Morgan BellREVIEW: Apocalypto
March 9th 2008 01:51
Directed: Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, Man Without a Face)
Written: Mel Gibson and Farhad Safina
Starring: all unknowns
I was a bit dubious of this film, knowing it was a Mel Gibson creation, expecting it to be heavily weighted with religious propaganda and family values, but I was actually pleasantly surprised and glad that I had taken the plunge to view what turned out the be a rich and fulfilling film experience. This is a foreign language film with a cast of unknowns. It is set in a Mayan civilisation before the Spanish had colonised South America with the entire story subtitled as it is spoken in a tribal language, yet the cinematography and direction is a masterpiece of crisp images and sounds, using modern techniques to tell an ancient tale. Apocalpto was nominated for Oscars in makeup and sound and I can see why, it is a convincing depiction of what I would imagine things to have been like in this time and place . . . brutal and uncompromising . . . the violence is graphic and agonising to earn its R rating . . . human sacrifice, torture and torment, gruelling chase scenes, and every adversity possible lobbed at the central character Jaguar Paw. When his primitive forest-dwelling hunter/gatherer village is pillaged and enslaved by warriors from the Mayan temple-building regime Jaguar Paw is separated from his pregnant wife and child and is faced with an incredible sequence of events which challenge his ability to survive. Similar themes to Braveheart, an unlikely hero, a man taking responsibility, being determined, being strong, enduring, doing whats right etc . . . this film champions the idea of the typical male gender role being of value and cements the link between the importance of family and freedom . . . there are plenty of traditional Gibson-esque morals that are there to be looked into if you choose to . . . is it pro-white-colonisation or anti-white-colonisation? Is it a positive or negative comment on superstition, pagan religion, environment, power, tribal lifestyle, human behaviour? . . . it is nicely open to interpretation as the messages are subtle and subjective, not overt and preachy . . . Apocalypto is essentially an age old spectacular adventure tale of survival which translates well to be relevant to a current audience.
Written: Mel Gibson and Farhad Safina
Starring: all unknowns
I was a bit dubious of this film, knowing it was a Mel Gibson creation, expecting it to be heavily weighted with religious propaganda and family values, but I was actually pleasantly surprised and glad that I had taken the plunge to view what turned out the be a rich and fulfilling film experience. This is a foreign language film with a cast of unknowns. It is set in a Mayan civilisation before the Spanish had colonised South America with the entire story subtitled as it is spoken in a tribal language, yet the cinematography and direction is a masterpiece of crisp images and sounds, using modern techniques to tell an ancient tale. Apocalpto was nominated for Oscars in makeup and sound and I can see why, it is a convincing depiction of what I would imagine things to have been like in this time and place . . . brutal and uncompromising . . . the violence is graphic and agonising to earn its R rating . . . human sacrifice, torture and torment, gruelling chase scenes, and every adversity possible lobbed at the central character Jaguar Paw. When his primitive forest-dwelling hunter/gatherer village is pillaged and enslaved by warriors from the Mayan temple-building regime Jaguar Paw is separated from his pregnant wife and child and is faced with an incredible sequence of events which challenge his ability to survive. Similar themes to Braveheart, an unlikely hero, a man taking responsibility, being determined, being strong, enduring, doing whats right etc . . . this film champions the idea of the typical male gender role being of value and cements the link between the importance of family and freedom . . . there are plenty of traditional Gibson-esque morals that are there to be looked into if you choose to . . . is it pro-white-colonisation or anti-white-colonisation? Is it a positive or negative comment on superstition, pagan religion, environment, power, tribal lifestyle, human behaviour? . . . it is nicely open to interpretation as the messages are subtle and subjective, not overt and preachy . . . Apocalypto is essentially an age old spectacular adventure tale of survival which translates well to be relevant to a current audience.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I did a review of Apocalypto over on my site, you can check it out HERE if your interested.