By Jason Haskins
Mel Gibson sure has been in and out of some controversy the past handful of years. Going from the clean-cut action/thriller go-to guy role he displayed in such classics as Braveheart and Ransom to the man responsible for the biggest marketable movie of all time: The Passion of the Christ (hey, I enjoyed it!) and later getting buzzed for being buzzed (and driving no less with anti-Semitic motives!).
However, we all forget that some people lose themselves when drunk and mistakes happen. Obviously his public persona has been bashed for years, but Apocalypto proves that he actually has some talent behind him as a filmmaker instead of a man simply trying to cash in on Jesus Christ.
2006's Apocalypto is the (relatively) small movie that could. Made for about forty million bucks, it grossed three times as much and gave Gibson the creative boost he needed to show that he wasn't a hack. Applauded by various outlets for his work and the overall quality of the film, this was a major pat on the back for Riggs (Lethal Weapon reference) and I think that most of this praise is definitely justified.
How? Apocalypto rules. This was a film that took me a year or two afterwards to see and once I did I was p*ssed that I waited so long. One of those movies that held my attention all the way through with constant conflict, interesting direction, and characters I actually cared about. What's the deal with Apocalypto? Let me tell you.
This film takes place in Mexico circa the sixteenth century during the Mayan rule (and downfall) where you immediately meet Jaguar Paw and his tribe-mates (and father) on a hunting expedition for boar.
Living in an isolated part of the jungle from the major tinkering of the Mayan cultures, they are unaffected and live in peace with the jungle--until a beaten and battered tribe come to them to trade and warn them of the coming advance of Mayan "troops" to their village (as they have just been wiped out).
Jaguar Paw's father (also the head chief in their village) heeds them off and doesn't play close attention to the warning despite everyone's hesitations and we start to learn about this tribe and the characters inside it. We start to get comfortable when, coincidentally, their village is attacked, many people are murdered, Jaguar Paw's wife and kid are stuck in a hole for protection, and him and his fellow men are taken as prisoners by the Mayans.
Now, Jaguar Paw is a captive in a jungle he held with such high esteem and freedom--taken to a world vastly different from his own with ritual sacrifice and brutal violence he is not accustomed to. Led by various individuals, including one who murdered his father, he is out for revenge and a blood debt--a vendetta against the people/society that massacred his village and trampled on his way of life. But more importantly, he just wants to get back to his family before time runs out and they starve to death in their hiding place.
THIS is what makes Apocalypto an amazing film. The story has you buckled to the seat and keeps things richly interesting. You follow Jaguar Paw from his perspective the entire movie and witness all of the atrocities at the hands of the Mayans. Some hairy situations ensue and there is much violence to be found here. The story is gripping and has you sympathize with these people that were taken away from their homes. Over the years this film has gotten branded with some faulty concepts and some facts that didn't add up, but what historical movie doesn't have that? Maya was a very interesting albeit crazy society and I felt like the filmmakers did the culture a justice (from my perspective).
I think that this movie will obviously get torn down because of Gibson's involvement, but I happen to believe that his involvement is the reason it's so good. Apocalypto was shot on location in the real jungles of Mexico where this story actually takes place and it's shot all on digital video--which looks stunning.
Either it's because I watch this on an HDTV or the cameras were utilized extraordinarily well. Whatever it is, the film is incredibly shot with dark vibes, luscious forest visuals, and some interesting special effects that don't take away from the overall experience. The array of colors presented to you--especially after Jaguar Paw gets to the Mayan city--is nothing short of fantastic and stunning on all levels.
If that wasn't enough, the film is pretty action packed and Gibson really knows how to shoot to get the highest amount of realism. There's certainly a large amount of violence and brutality and it's all shot with a sense of practicality that's missing from a lot of films these days. Granted, a lot of parts may be too much for some viewers like (fake) animals getting killed, people getting massacred, and massive amounts of bloodshed, but if you look past that and think of this as a fantastic action film with real-life historical value, then you might see some good that came out of it. It's a great watch--really.
I'm a screenplay bug and I thought it was superbly written by Gibson and Farhad Safinia. There's a constant sense of foreboding and a haunting nature of themes that still daze me when I see it to this day. They touch on a multitude of subjects that I could easily go into for further analysis--including one of the most evocative endings I've ever seen in a film. However, movie buffs might find this film a little Hollywoodized despite how low-key it actually plays out to be.
When I say that I mean that it gives into many standard action film conventions touching on revenge and a clean-cut narrative that movies actually quite quickly as opposed to the slow depth you might be expecting going into this. It's not a big nitpick, but it has a certain Americanized appeal, which might catch some people off guard.
However, for as Americanized as the movie is, all of the actors are real Mexicans from the region with ties to the actual culture in context. This is really important because they are trumping around in fantastic garbs of clothing (or lack thereof) and speaking the actual language the entire movie.
Jaguar Paw is played by an unknown Rudy Youngblood who carries the entire movie on his shoulders and succeeds in every way. He's truly a remarkable (and dare I say it: handsome) actor who you really root for throughout the entire picture. Not only is that, but the acting all around the table flawless by everyone involved, which made the film just that much better to watch.
Chances are you might not have seen this yet or even heard of it, but I'm here to state the record that you should. Naturally, I'm into movies like this with historical backdrops, indigenous cultures, and ancient civilizations-and being a guy interested in the Maya, Apocalypto was a real treat. Sure, they might have exaggerated some things, but that's not the point.
This is a story about a man taken away from his home, striving for his family and the jungle in which his generations have survived in. A man fighting the changes coming to his jungle and determined to combat the intruders who have come into his land and destroyed his peace. It's certainly less of a vendetta picture I make it out to be, but by the end of the credits scroll, I hope you are as affected by this movie as I was. This is one of those movies that's downright entertaining to watch, but one you can step away from and see the deeper meanings behind.
© Jason Haskins, 2011
5 out of 5 Stars
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