Apocalypto

Though I can’t say that I was overly eager to watch this film, I must say that I was more pleased than I thought I would be. Mel Gibson, shortly before his candid drunken comments forever damaged his career, wrote and directed a simple story about a man fighting for survival.

While out on a hunt, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his friends are met by a group of exiles. They tell of a band of men that destroyed their tribe, and enslaved their people. This prophecy comes true to his own tribe. Fighting his way from the captives, he must escape the Mayan city, and kill his captors before they execute their revenge on him for his acts while under captivity.

I want to say that this film is classic Gibson, in that it takes the form of his other productions he’s directed and written. It has an air of Braveheart, in that Gibson holds nothing back in terms of graphic depiction of violence. That being said, don’t be disappointed if the gore-meter doesn’t fly right up there with Braveheart. This is a story about a man and his struggle to survive, and return in time to save his wife, son, and unborn child.

The problem with this is that it’s really nothing more. But perhaps that’s a strong point. I’m still somewhat split on my feelings towards this film, as it’s very difficult to comment on. The story unfolds in a native language, leaving subtitles to translate the words of the characters. However, Gibson must have thought that audiences weren’t that interested in what the characters had to say; thus, there are very few comments actually made by the characters. This, of course, makes it increasingly hard to sympathize with a community, especially when they don’t survive.

A subplot created to draw sympathy for the main character actually comes off as somewhat strong. But I don’t think it was enough to carry the film all the way through its two hours. The film is split into two major sections: before the escape, and after the escape. The problem here: not enough action in the first half, and not enough story in the second half.

Gibson does demonstrate creativity with several of his shots during chase scenes. In one instance, the camera pans very closely up on a character standing on a waterfall. Pulling back, it seamlessly switches over to a helicopter shot pulling back into the air over the waterfall. It was creative and effective. Several other shots help to add depth to the chase scenes wherever needed. The score, composed by one of the best—James Horner—keeps a steady atmosphere of danger about. Overall, from the technical side, a fairly solid production!

As I said, the greatest challenge with this film is the difficult to relate to the character due to a lack of connection early in the film. If you’re looking for a nearly constant chase-related second half of a film, and don’t mind strong gore, this film will probably entertain. It’s one of those movies that you rent once, and later avoid on TV for anything on either the Food Network, or History Channel. Keep in my, Discover Channel trumps all. Check out Apocalypto if you get the chance, but keep in mind: certainly not a must see. 6 of 10 C