Apocalypto

Starring: Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Jonathan Brewer
Directed by: Mel Gibson
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A tribe of Mayans is attacked by warriors seeking to enslave them. One man fights to survive and return to his pregnant wife and child.

Review:

Tim: I wanted to dislike this movie, just because Mel Gibson is due for a fall. And, he does give enough flaws to knock this film down a few pegs. The first hour and a half is a little more than decent. It's a bit too slow. However, the movie is saved by the last 40 minutes. It is almost all action, and it is great. The film is so intense and thrilling here, offering some remarkable action sequences. The film's third act is so good, it is worth sitting through the first 90 minutes to get there.

The concept behind the movie is great. A movie set during the fall of the Mayan civilization is exactly what we needed out of Hollywood. Even better, the skilled director Gibson gives us a story with heart- not about civilizations, but about a man trying to get back to his family. This is secondary, however, to how absolutely thrilling the action becomes. This is all on a large scale, the Mayan civilization, which is also quite bloodthirsty. The scenes of human sacrifice are chilling.

Gibson deserves some credit for bringing us a movie about the Mayans, all in a foreign language, which is not what American audiences are used to. He also deserves applaud for the incredible action scenes. However, the film is also flawed. The build up takes far too long, and although I love the effort to build characters, this should have been done better. The film is more accessible than you would imagine, but I still would have liked it to be a little more accessible. This is a decent movie with some amazing scenes. THe movie is very, very different, and although not fantastic, it is entertaining enough to keep you occupied.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Braveheart, Signs, The Passion of the Christ