Apocalypto

Say what you will, but Mel Gibson has a wicked sense of humor who punctuates many scenes with these little bits of human vices that reminds us that humans are humans, no matter what the time period is, or the societal framework, there is this baseline of human conduct for selfishness that is totally contradicted by selfless acts of a protective nature, and the propagation of family lines, but it is what makes us human.

It's an amazing look into a past Mayan civilization from an outside tribe from the forest, but the past reveals a lot about us now, and that's the real kick in the pants about the film using this glimpse into Mayan life, rituals, engineering, and superstitions, and still creating human drama out of it all. The film is brutal, and vicious at times, but it balances it with a importance of community and bonding that shows the impact of social aspects of human relations.

If you get queasy over blood, and gutting of animals and humans, and more, then this is not the film for you, but the savagery shown is steeped in lore and their perceived relationship with their deities, and their requirements for satisfying them. You could even draw metaphorical similarities to today's way of life in spots as well.

I think the pacing was pretty good for a film that runs about 135 minutes, and the camera work is very good is more spots, but there are action sequences that have spliced-in video camera footage that makes the action look like it was filmed at 30 frames/second which is jarring when the rest of the footage is 24 fps. But it's not a big deal, just a directorial decision that seemed odd on my first viewing.

The choice to use unknowns for the characters in the film pays off because you simply believe that these are characters from the time period in question and just accept their characters as-is with no personal baggage from familiarity with known actors. Mel Gibson is in good form as director, and you could tell he really had to direct the performances and all of the coordination required to really sell us the landscape of the Mayan population as this living, breathing organism with its own pulse as a whole society.

I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+.

I do think Mel's point of the film is this:


Warning Spoiler!
Organized religion is not a good thing, be it the Mayan pagan rituals demanding human sacrifice, or the onslaught of Christianity that has also committed savage acts in the name of religion.