(film only review)

Introduction

Apocalypto is an action style/historical film which was released in 2006 and focuses on the Maya Civilization and culture. The film is set in Central America. Mel Gibson directed the film as he did with films such as The Passion of the Christ in 2004. It received mostly good reviews upon release but there are scenes of violence and other disturbing moments in the film which meant it received an 18 certificate for release in the UK. The film is in the Mayan language and it has subtitles.

Plot

The film is set in the Maya civilization where a peaceful tribe is brutally attacked by warriors who are looking for slaves and human beings to use as sacrifices for their gods. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) hides his pregnant wife and his son to protect them from the warriors. He is captured while fighting with his people. An eclipse occurs that means his life is spared from the sacrifice at least for the meantime, but he has to fight to survive and save his beloved family.

Opinion

This movie does have quite a lot of violence. The violence though is woven into a story with characters we care about. It is a realistic part of the culture being described. The film is fast paced, full of tension and keeps you gripped pretty much throughout. It is a great action film but it also has a good story. The acting is very good and the cast do their jobs very well and create likeable characters who we feel sympathetic towards. Most or maybe all of the cast are relative unknowns but they were all very good. The direction by Mel Gibson is also very good and the camera work and cinematography is also something to be admired in the film. There are some great images and scenes. The violence is something quite controversial in this film but it is probaby something to be expected. Subtitles do make a film harder to enjoy as you have to read whilst also focussing on the action but I didn't find it too much of a problem in this film and it worked quite well.

Overall I found it to be an entertaining and thrilling action style film which moves at a fast pace.

Film details:

Directed by: Mel Gibson

Produced by:

Mel Gibson
Farhad Safinia
Bruce Davey
Ned Dowd

Written by:

Mel Gibson
Farhad Safinia

Starring:

Rudy Youngblood
Raoul Trujillo
Mayra Sérbulo
Dalia Hernández
Gerardo Taracena
Rodolfo Palacios
Bernardo Ruiz Juarez
Ammel Rodrigo Mendoza
Ricardo Diaz Mendoza
Israel Contreras

Music by: James Horner & Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Cinematography: Dean Semler

Editing by: John Wright

Release date: December 8, 2006

Running time: 140 min