Apocalypto (2006)
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 194
Fresh: 127 | Rotten: 67
Apocalypto is a brilliantly filmed, if mercilessly bloody, examination of a once great civilization.
Average Rating: 5.9/10
Critic Reviews: 49
Fresh: 28 | Rotten: 21
Apocalypto is a brilliantly filmed, if mercilessly bloody, examination of a once great civilization.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 409,464
My Rating
Movie Info
As the foundation of the Mayan civilization begins to crumble, one man's previously idyllic existence is forever changed when he is chosen as a sacrifice needed to appease the gods in director Mel Gibson's mythic, end-times adventure. The Mayan kingdom is at the absolute height of opulence and power, but leaders are convinced that unless more temples are constructed and more human sacrifices made, the crops, and ultimately the people, will suffer. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) is a peaceful
Cast
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Rudy Youngblood
Jaguar Paw -
Dalia Hernandez
Seven -
Jonathan Brewer
Blunted -
Morris Birdyellowhead
Flint Sky -
Carlos Emilio Baez
Turtles Run -
Amilcar Ramirez
Curl Nose -
Israel Contreras
Smoke Frog -
Israel Rios
Cocao Leaf -
María Isabel Díaz
Mother In Law -
Espiridion Acosta Cache
Old Story Teller -
Mayra Serbulo
Young Woman -
Iazua Larios
Sky Flower -
Lorena Hernández
Village Girl -
Itandehui Gutiérrez
Wife -
Sayuri Gutiérrez
Eldest Daughter -
Hiram Soto
Fish Hunter -
José Suárez
First Temple Sacrifice -
Raoul Trujillo
Zero Wolf -
Gerardo Taracena
Middle Eye -
Rodolfo Palacios
Snake Ink -
Ariel Galvan
Hanging Moss -
Bernando Ruíz
Drunkards Four -
Ricardo Díaz Mendoza
Cut Rock -
Richard Can
Ten Peccary -
Carlos Ramos
Monkey Jaw -
Ammel Rodrigo Mendoza
Buzzard Hook -
Marco Antonio Argueta
Speaking Wind -
Javier Escobar
Vicious Holcane -
Fernando Hernandez
High Priest -
Maria Isidra Hoil
Oracle Girl -
Aquetzali Garcia
Oracle Girl -
Abel Woolrich
Laughing Man -
Antonio Monroy
Chilam -
Nicolas Jasso
Man On Temple Top -
Ronaldo Eknal
Slave Auctioneer -
Miriam Tun
Women Auctioneer -
Rafael Vélez
King -
Diana Botello
Queen -
Joaquín Rendón
Head Chac -
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Apocalypto Trailer & Photos
All Critics (195) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (136) | Rotten (71) | DVD (40)
Apocalypto demonstrates two things: that Mel Gibson is a hell of a filmmaker and that his imaginative world borders on the Neanderthal.
Top CriticThis is by no means a boring film, then, but it is a grotesque one, and that brings it pretty close to camp.
As a piece of filmmaking it's certainly strong enough to restore his commercial viability. Whether that's to the good is another question entirely.
[Gibson] has learned how to tell a tale, and to raise a pulse in the telling. You have to admire that basic gift, uncommon as it is in Hollywood these days, though equally you have to ask what obsessions goad it on.
Mel Gibson is a real artist as a director.
It's unlike any other movie to reach theaters this year and, because it is as visual an experience as it is visceral, it is best seen on a large screen.
Damn if the movie, through Mel's sheer determination, doesn't almost turn from a fight-n-flight gore fest into a moving meditation on a civilisation in the throes of decline. Almost.
Ignore Apocalypto's symbolic hubbub and instead view it for Gibson's perverse sense of entertainment. His passionate spectacle of human destruction and doom packs a terrific visceral punch.
Shot with digital camera on location in Mexico, Mel Gibson has created a visually stunning action/adventure epic that although has divided many with its historical accuracy, has spared no expense in bringing life to a world before European colonization.
Nothing if not visceral
All in all Apocalypto is probably Gibson's best film to date, because it's almost free of any of Hollywood's tainting.
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.
The middle of the film, though, finds Gibson at his sadistic best, depicting monumental savagery with a surreal cinematic glee that puts the Apocalypse in Apocalypto.
The bloody end of a civilization. Not for kids.
I won't say Gibson is a rebel who thinks outside the box, as was witnessed by "Passion of the Christ," but the man can direct an excellent visually spectacular action thriller...
Even if you ignore the broader implied messages, "Apocalypto" still works well on the level of a historical action-drama.
What this thing turns out to be is a skimpy action flick.
If you can get past Mr. Gibson's public persona, Apocalypto is a good, solid action movie.
Apocalypto is a very ambitious movie, but not because of the weapons
Any Gibson-haters hoping to see the heart ripped out of his success may well find themselves disappointed by Apocalypto's relative merits.
Apocalypto is a strange but largely entertaining mix of action, bloodletting, chin-rubbing and arthouse trimmings.
Audience Reviews for Apocalypto
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Jaguar Paw: I'm sorry. The balls are useless.
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- Oracle Girl: You fear me? So you should. All you who are vile. Would you like to know how you will die? The sacred time is near. Beware the blackness of day. Beware the man who brings the jaguar. Behold him reborn from mud and earth. For the one he takes you to will cancel the sky, and scratch out the earth. Scratch you out. And end your world. He's with us now. Day will be like night. And the man jaguar will lead you to your end.
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- Jaguar Paw: I am Jaguar Paw. This is my forest. And I am not afraid.
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I was surprised at how much this film has been forgotten. Apocalypto is Mel Gibson's best film. It doesn't look like much at first glance because the trailer is not remotely interesting, and quite dull. But it's actually filled with violence and a great deal of thrills and shocks. It's filmed beautifully, like Passion Of The Christ but has a clearer meaning and a more developed hero. Everything about it is more engaging, affectionate and ironically, more passionate. The environments and set pieces are positively breathtaking and the costume design is absolutely marvelous. I really liked Passion Of The Christ for a lot of reasons but Apocalypto, is Gibson's masterpiece.