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Apocalypto (2006)
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Reviews Counted: 179
Fresh: 115
Rotten:64
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Consensus: Apocalypto is a brilliantly filmed, if mercilessly bloody, examination of a once great civilization.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sequences of graphic violence and disturbing images
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Dec 8, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $50,772,724
Synopsis: Mel Gibson (BRAVEHEART, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST) tackles the downfall of Mayan civilization in his latest turn as writer/director. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his fellow villagers lead a... Mel Gibson (BRAVEHEART, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST) tackles the downfall of Mayan civilization in his latest turn as writer/director. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) and his fellow villagers lead a peaceful life in the forest until a savage, unprovoked attack turns their world upside down. After hiding his pregnant wife and young son from the invaders, Jaguar Paw joins in the fight, only to be taken prisoner with the rest of the survivors. Uncertain of what the future holds and taken from his home to a thriving metropolis that might as well be a foreign country, Jaguar Paw has just one goal--to return to his wife and child. Jaguar Paw's journey is a coming-of-age saga running the gamut of love, loss, courage, and redemption. Filmed in Mexico with a cast of indigenous Americans speaking in the Yucatec dialect, this is a tale filled with contrasts. Muted greens and browns define the forest village while the city is awash in bright colors. The wealthy live in opulence, sporting elaborate jewelry, clothing, and hairdos while the villagers wear twig and bone ornaments. The villagers respect both life and nature, but the rulers of the great stone city condone violence in an effort to appease their gods. Gibson's point is clear: the more "advanced" society is corrupt and unrepentant, while the more primitive Mayans have far greater faith and humanity. Gibson also drives home the recurring theme of rebirth with symbolism, including rain, pregnancy, and the arrival of Christianity. Beautifully filmed by Dean Semler and scored by James Horner, APOCALYPTO could benefit from some framing at its beginning to give the viewer a sense of time and place, but otherwise offers a rare glimpse into a lost world. [More]
Starring: Dalia Hernandez, Mayra Serbulo, Gerardo Taracena, Raoul Trujillo
Starring: Dalia Hernandez, Mayra Serbulo, Gerardo Taracena, Raoul Trujillo
Director: Mel Gibson
Director: Mel Gibson
Producer: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey
Screenwriter: Farhad Safinia
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
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Reviews for Apocalypto
Mel Gibson follows up "The Passion of the Christ," his entrée into directing schlock B-move horror films with high production values, with an even more gory study into bodily torture and death.
Any Gibson-haters hoping to see the heart ripped out of his success may well find themselves disappointed by Apocalypto's relative merits.
How can we be inspired by the spirit of Jaguar Paw when the film's telling us that people stink and the great cultures of the Americas were the architects of their own demise?
Close enough, I suppose, if you want to reduce the entire end of a civilization to a single adventure story.
If any other director had made the spellbinding, visceral Mayan epic 'Apocalypto,' the film would be championed and unquestionably be discussed in Oscar worthy terms.
It's escapism - the world would be a lot safer if good and evil were so clearly defined - and it's something that Mel Gibson proves (once again) that he does very, very well in Apocalypto.
Mel Gibson propone una discutible aproximación a la civilización maya que es, ante todo, un intenso relato de acción y heroísmo.
To cut to the chase, there should be an NC-17 rating to describe the over-the- top violence in Apocalypto. But the strong of stomach will find an edge-of-your-seat, heart-pounding, technically amazing movie.
No matter what your interest is in the film -- entertainment or information -- Apocalypto delivers the goods, and then some.
Gibson has grown increasingly bald-faced with his thematic (if you can call them that) preoccupations, dropping the markers in his path like bloody footprints.
You have to really look for it, to see the political commentary in Mel's make-up extravaganza, which can be spotted not so much in the snoozy National Geographic-ky first half, as in the second half's retracking of Rambo's bushes. But it's there if you wa
Gostemos ou não de Mel Gibson, sua competência como diretor é inegável, assim como sua coragem em assumir projetos pouco convencionais.
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