The story takes place in the Mayan lands of Mexico in the early 1500's. A peaceful village is attacked and the people are either killed or taken as captives to be sacrificed. From there, the film becomes and incredible action sequence. I can't really say much more without spoiling things. There has been mentions of the bloodiness of the film. I can honestly say it is not bad. There are a few scenes that are bloody, but it is not repeated throughout the movie over and over. Think of Braveheart, when there was a battle, Mel was not afraid to show some blood, but it didn't feel forced in. This film is the same, when needed, Mel leaves in the carnage. The ending is a suprise, but as a student of history it does take some liberties with the correct timeline of how things happened. It does make for some wonderful cinema however.
 Mell is a chauvinist and sadistic pervert
He obviously gets off on carnage. This pointless and grossly historically distorting, chauvinistic flick is another proof of it. I gave it one star for some beautiful scenery.
 Compelling Chase and Revenge Action
Mel Gibson is obviously a controversial filmmaker. It is nearly impossible to avoid addressing that here but I'm going to try really hard. Suffice to say, Apocalypto is a very violent and brutal film that portrays the Mayan civilization in a way that troubles some Anthropologists. None of that really matters to most viewers though and I'm here to tell you that that most viewers will find that this movie is about as intense and compelling as you can get.
Apocalypto is two kinds of action sub-genres mended together in an amazing setting that most viewers will find authentic. It is an action chase film smattered with revenge elements typical of a Gibson movie. Apocalypto opens like Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, with no credits and instead a quotation eluding to the theme of a civilazation in decline. The quote is from historian Will Durant and states: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within." The civilization in this movie is the Mayans and there is a genuine attempt at convincing the audience we are watching from a time machine. Again, like The Passion of the Christ, Gibson refuses to use English and instead goes with Yucatec Mayan, which may or may not be exactly what these people spoke but I have to applaud Gibson for doing this. I can tell you one thing, it hooked me in a lot more than English would have and helped me delve a little deeper and go back in time a little more efficiently than most historical depictions by a long shot. I didn't need my imagination at all. I can't say enough about Gibson's ability to get his audience into the hearts and minds of his characters and their settings. We also get a relatively unknown but talented cast of Native Americans, which itself serves to excentuate the film's authenticity as we have no prior references to the actors' faces.
Apocalypto, in perspective, runs as a political parrallel and comments on a civilization in decline. However, like most action films, it focuses on one protagonist as we root for his survival and safe resolution to his goals. His name is Jaguar Paw and he is a Mayan man with a young son and a pregnant wife. To avoid spoilers, I'll just say that he ends up having an improbably horrendous few days. He and his friends get a good look at how the Mayan civilization is in decline from greed, disease, self-destruction, failed crops, slavery and of course human sacrifice...you will not forget the human sacrifice. This is hell on Earth but Jaguar Paw is up to the task and I couldn't help but root for him out loud on various occasions as a I watched. That alone praises the film's passion. I bought into this movie entirely while watching it and it even prompted me to learn more and study the points of contention many people have with Gibson's dipiction. A lot of movies that reference history can get folks thinking and whatever you may find in terms of truth, perhaps it is that provocation alone makes Apocalypto effective.
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